The group’s annual Toys for Tots drive and community celebration carries on despite the Franklin Fire
Undaunted by the perilous Franklin Fire, the Malibu Navy League and First Bank held Malibu’s annual Toys for Tots open house on Dec. 18, collecting donations for needy children for the holidays. The event was deferred for a week due to the fire. The toys were given to the U.S. Marines Corps for distribution.
Clearly, Malibu’s most recent wildfire did not eviscerate the need to donate toys to help ensure that no children go without gifts during this holiday season.
“The Toys for Tots event is a very honored annual holiday event in Malibu,” Sandy Cordova, First Bank’s vice president and branch manager, said. “So, we thought it was important to make it happen this year despite the fire.”
As The Malibu Times stopped by the venue, Mari Stanley, a Malibu Navy League board member greeted us, stating, “It’s full speed ahead with the Malibu Navy League!” That’s a typical approach to things in the military, Stanley added, noting it’s best to move beyond obstacles, soldier through things, and keep going.
Enjoying beverages and cuisine donated by First Bank, Scott’s Malibu Kitchen, and Prince St. Pizza in Malibu and by community members, attendees gathered and reflected on having the time-honored annual Toys for Tots event even though Malibu was just emerging from a disaster.
Everyone thoroughly enjoyed Stanley’s cakes and cookies and as they took a few moments to visit and catch up, the gathering was one event that helped restore a semblance of normalcy to Malibu’s holiday season.
Malibu Navy League makes history
Having a Malibu Navy League organization is also a time-honored tradition in Malibu and the local civic group focuses on helping those in the community. The Navy League is a nonprofit civilian organization founded in 1902 and dedicated to educating the American public, particularly elected officials, about the importance of the nation’s sea services, including the Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, and U.S. Merchant Marines, and supporting the men and women of the sea services and their families. The Navy League has approximately 46,000 members in more than 250 chapters around the world.
One of the longest-lasting civilian organizations in Malibu, the Malibu community’s chapter was established in 1967. This year, the Malibu Navy League was honored to welcome its first woman president. Heidi Bernard, director of community engagement for Pepperdine, assumed the leadership position, replacing John Payne, who served as the league’s president since 2010.
The Malibu Navy League is all about making connections, both Bernard and Stanley noted.
“Samuel Miller, a senior at Pepperdine, served as a sailor on the USS Lake Champlain in 2019, when the Malibu Navy League welcomed that giant navy warship to Malibu for a port visit,” Bernard shared, noting that the approximately 200 navy sailors on board enjoyed some shore leave and also helped with a massive beach cleanup and other community service events. “Samuel decided to attend Pepperdine because of that visit and he now serves as president of the Pepperdine Student Veterans organization.”
A Toys for Tots drop-off box was also located in Toy Crazy. When The Malibu Times popped in to say hello, Tracy Park, the store’s manager said, “You just missed Jody Rosenthal, who spent a wonderful sum to purchase gifts for Toys for Tots.” Rosenthal dropped off her donations at Los Angeles County Fire Department Station 88 in East Malibu, a venue that has also served as a collection center for the effort over the years.
“Malibu residents are so blessed to live in Malibu,” Rosenthal said. “We need to share our love with others who are less fortunate.”
Christmas and the holiday season in Malibu necessarily includes a Toys for Tots effort, Park noted, stating, “I’ve worked at the toy store for 31 years and we’ve participated for all of those years!”
