Press Release

Media Advisory: Carnegie Mellon Engineering Students Launch Toys for Tots Drive and Gift Program for Fort Hood Wives and Mothers

November 12, 2009

Contact: Chriss Swaney
Carnegie Mellon University
412.268.5776

Event: Carnegie Mellon University first-year engineering students will kick off their fourth annual U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots drive, showcasing a mobile World War II museum. The event will feature bagpipes, a color guard, and the release of more than 40 doves to signify hope and peace.

In addition to a traditional World War II field hospital and repair hut, World War II vehicles and a display showcasing how dogs were used to transport important documents and assist in security will be featured. Carnegie Mellon students, led by Alex Eting, Sarah Zakrajsek and Sophie Grodsinsky, have raised more than $300 for the event. Carnegie Mellon University Police will assist in the toy collections.

Engineering students Bianka Roy and Sangita Sharma also will announce a new program designed to give gifts of lipstick and cosmetics to the mothers and wives of injured U.S. Army soldiers who survived the recent tragedy at Fort Hood in Texas. Krista Troy Foster of Saks Fifth Ave. in Pittsburgh will contribute specially packaged gifts for Carnegie Mellon's new Lipstick and A Smile program.

When: Noon to 3 p.m., Monday, Nov. 16

Where: Forbes and Morewood avenues, Carnegie Mellon University, 5000 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa.

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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.