Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, October 29, 1994 TAG: 9410310043
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: LESLIE TAYLOR STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
But a federal ethics regulation prohibits him from asking. And it prohibits him from asking individuals, organizations and businesses if they'd lend a hand signing up families or volunteer to distribute toys.
It is frustrating, Poindexter says, to be bound by such a law. It is especially frustrating when you have $200,000 in donations for toys for needy children.
"We're handcuffed by standards of conduct," said Poindexter, who is the Roanoke unit's inspector instructor. "We've received large cash donations, and we have toys. But we're not able to give to the kids without volunteers."
One of President Clinton's first actions after his inauguration was to sign into law a new round of ethics regulations. His aim was more accountability and honesty in government.
New Department of Defense Joint Ethics Regulations, which took effect in July, prohibit Marines from soliciting donations of cash, goods and services.
"It caught a lot of people by surprise," said Gunnery Sgt. Jim Martin, public affairs chief for the Marine Reserve Force Public Affairs Office in New Orleans.
"Specifically for the Marine Reserve Toys for Tots, the way it's historically been run, we've got problems implementing those instructions."
In response to the new regulations, a Toys for Tots quality management board this year considered three options: doing away with the program, reworking it and applying it without the help of the Marine Corps Toys for Tots organization - which is separate from the Marine military structure - and applying the program with the organization's assistance, Martin said.
The board settled on the last, to maintain the program's national recognition and to provide a vehicle for money management, he said.
The board also studied efforts across the country where Toys for Tots community-based committees have been established. The committees help relieve Marine Reserve units of often-significant administrative work, easing a "basic ethical dilemma" of devoting on-duty time to the toy campaign, Martin said.
"We're paid to be defenders of our nation, not to gather toys," Martin said. "It would be wrong for us to take massive amounts of time from training and readiness to collect toys. If people choose to donate off-duty time, that's great."
If the program is going to continue and be successful, Poindexter said, committees are the "real solution."
"Our goal is to bring Toys for Tots back into Roanoke as a community program," he said.
"Unfortunately, it is too late for me to find a committee this year."
Toys for Tots serves Roanoke, Roanoke County and seven surrounding counties, including Botetourt, Craig and Franklin. Last year, the campaign collected, or bought with donations, 27,000 toys for more than 8,000 children.
The Roanoke unit has received $200,000 in contributions so far this year, all of it unsolicited, Poindexter said.
Caring and Helping Hands, a thrift store, had allowed the reserve unit to use its building on 24th Street Northwest as its Toys for Tots headquarters. That building no longer will be available to the unit, Poindexter said.
"It's a big program that gets bigger every year," he said. "The need is great. But ... our hands are tied. It's no way to run a charity."
For more information on the Toys for Tots campaign, call (703) 563-4979. Toys for Tots coordinator is Sgt. Ronald Vandegrift. Assistant coordinator is Sgt. Steven Whalen.
by CNB