(NewsUSA) - Toys for Tots is the Nation's flagship children's Christmastime charity, but the Program extends to helping children and families in need year-round. The Toys for Tots Youth Ambassador Program was established in 2020 to celebrate the energy, enthusiasm and pure generosity of exceptional young people around the country who volunteer their time serving underprivileged children and help teach the value of service to others of the next generation.

In 2020, Toys for Tots President & CEO Lieutenant General James Laster learned of two outstanding young individuals from Texas, Christopher and Taylor Bracey, who were going above and beyond to serve those less fortunate in their community. After traveling to Texas to meet the siblings, LtGen Laster appointed them as Toys for Tots' first-ever Youth Ambassadors, and in 2021 the Youth Ambassador Program was expanded to include eight additional members across the Nation who have also distinguished themselves with their volunteer efforts for Toys for Tots.

A Youth Ambassador is a member of a select group of our Nation's youth who serve as volunteer representatives of Toys for Tots by helping to inspire others with their positive interactions with community involvement with the Toys for Tots Program. The Youth Ambassadors are nominated by their local Coordinator and are then selected to represent their respective Regions for a one-year term.

"Kids helping kids," is a powerful message that resonates among all demographics whose active engagement becomes contagious in helping those less fortunate," says LtGen Laster.

Youth who apply and are invited to become Ambassadors work with their local Toys for Tots Coordinator, who will serve as a mentor for the children and their parents.

Youth Ambassadors are selected to represent their local campaigns because they have gone above and beyond in their communities to help those less fortunate and engage community members on behalf of Toys for Tots. Each of the current Youth Ambassadors support local toy drives and distributions during campaign season, as well as other endeavors throughout the year such as, sending baskets to military members, assisting with food drives and helping with church charities, and exhibiting tremendous leadership skills as Officers in the Young Marines Program.

The 2021 Youth Ambassadors are Taylor and Christopher Bracey, Mila Lang, Rorilynn McClay, Mary Wohlwend, Janah Moorer, Leah Hutchinson, Susan Suber, Kimber Doyle and Natalie Dahm.

These extraordinary young people continue to make a difference in their communities through peer awareness and working with their local Toys for Tots campaigns on a range of projects to help those less fortunate, while also maintaining high academic standards at school.

Visit toysfortots.org/youthambassador to read more about the outstanding Youth Ambassadors and their endeavors!

(NewsUSA) -You herd it here first, the Illinois State Fair is back again this year, providing a way for skilled young farmers to show off their hard work and demonstrate their expertise in the agricultural industry.

Agricultural education is an important priority for CME Group. During this year's Governor's Sale of Champions, student exhibitors were presented with one-time scholarships totaling $50,000. Each of the ten Grand Champion exhibitors will receive a $5,000 scholarship, which will be used to advance their education. Recipients of the 2021 CME Group scholarships were: Ashtin Guyer (Crawford, IL), Brayden Wilson (LaSalle, IL), Cole Caldwell (Peoria, IL), Edward Hanson (Iroquois, IL), Ella Bobell (Logan, IL), Jess Hawk (DeKalb, IL), Landrey Freeman (Scott, IL), Maddox Horner (Jasper, IL), Nolan Hoge (McDonough, IL) and Owen Pree (Iroquois, IL).

"At CME Group our roots are in agriculture and we understand the critical role that farmers play in fueling the global economy," said Tim Andriesen, Managing Director of Agricultural Products at CME Group. "These students are the among the best and the brightest and we are proud to support them as they further their education and become the next generation of agricultural leaders."

Young ag enthusiasts also demonstrated their knowledge around identifying and managing livestock at this year's Illinois 4-H Livestock Skillathon on August 11th. During the Skillathon, participants were tested on management, equipment identification, breed identification, quality assurance and cattle marketing. CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, spearheaded the cattle marketing portion to assess risk management skills and strategic decision-making abilities.

After intense competition, nine champions each received a $1,000 CME Group scholarship to continue their education. Recipients of the 2021 CME Group Skillathon scholarships were: Alyson Utegg (Grand Ridge, IL), Anna Curley (Good Hope, IL), Cole Paulek (Stonington, IL, Davis Howell (Maroa, IL), Hannah Miller (Chatsworth, IL), Jack Link (Gilson, IL), Lauren Wolters (Aviston, IL), Liam Steward (Mechanicsburg, IL) and Waylen Paulek (Stonington, IL).

(NewsUSA) - Toys for Tots is the nation's flagship children's Christmastime charity, but the Program extends to helping children and families in need year-round. As children gear up for the new school year, the Toys for Tots Literacy Program continues its successful Back to School Books campaign in the hopes of doubling their literacy efforts. Last year, the Program distributed 1.8 million books and this year the Program hopes to distribute over 4 million books.

A key objective of the Marine Toys for Tots Program is to play an active role in the development of children by providing them direct access to books and educational resources that enhance their ability to read and communicate effectively. The Toys for Tots Literacy Program, launched in 2008 in partnership with The UPS Store, is one way to meet this goal. The Toys for Tots Literacy Program provides economically disadvantaged children with the books and educational resources that can help them build the confidence and self-esteem that will help them compete academically and succeed in life.

Data show that children who are not reading at grade level by the end of third grade are four times more likely to drop out of high school, and that the ratio of books per child in some low-income neighborhoods is 1 age-appropriate book for every 300 children.

"This program not only brings the joy of reading to these children, but also serves as an important tool in breaking the cycle of poverty," says Lieutenant General Jim Laster, USMC (Retired), President & CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.

Since 2008, the Toys for Tots Literacy Program has provided an average of 2 million books to children, schools, and libraries each year. This year, Toys for Tots is teaming up with organizations such as Rise Augusta and Kids in Need Foundation for opportunities to distribute books to children in need year-round.

Please visit our donation page to support our Back to School Books campaign. https://www.toysfortots.org/backtoschool/Default.aspx. Be sure to follow "Gunny Bear" on the Toys for Tots Facebook and Instagram sites, where the Toys for Tots spokesbear shares more examples of the impact your support makes. Hope is just a book away!

(NewsUSA) - Toys for Tots is the Nation's flagship children's Christmastime charity, but the program offers more than holiday hope. Toys for Tots has expanded its reach to help families in need throughout the year, and its services have been more valuable than ever in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The past year saw a huge increase in the number of families in need, and many are still struggling. In order to continue providing emotional relief, comfort, and a sense of normalcy to impacted families, Toys for Tots distributed one million toys, games, and books to COVID-19 impacted families through their DoGoodNow campaign. The generosity of the American public allowed Toys for Tots to source these gifts to children across the United States, but now they need help to refill "Santa's bag of toys" in preparation for what will likely be another busy holiday season.

"We didn't want to wait until the holidays to support families in need, so we provided one million toys throughout the spring and summer," says LtGen Jim Laster, USMC (Retired), President & CEO of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation. "Through our DoGoodNow initiative, we depleted our emergency supply of toys originally reserved to kick off our holiday campaign. The primary goal of our Christmas in July campaign is to restock our inventory of toys after our second special COVID distribution, and we could use everyone's help in preparing for a busy holiday season," he emphasizes.

The impact of Toys for Tots' DoGoodNow campaign has been extremely successful thanks to the generosity of the American public. The support has reached nearly 400,000 children from coast-to-coast with help from our partner Good360 and their network of hundreds of local non-profits distributing toys in areas still reeling economically from the pandemic.

The emotional support offered to these families is made possible by the kindness and generosity of Toys for Tots supporters whose donations make a real and genuine impact on families in need. Visit toysfortots.org/ChristmasinJuly for more details or to make a donation. Be sure to follow Toys for Tots on Facebook and Instagram, where Toys for Tots spokesbear "Gunny Bear" shares examples of the impact your support makes.

(NewsUSA) - Hope is essential for children with critical illnesses, and you can help unlock its life-changing power today.

Parker's wish is to have a rainbow playset, and Jade wishes for a white fluffy puppy. These children and countless others hope to capture your heart and ignite your desire to support the Make-A-Wish mission to grant the wish of every eligible child.

Make-A-Wish is the world's largest wish-granting organization, serving children in nearly 50 countries. With generous donors, supporters, staff and more than 40,000 volunteers around the globe, Make-A-Wish delivers hope and joy to children and their families when they need it most. An integral part of a child's treatment journey, Make-A-Wish has fulfilled the wishes of more than 340,000 children nationwide since its founding in 1980.

There remains a tremendous gap between the number of wishes granted today and the estimated 27,000 children in the United States that are diagnosed with a qualifying condition annually. Together, we can raise the funds necessary to help close that gap.

"Fujitsu is known as a global leader in ductless mini-splits, but we're actually much more," said Matt Peterson, president and COO of Fujitsu General America, Inc. "We also supply VRF, unitary ducted, and commercial rooftops as a full line equipment supplier. But we're also much, much more than that. We support causes that are near and dear to our hearts. One of them is Make-A-Wish. If you know our culture, supporting children with critical illnesses is a no-brainer to us. It's the right thing to do. We hope you will find a way to join us in this incredible cause as we strive to make the world a better place. Visit fujitsugeneral.com/cares/wishes to learn more about how you can get involved."

There are many ways to support this extraordinary organization that grants wishes that help children replace fear with confidence, anxiety with hope and sadness with joy.

Here are just a few more ways to make a difference:

* Donate monthly to help reach every eligible child and ensure more children re-discover hope when they need it most.

* Fundraising, whether it's through athletic events, lemonade stands or birthday fundraisers, empowers passionate supporters to rally networks in their communities.

* Volunteers are the backbone of making wishes come true. Share your time and talents as a volunteer and transform a child's life.

Research shows children who have wishes granted build the physical and emotional strength needed to fight a critical illness. This can improve their quality of life and produce better health outcomes.

Together we can transform lives, one wish at a time. Visit Wish.org to learn more and see how you can get involved today!

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