You can brighten the lives of local children this holiday season by bringing new, unwrapped toys to various Lake County Forest Preserves Toys for Tots drop-off sites through Friday, December 17, 2004.

Sponsored by the United States Marine Corps Reserve, Toys for Tots collects and distributes new toys to needy children in Lake and McHenry counties. Bring your donation to any of the following six Forest Preserve locations:

- Lake County Forest Preserves General Offices, located at 2000 N. Milwaukee Avenue, just north of Route 137 near Libertyville. Open Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Greenbelt Cultural Center, located in Greenbelt Forest Preserve on Green Bay Road south of Belvidere Road (Route 120) near North Chicago and Waukegan. Open Tuesday - Friday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Lake County Discovery Museum, located in Lakewood Forest Preserve on Route 176 west of Fairfield Road near Wauconda. Open Sunday – Friday 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
- Lake County Forest Preserves Planning, Conservation & Development Office, located at 32492 N. Almond Road, just north of Casey Road near Grayslake. Open Monday – Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Ryerson Woods Visitors Center, in the Ryerson Conservation Area, on Riverwoods Road south of Route 22 near Deerfield. Open Monday – Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Independence Grove Forest Preserve Visitors Center, located on Buckley Road east of Milwaukee Avenue (Route 21), near Libertyville. Open daily 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. except when posted for special events. Call ahead before dropping off toys to check hours: 847-968-3499.

Toys can also be dropped off in the lobby and on the 10th floor of the Lake County Court and Administrative Complex located at 18 N. County Street in Downtown Waukegan.

Toys for Tots is a nationwide Marine Corps Reserve program started in 1947. Annual campaigns are now conducted in 456 communities throughout the United States. The 2003 campaign was the most successful campaign in the Toys for Tots 56-year history. Last year, the Marines and the Toys for Tots Foundation collected and distributed 15 million new toys and brought the joy of the holidays and a message of hope to 6.6 million needy children throughout the nation. In the North Chicago area alone, over 15,000 children received toys from Toys for Tots.

In Lake County, the Toys for Tots campaign is coordinated by the Marines of Weapons Company, 2nd Battalion, 24th Marines, headquartered in Waukegan. For more information about Toys for Tots, visit their website at www.ToysForTots.org. Monetary tax-deductible donations can be made by sending checks or money orders directly to Marine Toys for Tots Foundation, P.O. Box 1947, Marine Corps Base, Quantico, VA 22134.

For more information about the Lake County Forest Preserve drop-off sites, call Kristy Paquette at 847 968-3247.