thedrifter
03-13-07, 08:12 AM
Retiring toy drive coordinator has no plans to 'sit still'
KVOA.com, AZ
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- For a man who has just retired, Hal Jensen is certainly working very hard.
Jensen, a Flagstaff resident since 1978, said he logs at least 25 hours a week of volunteer work.
And that's after stepping down as area coordinator for the Northern Arizona Toys for Tots Organization, a job he performed tirelessly for 12 years _ as a volunteer.
"For me, doing service work is not a chore. It's self-satisfying and enriching. That's my reward. It's a passion, and I love to do it," said Jensen, who will turn 77 in June.
A retired major in the U.S. Marine Corps, Jensen has been affiliated with the Marines for 30 years, including 26 years of active duty.
This affiliation led him to Toys for Tots, the organization started in 1947 by the Marines to bring toys to needy children at Christmas.
Jensen announced his retirement as head of the yearly toy drive on the last day of January, during a Toys for Tots banquet.
Although some people like retirement for all the leisure time and TV watching, that's not for Jensen.
"I never could stand having a lot of time on my hands; I never could sit still," he said. "I see people working, doing something well into their 80s, as long as their health holds out."
As a man who can't sit still, Jensen serves on the board of the Marine League Charities, Inc., and is events coordinator for the Extreme Fun Extravaganza, the main fundraising event for the local Toys for Tots. Some projects he is working on through Marine League Charities are a program for wounded Marines and another for youth sports.
Sometimes tagged the "Head Elf," Jensen led the local Toys for Tots organization from its infancy in 1995 to a powerful nonprofit machine in 2006, able to collect more than 72,000 toys for nearly 25,000 children in northern Arizona.
The early years were daunting.
"In 1995, we collected and purchased toys for about 1,000 kids," Jensen said. "We found out then that we did not want to wrap any more toys. What we thought would take four hours, took us two full days."
In 2006, Santa and his Toys for Tots elves reached far-ranging distribution points, from the National Guard Armory in Flagstaff to Tuba City Boarding School, Grand Canyon Head Start, the Hopi, Navajo, Yavapai and San Carlos Apache reservations, and even by helicopter to children in Supai Village inside the Grand Canyon.
"I think we've done a lot of good," Jensen said. "I had a school teacher tell me on the Navajo Reservation if it were not for Toys for Tots, December 25 would be just December 25 for many of the kids."
Jensen has many poignant memories of his Toys for Tots years, but one in particular stands out. Years ago, during a toy distribution party for preschool through third-grade children, a family came in who seemed particularly in need.
"The father had a Mackinaw jacket with a big safety pin, and he didn't have any shoes on" Jensen said. "They had a pretty little girl, maybe in first grade. Helpers saw she was really in need, so they put some more toys in her bag. They asked her where she lived, and she said, "By the fire.' It's always stuck in my mind."
Jensen first became involved in the Toys for Tots effort in 1953 when he was a Marine recruiter in Jacksonville, Fla.
"The reserve units would collect used, but repairable, toys'" he said. "The units would clean them and distribute them to needy children. They would ask recruiters to put boxes out and collect toys because we were going out into the areas to recruit."
Jensen and Marilyn, his wife of 52 years, do have a few retirement plans. Their four children, a daughter and three sons ranging in age from 39 to 49, are all grown and contributing to their communities.
"We want to travel a little bit more, although we're perfectly happy here," Jensen said. "We're planning a trip to Glacier National Park in the late summer."
They both have hobbies. Jensen likes to hike and watch college basketball and football. His wife likes homemaking and gardening.
But Jensen has no plans to give up his volunteer work.
"Northern Arizona is a large area, and we have a huge population out there which has many needs," he said.
"I think so many times we look to the federal government for things that are really a community responsibility. There's a great need and great opportunity for volunteer work, and volunteer work is truly rewarding."
Ellie
KVOA.com, AZ
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- For a man who has just retired, Hal Jensen is certainly working very hard.
Jensen, a Flagstaff resident since 1978, said he logs at least 25 hours a week of volunteer work.
And that's after stepping down as area coordinator for the Northern Arizona Toys for Tots Organization, a job he performed tirelessly for 12 years _ as a volunteer.
"For me, doing service work is not a chore. It's self-satisfying and enriching. That's my reward. It's a passion, and I love to do it," said Jensen, who will turn 77 in June.
A retired major in the U.S. Marine Corps, Jensen has been affiliated with the Marines for 30 years, including 26 years of active duty.
This affiliation led him to Toys for Tots, the organization started in 1947 by the Marines to bring toys to needy children at Christmas.
Jensen announced his retirement as head of the yearly toy drive on the last day of January, during a Toys for Tots banquet.
Although some people like retirement for all the leisure time and TV watching, that's not for Jensen.
"I never could stand having a lot of time on my hands; I never could sit still," he said. "I see people working, doing something well into their 80s, as long as their health holds out."
As a man who can't sit still, Jensen serves on the board of the Marine League Charities, Inc., and is events coordinator for the Extreme Fun Extravaganza, the main fundraising event for the local Toys for Tots. Some projects he is working on through Marine League Charities are a program for wounded Marines and another for youth sports.
Sometimes tagged the "Head Elf," Jensen led the local Toys for Tots organization from its infancy in 1995 to a powerful nonprofit machine in 2006, able to collect more than 72,000 toys for nearly 25,000 children in northern Arizona.
The early years were daunting.
"In 1995, we collected and purchased toys for about 1,000 kids," Jensen said. "We found out then that we did not want to wrap any more toys. What we thought would take four hours, took us two full days."
In 2006, Santa and his Toys for Tots elves reached far-ranging distribution points, from the National Guard Armory in Flagstaff to Tuba City Boarding School, Grand Canyon Head Start, the Hopi, Navajo, Yavapai and San Carlos Apache reservations, and even by helicopter to children in Supai Village inside the Grand Canyon.
"I think we've done a lot of good," Jensen said. "I had a school teacher tell me on the Navajo Reservation if it were not for Toys for Tots, December 25 would be just December 25 for many of the kids."
Jensen has many poignant memories of his Toys for Tots years, but one in particular stands out. Years ago, during a toy distribution party for preschool through third-grade children, a family came in who seemed particularly in need.
"The father had a Mackinaw jacket with a big safety pin, and he didn't have any shoes on" Jensen said. "They had a pretty little girl, maybe in first grade. Helpers saw she was really in need, so they put some more toys in her bag. They asked her where she lived, and she said, "By the fire.' It's always stuck in my mind."
Jensen first became involved in the Toys for Tots effort in 1953 when he was a Marine recruiter in Jacksonville, Fla.
"The reserve units would collect used, but repairable, toys'" he said. "The units would clean them and distribute them to needy children. They would ask recruiters to put boxes out and collect toys because we were going out into the areas to recruit."
Jensen and Marilyn, his wife of 52 years, do have a few retirement plans. Their four children, a daughter and three sons ranging in age from 39 to 49, are all grown and contributing to their communities.
"We want to travel a little bit more, although we're perfectly happy here," Jensen said. "We're planning a trip to Glacier National Park in the late summer."
They both have hobbies. Jensen likes to hike and watch college basketball and football. His wife likes homemaking and gardening.
But Jensen has no plans to give up his volunteer work.
"Northern Arizona is a large area, and we have a huge population out there which has many needs," he said.
"I think so many times we look to the federal government for things that are really a community responsibility. There's a great need and great opportunity for volunteer work, and volunteer work is truly rewarding."
Ellie