Carole Nemec, the assistant coordinator for the local Marine Toys for Tots Foundation chapter, said the national organization began with a kind gesture from U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Maj. Bill Hendricks’ wife in 1947 and ultimately led to the creation of the well-known organization dedicated to ensuring children receive a new toy during the holiday season.
Hendricks’ civilian job provided him with connections to celebrities, such as Walt Disney, who ended up designing the Toys For Tots logo as a favor to Hendricks, Nemec said. With the support of Disney and other big names in 1948, the national community action program moved forward with its campaign on a larger scale.
Since then, Toys For Tots has grown and continues to provide an average of 18 million toys to almost 7 million children across the nation every year.
The northwest Harris County chapter covers Waller County, Washington County, Katy, Tomball, Cypress and Spring, and the group provided 70,515 toys to 13,060 children in 2021.
Businesses in these communities can contribute to these efforts monetarily or by collecting toys for children this holiday season. Learn more at http://waller-tx.toysfortots.org.
