Photo By Aldo Anderson | The Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Veteran Employee Readiness Group (VET-ERG) closed...... read more read more
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To help bring holiday cheer to those less fortunate, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Veteran Employee Readiness Group (VET-ERG) led the charge with their annual Toys for Tots collection to gather toys to be given to children within the community. Even in the face of the ongoing pandemic, the team persevered and with the help of generous NNSY employees collected 704 toys.
“Each year we take time to give back to our community, while trying to improve upon our efforts from the year before. This has been an annual tradition for the VET-ERG for over 10 years now,” said VET-ERG President Nicholas Boyle. “During these troubling times, it’s even more important to remember that there are some who are less fortunate than others, and every little bit helps.”
The Marine Toys for Tots Foundation was first established in 1947 to help support children in need during the holiday season. Since its founding, more and more organizations have joined the effort to do their part. Presently, the program distributes an average of 18 million toys to seven million children annually. This has been an annual tradition for the NNSY VET-ERG, the team always excited to help the community in any way they can.
“It’s incredible to see the turnout this year, even in the face of COVID – to get this amount says a lot about the shipyard being willing to give back to our community – I couldn’t be prouder of our workforce,” said VET-ERG Member Colten Brinkman who led the program for NNSY this year.
Another group that embraced the giving spirit for this year’s collection was the NNSY Chapter of the National Association of Superintendents (NAS), donating $5,000 to purchase gifts.
“It was an amazing opportunity to be able to give something back to those in need,” said NAS President William Stubbs. “The NAS normally enjoys their annual Christmas party and with COVID restrictions in place it was not a wise decision to hold it this year. Being able to put a smile on the faces of potentially hundreds of children is what the NAS’s outreach to the community is all about. We have a tendency to think of all the luxuries, like Christmas parties, that COVID has taken away but when you look at how that inconvenience can be used as a greater opportunity to bless those that really need it most, it really puts things into perspective. My hope is that maybe one of the children who received a gift from this donation will be a future leader at NNSY. Small sparks of good will set large fires of culture change.”
“On behalf of all of us in the VET-ERG, I wish to express our thanks and gratitude to National Superintendents Association for this amazing donation to the Toys for Tots campaign,” said Boyle.
The NNSY VET-ERG celebrated the end of this year’s campaign Dec. 9, turning over the collected gifts to the Marines.
“This is amazing and I thank the efforts of the VET-ERG and the NAS for taking charge and making this happen,” said Deputy Shipyard Commander Capt. Todd Nichols. “This is a wonderful achievement and I’m sure it will bring a smile to many within our community.”
Command Master Chief Gene Garland added, “In today’s environment with COVID-19 and a lot of families in need, this is a great way to make someone’s Christmas brighter. A child will get up on Christmas morning and will see toys from a place of giving. We’re making a difference in our community and I thank everyone who helped to contribute to this huge donation!”
VET-ERG Founding Member and retired NNSY employee Rick Nelson attended this year’s closeout to help sort out donations and he noted what an achievement this was for NNSY. “Realizing there are kids who are getting presents for Christmas that may not have gotten something otherwise – it’s remarkable what the shipyard has done. The commitment of the VET-ERG is always commendable and they continue to step up to the plate to help our fellow shipyarders and our community. I’m proud of the legacy we’ve built and how they continued to grow.”
To learn more about the Toys for Tots program, visit https://www.toysfortots.org/.
| Date Taken: | 12.10.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 12.10.2020 16:06 |
| Story ID: | 384712 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 48 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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