Toys for Troops, NFP

WELCOME!
This project originated from my blog, www.gnightgirl.blogspot.com. It is a project born from word-of-mouth, love, support, and the kindness of hundreds of people that read an idea and said "let's do it." It is your project.

You have my undying gratitude and love.

- Lori Stewart (Champaign, Illinois)

IMAGINE...
A child, sleeping with tiny hands wrapped around a stuffed animal tossed to him by a gigantic, gun-toting U.S. soldier, clothed in helmet, boots, green fatigues.

That same soldier. 60 pounds of gear on his body, exhausted after a 3-day mission in 117-degree heat. The dust, he writes home, is the consistency of powdered sugar. It's everywhere. And "Mom," he says, "the kids love the beanies. Send all you have. The guys are asking for them."

A parent's love for their child is universal. If your son, your daughter, Your Soldier can toss a beanie baby or a soccer ball to a child in the midst of war, fear, and chaos, and make that child laugh with glee, then his mother smiles also.

Even if world leaders can't come to terms, we can still shake one another's hands, hand a few toys to their kids, and put smiles on their faces. I hope you'll join us.

May 2008

SOLDIERS' ADDRESSES NEEDED

Happily, as of May 2008, most of the soldiers on our first year's mailing list have completed their tours in Iraq, and come home. While we have a few replacement names, we now need to regenerate our mailing lists. Help spread the word! If you know of anyone that can use some beanies or a care package, please, forward their names to us, or ours to them!

SPECIAL THANKS

Sam's Club recently begifted Toys for Troops with a cash donation of $1000. This gift will help us send almost 4000 beanie babies, and/or other items to soldiers in Iraq. Many thanks to Sam's for their generous donation.

HOMEFRONT HEROES
We at Toys for Troops are proud to have been recognized as a Homefront Heroes at the Illinois State Capitol, on December 11, 2007. I accepted the award from Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn at a press conference, and closed my speech with these words: "I'm incredibly proud and blessed to have stumbled into a project that can provide an avenue for people to actually make a difference." From the letters that have come in from around the world, I'm certain we are doing just that. Thank you, a million times thank you.

EVENT CALENDAR
Take a look at our latest events on our new event calendar. Click here.

GOT A SOLDIER?
If you’re a parent, wife, sibling, or friend of a soldier anywhere, that might like to receive a box full o’ beanies, I will definitely add him or her to the mailing list. We have plenty to go around!

GOT BEANIES?
At the time of this writing (December, 2008) Toys for Troops has put a temporary hold on Beanie Baby donations. We receive donations in such volumes that we cannot send them fast enough, and we have simply run out of storage space! Chanute Air Museum has kindly donated some storage space, as we frantically try to whittle down our inventory, and accept your donations once again. I will happily put your name on a waiting list to pick your beanies up at a later date.

YOU CAN STILL MAIL YOUR BEANIES TO A SOLDIER. Many think they cannot cover the cost of mailing their beanies, but if you're interested, I'll help you come up with ideas. It's been my experience that people want to help in any way they can, and asking a few friends or coworkers to pool their efforts to send a box is often all that is necessary.  Email ljstewart@gmail.com for more advice.

GOT SOCCER BALLS?
New or used soccer balls are deflated and sent along with the beanies in almost every package, along with pumps and needles to refill them when they make it into a soldier's hands. A soccer balls costs about $10 at your local superstore; let us know if you'd like to donate a ball or any supplies.

GOT POSTAGE?
Many people are surprised to find that we do not get a discount of any sort for shipping our packages. We pay what you pay, and shipping costs are rising. A box of 100 beanies costs approximately $20 to send to an APO address. If you'd like to sponsor the cost of shipping a box, or a portion of a box of beanies, you can make a donation through PayPal, by clicking on the button on the left. I can also hand over a box-full of beanies, and you can make your own trip to the post-office, if you wish.

Shipping on your own? SHIPPING TIPS

DON'T HAVE BEANIES? GOT POWDERED DRINK MIX? WET WIPES? TRAIL MIX?
If you're unable to send soccer balls or beanies babies, but would still like to make a contribution, you can still send a care package to a soldier. Contact me at ljstewart@gmail.com if you're interested. Anything you send will be shared, and someone, somewhere will appreciate it. I promise you.

IDEAS FOR CARE PACKAGES

GOT TIME?
If you would like to be a "TFT Ambassador" for your community, e-mail me at ljstewart@gmail.com. I'll give you some tips, soldier's names, and shipping instructions.