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The History of the Toys for Tots Program

You have probably seen advertisement in your local community for the Toys for Tots program. This is the program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve that gives toys to needy children in the community. The program was started in 1947 by Major Bill Hendricks for the Los Angeles, California area. The first year, Major Hendricks collected 5,000 toys, with the first being a Raggedy Ann Doll made by Hendrick’s wife, Diane. Seeing there was a need for such a program, in 1948, it went national. The United States Marine Corps adopted the program as a project for its … Continue reading →

Marines Gone Wild

Have you been invited to a Marine Corps Ball lately? If not, chances are you aren’t quite famous enough. I am kidding, of course. Since becoming a Marine wife, I have attended several balls, held each November to honor the founding date of the Marine Corps. Think of it as a prom for Marines on their company’s birthday. It is a big deal – everyone dresses up, then eats and dances after a ceremony to honor all Marines past and present. The only ball I’ve been to that had anyone even remotely famous was one we attended out in San … Continue reading →

Strange Celebrity Phobias

I was listening to a recent podcast of one of my favorite NPR shows, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me. On this particular broadcast, their guest was Philippe Petit. If you don’t know who Philippe Petit is, you obviously didn’t read my review of the 81st Annual Academy Awards. Philippe Petit was the guy that walked on a high wire (illegally of course) stretched between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. A film about his feat, Man on Wire, won an Oscar for Best Documentary at the awards ceremony this year. Anyhow, I found it funny when the … Continue reading →

Pop Culture Updates: Harry, Sampson and “The Simpsons”

JUST WILD ABOUT HARRY We all know by now that Harry Potter, the fictional boy wizard, is a pop culture icon. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” smashed all sales records this weekend (8.3 million copies of the book were sold in the first 24 hours). But, there’s another record the book has earned that you may not have heard about. According to the National Braille Press, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” was made available to the blind at the same time sighted readers could purchase their print versions. The Boston-based publisher says that is an extremely rare occurrence … Continue reading →