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Last Updated:
Sunday, November 20, 2005 10:39 AM
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News Release
| Coast Guard Auxiliarists Enlist Kiwanis to Help Bring Toys to Underprivileged Schoolchildren |
Date
Contact: Aux. Wayne Spivak |
MARCO ISLAND, Fla.- Less fortunate children in the
Fort Myers area will a having happier holiday this
season thanks to volunteers from the Marcos Island
Coast Guard Auxiliary, Marcos Island Kiwanis Club and
Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach.
Two vanloads of toys will be handed out at a local school in Fort Myers, which many migrant children attend.
This is the third year for the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary's Toys for Kids program in the area. It came about about after Barbara Jaskiewicz, wife of Auxuilary Flotilla 95 Commander Walter Jaskiewicz realized that there was no such Coast Guard-affiliated program in the area. The Jaskiewiczs first hosted a party at their Marco Island home three years ago for anyone to bring a Christmas Gift for school-aged children.
Since that initial event, the program has expanded. This month some 225 people attended and brought presents for the children. To handle the growth, the Auxiliary enlisted the Marco Island Kiwanis Club to assist.
"The joy of handing out the presents and seeing the happiness on a childs face is the inspiration that will keep this program going throught the future years," said Mrs. Jaskiewicz, Flotilla 95's Public Affairs officer. "The Auxiliary representing the Coast Guard brings to the public a new mission of compassion that we are not just on the water, but are also ready to serve in other areas."
The Toys for Kids campaign is just one program involving the Coast Guard Auxiliary and children.
Schools across the country for years have hosted the award-winning "Coastie," an interactive robot boat which is part of a campaign to reduce the number of children who drown each year in water-related accidents. More information on "Coastie" can be found at: http://www.coastie.org/~coastie/
The Auxiliary has also produced two boating safety books for children, in partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers. Boating Fun - Adventure on the Water is a storybook/coloring book is targeted at children in grades K-3. (It can be found at: http://www.cgaux.org/cgauxweb/public/boatfun.htm).
Waypoints - A Guide to Boating Safely, is targeted to children in grades 4-6. (It is available at: http://www.cgaux.org/cgauxweb/public/waypoints.htm).
The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is composed of uniformed, non-military volunteer's who assist the Coast Guard in all of its varied missions, except for military and direct law enforcement. These men and women can be found on the nation's waterways, in the air, in classrooms and on the dock, performing Maritime Domain Awareness patrols, safety patrols, vessel safety checks and public education. The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary was founded in 1939 by an Act of Congress as the U.S. Coast Guard Reserve and re-designated as the Auxiliary in 1941. Its 30,000 members donate millions of hours annually in support of Coast Guard missions. For more information on the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary, visit us at www.cgaux.org. ### |
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