Toys for Tots
SLIPPERY ROCK — With the fall semester fast drawing to a close, many Slippery Rock University students are hustling to meet project deadlines and prepare for final exams.
But with Christmas also right around the corner, a few students are slowing down long enough to play Santa to local children.
Chief among them are cadets from Slippery Rock University’s Army ROTC program who have stepped up to coordinate the annual Toys for Tots campaign on campus.
The program collects donations of new, unwrapped toys and books from October through December each year, distributing the items as Christmas gifts to less-fortunate children in the community.
Toys for Tots, a U.S. Marine Corps Reserve initiative, was launched in 1947.
“This is something that we are proud to do, especially since there is a historical, military attachment to Toys for Tots,” said Cadet Capt. Darien Yarger, a senior psychology major from Milton. “Cadets have always been more than willing and able to help with the cause.”
Yarger has been managing the campuswide collection drive alongside fellow cadets, Lt. Rachel Brobeck, a junior criminal justice major from Burke, Va., and Sgt. Zane Wolf, a sophomore safety management major from Slippery Rock.
“We are encouraging everyone to participate because it allows families in need to be able to give Christmas to their kids,” said Yarger. “It always feels good having the opportunity to help others out like this.”
Four donation boxes are on campus — two in the Smith Student Center, one in the lobby of Old Main, and another in the Robert A. Lowry Center, home of the ROTC program. Donations, for newborns to 12-year-olds, will be accepted through Dec. 12.
“This is my first year being involved in Toys for Tots,” Wolf said. All 80 cadets in the Slippery Rock ROTC program are assisting the effort in one way or another, he added.
“The possibilities are really endless,” said Yarger. “Gifts can include headphones, family-friendly movies, books, board games and puzzles. We just ask that everyone keep their presents age-appropriate and exclude any mature video games or R-rated movies.”
SRU’s University Program Board will join in the effort with its annual “Seasons of Giving” event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at the student center.
The event, which also supports the Toys for Tots campaign, will benefit Butler County children this holiday season. Donated toys, for boys and girls to age 12, should be new and unwrapped.
In addition to collection bins located inside the student center, the board will try to stuff the SGA Bookstore van full of donations from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The van will be parked outside the bookstore on the Smith Center patio.
“The overall goal of the event is to host a holiday get-together for our students, faculty and staff as the semester comes to a close, while collecting as many toys as possible from our SRU community to donate to Butler County Toys for Tots,” said Samantha Anderson, a business marketing major from Beaver and director of community service for the board.
Cadets will deliver collected donations at 9 a.m. Dec. 16 to the Clearview Mall where they will assist in wrapping the items, welcoming families and presenting gifts to the children.
Since the inception of the program, more than 512 million toys have been delivered to more than 237 million children across the nation.
