thedrifter
11-14-06, 07:36 AM
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Childhood inspiration
Marine joins with others to bring toys to needy children for Christmas.
YVETTE CABRERA
Register columnist
ycabrera@ocregister.com
It might seem early to start asking for Christmas presents in the middle of November, but U.S. Marine Sgt. Joe Manuel Palacios has no qualms about making his wish list known.
He needs toys. Lots of them. Thousands of them, in fact.
Since October, Palacios, along with two coordinators in his Marine Corps Reserve unit, have had their eyes on one date.
Come Dec. 23, their goal is to have distributed more than 365,000 toys to needy children all over Orange County for the holidays. It's a goal they're striving toward with the help of a Toys for Tots collaborative that includes the Orange County Fire Authority, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Santa Ana, the "Spark of Love" toy drive campaign led by local firefighters/ABC 7, and many others.
"This program has become a passion for me. Even with the long hours, I mean long hours, I still do it because I believe in it," says Palacios, 33, an infantryman with the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Unit.
The holidays can get so hectic that it's easy to forget how a simple gesture can go such a long way. For Palacios, however, a childhood memory has fueled his passion for the Toys for Tots program.
When he first joined the Marines 13 years ago, Palacios says that he immediately felt a familiarity with the "dress blue uniforms" that the recruiters were wearing.
But it wasn't until he joined the Marine Corps Reserve and volunteered for its Toys for Tots program in 2000 that he realized why he had been drawn to the uniform.
The year was 1980 and on a winter day on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, Palacios' grandmother, Frances Palacios, placed him and his younger brother in her car and told them they were making a special trip downtown.
As they made their way, Palacios remembers looking out of the car window in amazement at the tall skyscrapers. They pulled up to a one-story building where a crowd of families had gathered that Christmas day.
Frances Palacios was widowed and raising her two grandsons, so it wasn't often that she was able to give them gifts for birthdays or holidays.
"It was always a little tough," says Palacios. "We'd had toys before, but they were usually toys that somebody gave to us, that somebody else had played with."
That day, however, would be different. They waited in line, and eventually wound their way into the building where a group of Marines awaited. Palacios peered up at them in awe as one of them handed him a white bag stapled shut.
"To me it was like seeing a giant … There was this tall guy in this uniform I had never seen before," says Palacios. "It was wow, amazing."
Seven-year-old Palacios wrapped his arms around the white bag with its Toys for Tots logo and then opened it to discover brand new toys, including a bright yellow Tonka truck.
"It made a big difference. It really did," says Palacios, who kept the Tonka truck for years. "For the parents or families who are in that position, it's hard for them to not be able to provide, not to be able to give Christmas presents. That took a big weight off of my grandmother's shoulders."
Two years after becoming a Toys for Tots volunteer, Palacios became one of the three coordinators who oversee the program for his reserve unit at Camp Pendleton. His unit focuses on collecting toys from south Orange County, and the collaborative serves the entire county.
"A lot of people say, 'Why do kids need a toy? I'm sure they need more than just toys.' And that's true, there are other needs like food and clothing," says Palacios. "But children, they don't see that. That toy, it gives them hope, it lets them know it's Christmas."
Already, the collaborative has collected hundreds of dolls, books, sports equipment and even bikes in a warehouse at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Irvine. But they are far short of the 365,715 toys that have already been requested by 465 nonprofits and churches.
"Every year it seems there are more people submitting toys, but we are just barely" meeting the demand, Palacios says. "We need as many toys as people are willing to give."
From now until Christmas, the Marines will distribute collection boxes, coordinate toy pick-ups, and sort the gifts by age and gender. It's a nonstop job that means they must give up weekends and time off.
But the payoff is worth the work, says Palacios, because this year the Marines will also be playing Santa and handing out some toys.
"I'm really excited about that," he says. "Who knows, maybe I'll have a future coordinator in one of those kids. I'll be somebody else's giant and they'll say 'Wow, who's that?' "
Ellie
Childhood inspiration
Marine joins with others to bring toys to needy children for Christmas.
YVETTE CABRERA
Register columnist
ycabrera@ocregister.com
It might seem early to start asking for Christmas presents in the middle of November, but U.S. Marine Sgt. Joe Manuel Palacios has no qualms about making his wish list known.
He needs toys. Lots of them. Thousands of them, in fact.
Since October, Palacios, along with two coordinators in his Marine Corps Reserve unit, have had their eyes on one date.
Come Dec. 23, their goal is to have distributed more than 365,000 toys to needy children all over Orange County for the holidays. It's a goal they're striving toward with the help of a Toys for Tots collaborative that includes the Orange County Fire Authority, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in Santa Ana, the "Spark of Love" toy drive campaign led by local firefighters/ABC 7, and many others.
"This program has become a passion for me. Even with the long hours, I mean long hours, I still do it because I believe in it," says Palacios, 33, an infantryman with the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Unit.
The holidays can get so hectic that it's easy to forget how a simple gesture can go such a long way. For Palacios, however, a childhood memory has fueled his passion for the Toys for Tots program.
When he first joined the Marines 13 years ago, Palacios says that he immediately felt a familiarity with the "dress blue uniforms" that the recruiters were wearing.
But it wasn't until he joined the Marine Corps Reserve and volunteered for its Toys for Tots program in 2000 that he realized why he had been drawn to the uniform.
The year was 1980 and on a winter day on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, Palacios' grandmother, Frances Palacios, placed him and his younger brother in her car and told them they were making a special trip downtown.
As they made their way, Palacios remembers looking out of the car window in amazement at the tall skyscrapers. They pulled up to a one-story building where a crowd of families had gathered that Christmas day.
Frances Palacios was widowed and raising her two grandsons, so it wasn't often that she was able to give them gifts for birthdays or holidays.
"It was always a little tough," says Palacios. "We'd had toys before, but they were usually toys that somebody gave to us, that somebody else had played with."
That day, however, would be different. They waited in line, and eventually wound their way into the building where a group of Marines awaited. Palacios peered up at them in awe as one of them handed him a white bag stapled shut.
"To me it was like seeing a giant … There was this tall guy in this uniform I had never seen before," says Palacios. "It was wow, amazing."
Seven-year-old Palacios wrapped his arms around the white bag with its Toys for Tots logo and then opened it to discover brand new toys, including a bright yellow Tonka truck.
"It made a big difference. It really did," says Palacios, who kept the Tonka truck for years. "For the parents or families who are in that position, it's hard for them to not be able to provide, not to be able to give Christmas presents. That took a big weight off of my grandmother's shoulders."
Two years after becoming a Toys for Tots volunteer, Palacios became one of the three coordinators who oversee the program for his reserve unit at Camp Pendleton. His unit focuses on collecting toys from south Orange County, and the collaborative serves the entire county.
"A lot of people say, 'Why do kids need a toy? I'm sure they need more than just toys.' And that's true, there are other needs like food and clothing," says Palacios. "But children, they don't see that. That toy, it gives them hope, it lets them know it's Christmas."
Already, the collaborative has collected hundreds of dolls, books, sports equipment and even bikes in a warehouse at the former El Toro Marine Corps Air Station in Irvine. But they are far short of the 365,715 toys that have already been requested by 465 nonprofits and churches.
"Every year it seems there are more people submitting toys, but we are just barely" meeting the demand, Palacios says. "We need as many toys as people are willing to give."
From now until Christmas, the Marines will distribute collection boxes, coordinate toy pick-ups, and sort the gifts by age and gender. It's a nonstop job that means they must give up weekends and time off.
But the payoff is worth the work, says Palacios, because this year the Marines will also be playing Santa and handing out some toys.
"I'm really excited about that," he says. "Who knows, maybe I'll have a future coordinator in one of those kids. I'll be somebody else's giant and they'll say 'Wow, who's that?' "
Ellie