September, 2009
It was NOT an easy decision.
Nevertheless, for various reasons we finally decided to close down BBA, our grassroots organization.
Before we officially do so, we would like to thank many, many people for having made the existence & success of BBA
possible.
First of all, we are indebted to the website
www.anysoldier.com which supplied us during the years with valuable, vital information about our troops stationed overseas.
In addition, we would like to thank everyone – near & far – who trusted us.
Toy donations ranged from one worn & loved white rabbit at Easter time donated by a teary-eyed little girl to donations
that comprised thousands of stuffed animals collected by students or scouts we never even met.
Furthermore, we would like to express our gratitude to the selfless staff in the Paradise Valley Police Department. They
cheerfully accepted the hundreds of toy packages sent from all over the country. Often they had to move them for lack of space
until we could pick them up in order to re-pack the stuffed animals intended for foreign destinations.
Then there were donors who supplied the postage for the many, many packages we sent.
Others either gave us money or donated items for the soldiers’ care packages. Sometimes the same donors did both
and repeatedly.
We would like to mention the dedicated ladies in the post office who did everything in their power to make the acceptance
of often more than 50 packages possible without invoking the wrath of other customers who stood in line and wanted to only
mail one item.
And lastly we are deeply grateful to Dawn ( and later Nicole ) for the endless hours she spent to create the BBA
website & to continuously “feed” it in a thoughtful, caring way.
The generosity & willingness to help were overwhelming in this country.
The other group, our women and men in uniform ( Soldiers, Sailors, Marines & Air Force personnel ), were at the receiving
end thousands of miles away.
They distributed the donated toys to win the hearts and minds in many different corners of the globe.
It is because of their dedicated efforts that almost 41,000 toys have turned into good will “ambassadors”.
Today the stuffed animals are being cherished & loved by many children whose language we do not speak.
We are in awe of our soldiers for their selfless, humanitarian missions of distributing toys in frequently
dangerous territory and under trying circumstances. Some lost their lives doing it.
The BBA website gives ample testimony (here and abroad) of American generosity & care at their
very best!
We hope that it will continue to inspire.
