(11/16/2006)

Marine Corps Takes Jesus Dolls

Reverses course; had refused so as not to "offend"

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 16 /Christian Newswire/ -- Due to overwhelming public outrage, the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program has decided to change its position and will now accept Jesus, and

other Bible dolls from one2believe. When the decision to decline one2believe's donation became public, Toys for Tots was the subject of hundreds of television and radio news stories. Toys for Tots also received many emails and phone calls at their Quantico Virginia headquarters from people upset by their decision not to accept the dolls because of their religious nature. one2believe, a company that this year will donate over $1,000,000 in product to numerous organizations, is glad that Toys for Tots has had a change of heart.

David Socha, founder of one2believe says, "All we were trying to do was donate toys to an organization that does great work in distributing them to needy children at Christmas. The children that Toys for Tots provides presents to, may get only one gift this Christmas, why can't it be a Jesus Doll?"

Socha adds "Whether you believe in what the Messengers of Faith dolls say or not, the message the dolls convey to children is one of God's love. Our Messengers of Faith Bible dolls make a great gift for any child. We are thrilled with the overwhelming support that we have received and we want to thank everyone for helping to turn this story into a happy one."

The support that Mr. Socha mentions came from individuals who felt that one2believe was mistreated by Toys for Tots. Organizations also came out in large numbers, expressing interest in receiving the $80,000 donation of dolls. Because of these requests one2believe has decided to allocate a portion of the original amount allocated to Toys For Tots to these groups. "When the hundreds of requests for dolls began to roll in we made a decision to use some of the dolls that we designated to Toys for Tots and provide them to organizations that supported our cause. We also decided to substantially increase our total donation based on how many organizations said they could benefit from our dolls" Socha says.

There is one thing one2believe and Mr. Socha still need help with however. "We are looking for a national shipping company to handle the delivery of the dolls to the organizations that we will donate to. The costs associated with shipping the dolls is more than we can handle. We hope someone will come forward and help"

one2believe knows that this experience will help to publicize how badly donations are needed and how they can impact the life of a child, but also hopes that it will give other companies the strength to stand up for what they believe is right, no matter who they may find themselves up against.