Press Release

Carnegie Mellon Engineering Students Launch Fourth Annual U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots Drive Featuring Mobile WW II Museum

November 2, 2009

Contact: Chriss Swaney
Carnegie Mellon University
412.268.5776

PITTSBURGH—Carnegie Mellon University first-year engineering students will kick off the fourth annual U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots drive by showcasing a mobile World War II museum from noon to 3 p.m., Monday, Nov. 16 on campus near the intersection of Forbes and Morewood avenues.

           
"Toys for Tots means a lot to me because it gives me the opportunity to give back some of what I have and give children a great holiday," said Alex Etling, a member of the College of Engineering's First-Year Advisory Board (FAB), a group that started raising money and collecting toys for the Toys for Tots program four years ago. The FAB is designed to help freshmen adjust to the rigors of college life. Other FAB team members this year include Sarah Zakrajsek, Yi Shi and Anisha Vyas.

           
Students are raising money to purchase toys and they will be collecting toys from members of the campus community between Nov. 16 and Dec. 4 at various locations throughout campus, including 110 Scaife Hall. Members of Carnegie Mellon's University Police also will assist in collecting toys. All donated toys must be new and unwrapped.

           
"This year's group has raised almost $300 toward a goal of raising the most for this event since its inception," said Andrew Goldberg, a senior majoring in mechanical engineering. "Each year, the tradition grows stronger and each year's FAB group continues to amaze me with their passion for doing this."

           
This month, the student-driven event will feature a mobile World War II museum, including a traditional field hospital, an airplane repair hut, World War II vehicles and a display showcasing how dogs were used to transport important documents and assist in security. 

           
Parts of the mobile museum will be staffed by Carnegie Mellon alumni who served in World War II and a team of re-enactment experts, led by Dan Hamilton of Pittsburgh.

           
Hamilton, an active member of the World War II Airman's Preservation Society, will showcase a cache of World War II memorabilia, from GI helmets to cooking utensils, radios and hand-painted leather jackets worn by American aviators. 

           
Toys for Tots was established in 1947 by the U.S. Marine Corps to help less-fortunate children during the holiday season.

           
"This is the fourth year the College of Engineering's first-year class is participating in a service learning-project to benefit children," said Pamela M. Golubski, associate director of undergraduate studies for the College of Engineering. "In the past, the students' efforts awarded them a place on the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll."

           
The program will end with bagpipers playing Amazing Grace and the release of more than 30 doves to signify hope and peace. Last year, students collected more than $1,000 worth of toys.

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About Carnegie Mellon: Carnegie Mellon (www.cmu.edu) is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the fine arts. More than 11,000 students in the university’s seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon's main campus in the United States is in Pittsburgh, Pa. It has campuses in California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia and Europe. The university is in the midst of a $1 billion fundraising campaign, titled "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University," which aims to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements.