Dangerous Chinese Christmas Toys
Dead Marine’s Social Responsibility Exceeds Beijing’s Marketing Plan
Dec 14, 2007
Toys for Tots
The program, started by the US Marine Corps, has fallen victim to the Grinch of Chinese Christmas. When Marine Staff Sergeant William Callahan was given orders to go to Iraq he determined, in his heart, to protect and defend the children of America. As coordinator for the program in the South Shore he made it known that children only receive “safe” toys.
The program has been a long cherished tradition for less advantaged communities. Over the years, Christmas presents have been gathered by volunteer Marines and civilians to distribute to children, who otherwise would have few or no presents during this festive time of the year.
The goal of the program is “…to deliver, through a shiny new toy at Christmas, a message of hope to needy youngsters that will motivate them to grow into responsible, productive, patriotic citizens and community leaders.” 350 million toys have been donated to 106 million children over the years since its inception in 1947. Last year the program gave away a record 49 million toys and gifts nationwide.
Chinese Toy Recall Problem
This year; however, “about 20 percent of the toys donated to the…Toys for Tots program have been removed…for being on [Chinese] safety recall lists.” Sgt. Major Walter Kilgore said 60 Marines, plus civilian volunteers in Virginia alone, had screened tens of thousands of toys over a ten day period. “In South Hampton Roads, at least 7,000 families with 23,000 children were expected to benefit from the gift program.”
Eastern Virginia is an exception. 15 Southern states and many other communities have temporarily stopped accepting toy donations. “The stores don’t have enough volunteers or staff to screen toys for safety,” according to a news release. The Boston Globe said “…the charity has had to discard hundreds of donated toys because they appeared on recall lists, and a local company providing free lead testing on the donated gifts discovered additional toys that contained lead,” according to Sergeant Daniel Peter Sampson, one of the local coordinators. "We're definitely concerned we're not going to be able to fill all these orders," Sampson said. "We have boxes and boxes of unsafe toys..."
S. Prakash Sethi, a professor with Baruch College at the City University of New York, said "there is something to be said about the pressure that American and European and multinational companies put on Chinese companies to supply cheap products. The operating margins are razor thin." Now unfortunately, these “razor thin” margins have reached the poorest of the poor.
The Marine Hero
If disadvantaged children are affected by a problem the Americans can count on the Marines! Prior to Sergeant Callahan going to Iraq this year, he left a message for all his volunteers. As the coordinator in his area, he told the helpers that they must search and destroy dangerous toys in America as much as he must “now” search and destroy “the enemy in Iraq.” A child should never be “collateral damage," especially in America.
Sergeant William J. Callahan, 28, of South Easton, Massachusetts, died April 27, 2007, while conducting combat operations in Al Anbar province, Iraq. He was the protective father of a three week old son he never met!
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