Submitted by Casey Johnson
Digital Marketing Strategist
Residence Inn by Marriott
December 29, 2014 8:25 p.m.
Amelia Island is well-known for the tremendous hospitality shown to its visitors every year by the people of the community. This year, visitors and community members have come together to offer that same famous hospitality to those in need.
Over the past weeks, guests and staff of the Residence Inn by Marriott have donated over 100 toys for the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots, a program which collects and distributes toys for less fortunate children in the community in which they are collected. An upright Toys for Tots box was placed in a prominent location in the hotel lobby, and before long, the box had to be turned in and returned to collect more treasures! Donations ranged from teddy bears to classic board games and both guests and staff members were encouraged to donate.
When it was time for the final donation to be submitted, Mr. Justin Cayless and Mr. Stephen Goll arrived to represent the program and accept the toys. With a little help from Toys for Tots – and a lot of Christmas spirit – children across the county will enjoy a memorable Christmas this year!
As the Nassau County Schools’ Homeless Liaison, and the coordinator of Christmas presents this year for more than 120 homeless children, I am very thankful for the support of the local Toys 4 Tots organization. They provided the toy portion of our presents for approximately 40 children. We could not have met this need in such an exciting way without these toys. Please continue to support the Toys 4 Tots program; your gifts truly do make a difference for local families.