Franklin Square, NY --
While many high school students wait anxiously for their holiday gifts, one group of high school seniors decided to give back.
The seniors attending H. Frank Carey High School in Franklin Square, NY chose to donate to “Toys for Tots,” a program ran by the United States Marine Corps Reserve that collects new, unwrapped toys and distributes them as Christmas gifts to less fortunate children in the community in which the campaign is conducted.
“The students here always want to give back,” said Karine McGuiness, senior advisor at H. Frank Carey High School. “We help give the students ideas about charities but ultimately they make their own decisions and this year they wanted to make a large impact.”
The students of Carey High School would do just that.
“We decided for our senior charity event to do Toys for Tots,” said Clarice Tenorio, a senior at H. Frank Carey High School. “It’s a great way to team up with the Marine Corps and do some good. “Toys for Tots” has been around for such a long time and they have done such a great job every year. You hear so much about kids getting so much from the program. It’s a great way to let kids be kids.”
“Toys for Tots” was founded in 1947 by a Marine Corps Reservist and has been impacting communities nationwide ever since.
“A lot of the public sees us (Marines) as a war fighting unit and doesn’t always see us in a positive light back on the home front,” said Capt. Francisco Pietri, the base operations officer for the 1st Marine Corps District. “This is our way of showing them that our Marines, while we go do good things in war, we can do great things at home to support the community.”