The American Dream - 2009
Report to the Community
By Bob Loring

Never before have I been more concerned about America’s future and lack of opportunities we will be passing along to our children. It seems to me that we have been poor stewards of the American Dream that my generation so nonchalantly inherited from our forefathers. It is with great trepidation, mixed with boundless hope that I offer the plans and intentions of our combined program for the year, 2009.

Firstly, I commit our Toys for Tots efforts to increase the number of children we intend to serve. Last year, our program provided a most bright Christmas full of toys and other much needed personal items for thousands of East Pasco’s most deserving children. In the fall over 1000 of these same children were provided a new backpack brimming with the school supplies needed for their 2007-2008 school year. And we held our 7th TAD (The American Dream) Congress. Over 100 area school and child care advocates attended and become educated regarding the growing community problems caused by school bullying.

This year, our challenge will be even greater, but our objective is sublime. Our mission is simple: to assist Pasco’s ‘at risk’ children by skillfully attempting to ‘level their playing field.’ Since 1947 The Marine Corps Toys for Tots program has strived to provide deserving children with a bright and hopeful Christmas each year. And, in the many years that I have been involved with our beloved program, our ‘at risk’ children and their families have never needed our support more then now. This year, I humbly ask for your help! For without you, and your kind donations of toys and other essential items, we must certainly fail. But, as you well know, within the United States Marine Corps, failure is never an option.

I am pleased to announce that this year’s 8th TAD Congress will take place on Wednesday June 24th at the new Barnes & Nobel store in Wiregrass shopping mall. This year’s main topic will address an ever present community dilemma, “Literacy!” Our honored TAD delegates will be informed about new effective literacy programs and the ‘state of the art’ thinking regarding this critically important topic. In the fall, before school commences, we shall hold our ‘back to school’ school supply distribution for many Toys for Tots children. Here, we hope to provide each deserving child with a new backpack laden with all the tools the school system prescribes. And, in December, we hope to expand the number of children Toys for Tots serves.

Our goal is simple. We’ll attempt to provide goods and services for many poverty bound children living in each of our local communities. Utilizing a grass roots process, our efforts depend on the ability to engage the support of our caring East Pasco neighbors. We ask for nothing from our Pasco County government, nothing from the State, and we will ask nothing from any government sponsored stimulus package. We do hold that these efforts to assist our ‘children in need’ rest squarely on the shoulders of each local community.

I’m confident that you will again join us in supporting this, our noble effort to provide the tools for our precious poverty bound children. We maintain that they, too, shall have an opportunity to experience The Great American Dream.