AFT World Wide - Tech Talk |
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Community OutreachAdvanced Forming Technologies (AFT) supported a host of community efforts in 2005. Some had a national focus, such as the Red Cross Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. While others efforts were focused on international causes, such as the Red Cross Tsunami Relief Fund, which AFT matched employee donations raising over $4200. AFT's participation is particularly strong in the Longmont community. LocalOne community project is the Tiny Tim Center, which has been providing comprehensive early childhood education and therapeutic services. Now in its fiftieth year, the Center evolved in the 1950's when Longmont families came together to find an alternative to placing their children with disabilities into institutions. Tiny Tim has provided early intervention for 3- to 5-year old children with special needs ever since. Today 100 children are enrolled at the Center, and more than 300 children are served through developmental preschool and therapeutic outreach programs. The school also provides care for children without special needs, who make up about half the enrollment. 41% of the school's $1 million annual operating budget is generated from donations and fundraisers. The largest fundraiser, the Tiny Tim Center's annual auction – for which AFT provides an annual sponsorship – raised over $100,000 earlier this year. NationalAnother worthy cause enjoying AFT support is the United States Marine Corp's Toys for Tots program, for which AFT collects toy donations from employees. One of the key factors that contributed to the success of the 2005 Toys for Tots campaign was the support provided by its 74 National Corporate Sponsors. Toys for Tots began in 1947 when Major Bill Hendricks, USMCR and a group of Marine Reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children. The idea came from Bill's wife, Diane. In the fall of 1947, Diane handcrafted a Raggedy Ann doll and asked Bill to deliver the doll to an organization that would give it to a needy child at Christmas. When Bill determined that no agency existed, Diane told Bill that he should start one. He did, and his pilot project was so successful that the Marine Corps adopted Toys for Tots in 1948 and expanded it into a nationwide campaign. |
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