In celebration of the upcoming holiday season, Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE) civilian, military and contractor personnel have come together to support a collection benefitting Toys for Tots, a nationwide, not-for-profit organization that collects and distributes toys to families in need during the holidays.
Each holiday season, FRCE employees help make the season brighter for children in Eastern North Carolina by donating new, unwrapped toys for those who may not otherwise receive gifts. This year, the command collected over 500 toys, 88 bicycles and $500 in monetary donations to give to the cause.
For many members of the workforce, supporting the Toys for Tots Program has become a cherished tradition — a meaningful way to give back and ensure that every child experiences the joy of receiving a gift during the holidays. Staff Sgt. Matthew Jensen, the H-53 program assistant at FRCE, said helping coordinate this year’s collection has been a rewarding experience.
“Helping out with Toys for Tots is one of those things that makes me even more proud to be a Marine,” said Jensen. “Even though I’ve been donating to the program since I was a kid, this is the first year that I’ve been able to help with the actual collection part of it. Having the opportunity to make someone’s Christmas better has been awesome and I am so grateful to have been a part of something so special.”
The goal of the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to spread the joy of Christmas by ensuring children have presents to open on Christmas morning. According to their website, Toys for Tots has distributed 677 million toys to 301 million deserving children since the program’s creation in 1947.
Some of the command’s employees have taken the drive a step further by organizing group collections, streamlining the process for everyone involved. The F-35 aircraft line, for example, pools monetary donations every year to purchase bicycles, which are then given to the cause. F-35 Branch Head Ike Rettenmair said he started this tradition among the F-35 team about five years ago to encourage his teammates to support the program.
“I’ve always donated to Toys for Tots, even back during my time in the Marine Corps,” said Rettenmair. “I’m the type of person who loves to give rather than receive gifts, especially during this time of year. My biggest motivation is simply helping kids in need. Not everyone is as fortunate as we are and I think we sometimes lose sight of that, which is why I started the group collection. It’s a great way to motivate folks to donate to a good cause.”
Last year, Rettenmair’s team donated nearly 40 bicycles to the Toys for Tots Program. This year, they collected 63 to donate to children in need. Rettenmair said every year, their goal is to donate more than the previous year.
“Our goal is to always donate more than we did last year,” said Rettenmair. “Every child should have a bicycle but, unfortunately, not everyone can afford them, which is why we’ve made it a tradition in our office. It’s something we look forward to every year.”
Other teams within the depot have also organized group collections. Production Controllers Lauren Day and Courtney Skinner, who led the Engines, Lift Fan and Dynamic Components Division’s group collection, developed a plan to pool monetary donations to purchase as many toys as the money could buy.
“We reached out to everyone we could in this division, and we probably spoke with around 500 people to see if they were interested in contributing,” said Day. “We mainly collected money to purchase toys, but we also accepted toys. We wanted to do everything we could to help.”
Skinner emphasized that the goal goes beyond simply giving children gifts; it’s about making the holidays memorable for families in need. She said each gift they purchased was carefully selected with the hopes of bringing joy and excitement to the children who receive them.
“I really enjoy how we are giving to the less fortunate and bringing joy to little kids,” said Skinner. “I have a child myself and I know what it feels like to see her face light up on Christmas morning, so helping give that same sense of happiness to other children feels really good. We even had my daughter give us ideas of what kinds of toys to buy. That way, we knew we were picking out toys that kids actually want.”
The division’s group collection efforts raised $2,309 in monetary donations, which allowed them to purchase 184 toys for children in need. Skinner said seeing everyone come together to support the program was inspiring.
“This is my first year helping with the group collection and it’s been nice to see everyone come out and donate their hard-earned money to this cause,” Skinner said. “It was such a fun and enlightening experience. We are both so thankful for the generosity of the people here at FRC East who helped make this happen.”
Whether the donations at FRCE come individually or as a group, in the form of bikes, toys or monetary donations, Jensen said the most rewarding aspect of supporting Toys for Tots lies in the impact the donations have on children in the community.
“Growing up, my mom and dad would take us shopping every year so we could pick out a toy to put in the Toys for Tots collection box,” said Jensen. “And now, my wife and I take my son to pick out a toy to donate just like my parents did with me. Seeing this side of it – collecting more than just one toy to put in the donation box – and the impact we can make with an entire semi-truck filled with toys has been very gratifying.”
FRCE is North Carolina's largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.