 |
|
 |
|||
Making a Difference in Pasco County Florida |
|||||
| |
Rotary e-Club of Tampa Bay Ahoy Fellow Rotarians: My name is Bob Loring and I am a charter member of Rotary’s new and exciting e-Club of Tampa Bay. My interest and involvement goes back to my grandfather Frank “June” Loring. He was a member of Rotary for many years in Indiana and (in 1986) when he reached the well seasoned age of one hundred years, I had the privilege of seeing him honored as the oldest active Rotarian in the state. He loved Rotary and he would be pleased that I now am an energetic Rotarian too. Today, I live in the Sunshine State of Florida, county of Pasco, and I also co-chair the Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots of East Pasco program. After I took on this enormous responsibility in 1999, my first thoughts were, if we were to effectively accomplish this daunting task year in and year out, we would need network with a host of dependable partners. My first contact was with the newly formed (morning) Rotary Club in Dade City. By the second year of our operations, the club had agreed to support our toy effort by providing (skives: that’s socks, underwear and toothbrushes to you land- lovers) for the many Tots intended to serve each Christmas season. Since that time, each year, Rotary and high school student members of Rotary’s, Interact Club have stepped up to assist us by providing these needy children additional school supplies and other items necessary for these Tots success and wellbeing. One of the best things about Toys for Tots is that I rarely have to explain the intent of the program to folks. Even our youngest citizens, scouts, NROTC students, and police and firefighter explorer groups, which assist us to distribute toys and other items, all seem to understand the need and purpose of our combined efforts. But for the record, allow me to provide you with some relevant information about the Toys for Tots program and the Toys for Tots Foundation that successfully coordinates our worthy endeavor. The Foundation noted that the 2004 Toys for Tots campaign throughout the world distributed 19 million toys that brought the message of hope to 7.4 million needy children. After our 57th year of faithful service, (1947-2004) Marines have distributed over 332.5 million toys to 159 million Tots. The Toys for Tots Foundation, of which our local program is a member, is a 501© (3) not-for-profit public charity and was recognized by “Philanthropy 400,” and was ranked as #316 in that publication. Last year, Toys for Tots of East Pasco served 1000 certified families and provided multiple toys for 3000 local Tots. Our program held toy distributions in four communities throughout the eastern part of Pasco County. In the 2004 campaign we were supported by no less than 74 major corporate sponsors. But, actually, that is not what I wish to discuss with you, my fellow Rotarians. I write to express my hope and interest in partnering with all the Rotary Clubs here in our area. By combining our collective efforts we could truly make a difference for these poverty bound children by bring them, in addition to toys, many other essential items. Toys for Tots: A Force for Community Organization Toys for Tots of East Pasco has evolved into an effective method of providing toys at Christmas for our neediest children. This mission being accomplished, we are now reaching for the dream of providing other essential items to the families of the children Toys for Tots serves. In past years, many community organizations have stepped up to assist us by providing our precious Tots with school supplies, socks, underwear, toothbrushes, dictionaries and shoes. And, for the past four years our families have also received a large box of food staples from a faith-based food bank christened “Food for Tots.” Last year, Toys for Tots of East Pasco had full service toy distributions in Dade City, Zephyrhills, Land O’Lakes/Lutz and the tri-communities of Lacoochee, Tri-Lacoochee and Trilby. In all, one thousand families received toys and other items for three thousand registered Tots. This year while working with a new and exciting organization, S.T.E.P.S. (School Tools that Empower & Promote Success); we intend to utilize our highly successful distribution system to sponsor two additional events within all the communities listed above. In July, we will present a “Health Fair” offering back to school physicals and a variety of community resource information to the families of these precious children. In August, we have scheduled a “Back to School” event. There each child will receive his/her needed allotment of school supplies; this component will include an important literacy element. Our plans for the 2006 year will include a forth, and separate, event that will include a “Job Fair” for the parents of our Toys for Tots children. Thanks to the hard work of so very many Pasco residents, the families of our Toys for Tots children are now beginning to trust us. What an opportunity for each of our East Pasco communities to step-up and face the problems and situations of our less fortunate families living in their midst. It is envisioned that soon, each local community event will, logically, begin to take on its own unique personally. Hopefully, each community seeks to address its own unique poverty situation. If your community, service club, school, business, church group, or individuals wish to assist us in this noble community effort, please contact Isa Blanford, (352) 583-0155 or, Bob Loring, (352) 588-4230. In our start up year, we will need assistance from many licensed medical personal to give the children basic ‘back to school’ physicals at our Health Fair event, and we will need an enormous amount of school supplies donated for the following “Back to School” endeavor. Each of our cities local residents and contributing organizations are encouraged to join us and meet, face to face, our participating families. This simple expression in human- compassion will go along way to demonstrate to the families that, in fact, we do care. Time after time Toys for Tots of East Pasco has benefited from the donations of our friends and neighbors. We fully expect that our community will, once again, rise to the challenge and help us supply the school-tools necessary for these children now living in the bitter clutches of abject poverty. They are here, they live among us, and the clock is ticking on our chance to mediate the, ever-growing, poverty dilemmas faced by each of our East Pasco communities. Suggested Partnership between Rotary & Tots for Tots Toys for Tots aligned with the new STEPS effort we find that we need a single unifying sponsor. Rotary Clubs in Dade City, Zephyrhills, Land O’ Lakes/Lutz, and (someday) The Tri Communities of Lacoochee, Tri-Lacoochee and Trilby would be requested to assist our local four Toys for Tots captains. Here, we are not asking Rotary to shoulder this responsibility alone, but rather to coordinate each local community’s response to this challenge, (i.e. be the unifying force that actively enlists their community’s organizations, churches and individuals to donate necessary items needed for its local distribution.) Note: what might be needed in Dade City might not necessarily be the same for the Land O’ Lakes/Lutz Tots. I would, however, request that each Rotary club be present and highly visible at these events in order to meet and greet our families in need. Here, we shall “Put a Face on Poverty” within each community. What better way to understand the needs of the poverty bound families in our community, than to have personal contact with them several time a year. It should also be noted that due the our lucrative post office toy drive, Rotary clubs will not be asked to procure toys at Christmas time. What we’re talking about here is providing many “other” necessary items for these children in need. With Rotary’s stellar assistance, we shall attempt not to give a hand out, but rather, a hand up to these precious children. Please visit our newly updated Toys for Tots web site: www.toysfortotspasco.org, Toys for Tots Foundation web site: www.toysfortots.com, and the new STEPS web site www.eastpascosteps.org to see the list of school supplies needed for our back to school event. It is my dream to involve my fellow Rotarians in assisting to raise and distribute collected items needed by these children to improve their chances of breaking the poverty cycle. I ask you to apply the four way test to this challenge and see if my request for assistance meets our stated Rotarian standards. “The Four-Way Test” Here, my brother and sisters, is the ideal place to intervene by assisting poverty bound children in your (own) local community. We can increase literacy, one of our stated goals, and seek to put a face on poverty in each local community. After all, education and literacy are the key indicators for the successful future outcome for any individual. If each of our local Pasco communities and their Rotary club took responsibility for there children in need, I assure you, we could make a mighty difference. I envision this exciting endeavor to represent a “replicable model” for other communities and other Rotary clubs to emulate. It is my vision that our collective effort might well interest some huge philanthropic foundation to assist us to provide a computer in each of our Toys for Tots homes. Now that would make a major difference in the lives of these children, and I submit, would increase their chances for reaching the great American Dream. Roll of the e-club: As I now see it, the e-Club of Tampa Bay might easily coordinate the efforts of the local Rotary Clubs in order to meet the goals of our East Pasco Tots. And someday, if we can get the computers distributed, the e-Club could be invaluable in coordinating and monitoring all these Rotary-sponsored computer club Tots. Our motto is: Think Globally Act Locally. I encourage all East Pasco our friends and neighbors here in Pasco County to plan to attend our “exciting” 4th Annual TAD (The American Dream) Congress. It is scheduled to be held on the East Campus of Pasco-Hernando Community College, July 14th. Contact Jessica (Hawkins) White at (352) 518-1224 for additional information on instruction for pre-registration. We hope to see you there! Note: To date The San Ann Club has agreed to support the project and, I have spoken to the Wesley Chapel Club last month and hope that they will also put their hat in the ring. I am seeking any opportunity to speak to all of other East Pasco Rotary Clubs as soon as possible. Thanks for taking the time and interest in reading this proposal. Respectfully submitted: Bob Loring – The Rotary eClub of Tampa Bay
|
| Copyright Toys For Tots Pasco 2005. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. | |||||||
 |
Site Designed by |
||||||