December 14, 2009

Governor Mark Parkinson and his wife Stacy today committed $1,000 to the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program in Wichita. The area’s warehouse that held the donated toys was broken into during the weekend and more than 1,000 toys worth $10,000 to $20,000 were stolen. The Parkinsons are asking all Kansans to donate to the Wichita Toys for Tots to restore the program’s donations.

“With Christmas a little more than a week away, I’m calling on folks in the Wichita area to help in any way they can to make sure that despite this terrible theft, the children in need will still have a Christmas to remember,” Governor Parkinson continued. “Stacy and I grew up in Wichita; it’s a wonderful community, and we know that if everyone pulls together we can make this happen. Stacy and I are personally donating $1,000 dollars and we encourage those in the community who are blessed this season to reach deep into their hearts and pocketbooks. It’s not too late to make sure that every child in Kansas has a Merry Christmas.”

Since 1947, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program has been collecting and distributing toys as Christmas gifts for needy children. Each year, the program collects new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December and distributes those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community. Toys for Tots aims to help less fortunate children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause; and to contribute to better communities in the future.