NJROTC Toy Drive to Bring Christmas Cheer to Tallapoosa County

ALEXANDER CITY, AL, UNITED STATES

11.10.2021

Story by James Stockman 

Naval Service Training Command     

ALEXANDER CITY, Ala. (Nov. 10, 2021) – Benjamin Russell High School (BRHS) Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) cadets began a Christmas toy drive, Nov. 10.

BRHS seniors Bethany Mask and Kaelana Carver partnered with the Tallapoosa County Department of Human Resources to collect toys for underprivileged families throughout the county during this holiday season.

“A line in the NJROTC creed states, ‘I will practice good citizenship and patriotism,’” said Mask. “Kaelana and I take this to heart and we wanted to give back to our community. The ‘Season of Giving’ is approaching and we can think of no better way to show our appreciation to the people in the county and city where we grew up.”

The toy drive at the school ends Dec. 3, when the cadets will present the gifts to Tallapoosa County for distribution.

“We have been doing toy drives for our foster and needy children in Tallapoosa County for many years, and I am grateful for the involvement of the NJROTC unit in Alex City,” said Brenda Floyd, director, Tallapoosa County Department of Human Resources. “The gifts donated by Benjamin Russell High School will go a long way in bringing smiles and joy to the vulnerable children and families we serve in Alex City and the surrounding area.”

The cadets’ goal is to receive 100 donated toys before the December deadline.

“Community service is a hallmark of the NJROTC program,” said Cmdr. James Stockman, BRHS’s senior naval science instructor. “One of our main focus areas is giving back to our communities. I am extremely pleased with Cadets Mask and Carver taking the initiative and organizing this worthwhile venture.”

NJROTC is a citizenship development program, established in 1964, that instills service to the United States, personal responsibility and a sense of accomplishment in students in secondary educational institutions. Today, there are more than 600 units at high schools and military academies across the United States including units in Japan and Guam.

Naval Service Training Command (NSTC), headquartered at Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois, oversees the NJROTC program and 98% of all initial accessions training for the Navy, except the officers produced by the U.S. Naval Academy. This includes the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program with more than 60 units at colleges and universities across the country, Officer Training Command in Newport, Rhode Island, and Recruit Training Command at Great Lakes.

For more information about NJROTC, visit www.netc.navy.mil/NSTC/NJROTC.

For more news about NSTC, visit www.netc.navy.mil/NSTC.

• Date Taken: 11.10.2021
• Date Posted: 11.10.2021 14:38
• Story ID: 409143
• Location: ALEXANDER CITY, AL, US