November 22, 2005 08:00 AM Eastern Time 

Santa and His Workshop to Embark on Multi-City Tour of Gulf Coast Region, Bringing Holiday Cheer and Toys to Children

The U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Foundation today announced plans for the Toys for Tots Santa's Traveling Workshop presented by Visa, which will spread holiday cheer and toys to children affected and displaced by the recent hurricanes in the Gulf Coast region.

From Friday, November 25 to Saturday, December 24, the Toys for Tots Santa's Traveling Workshop presented by Visa, will provide live entertainment and deliver new, unwrapped toys in communities across Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, ensuring that families -- particularly children -- have the opportunity to celebrate this special time of year.

The tour will feature the following key attractions in each of its 61 stops:

-- Santa's Workshop -- A traveling custom-built, self-contained trailer that opens to reveal a magical Santa's workshop and stage, complete with Santa and his elves making toys with periodic snow fall in the background

-- Interactive Performance -- A live show that features the one and only Santa Claus direct from Macy's and his appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade(R) and his elves as they make toys and sing seasonal songs

-- Toys for Tots -- Official representatives of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program, distributing new unwrapped toys to children

"Since 1947, the U.S. Marines Toys for Tots Foundation has collected and delivered toys to children nationwide, but this year's hurricane season calls for a special program," said retired Lieutenant General Matthew T. Cooper, U.S. Marine Corps and president and CEO of Toys for Tots Foundation. "Our mission is to bring hope to those in the region who have lost everything this hurricane season. We are grateful for the help of some very important partners -- including Santa, or Papa Noel as he is known in many of the places we will visit -- who are making it possible for us to create smiles during what could otherwise be a difficult time."

The devastation created by the 2005 hurricanes has disrupted holiday plans for thousands of families. The Toys for Tots Santa's Traveling Workshop presented by Visa will kick off in New Orleans -- one of the hardest hit areas -- on November 25, before visiting communities throughout the region.

"While we cannot fully understand what these families are going through as they rebuild their lives and their communities, we are hopeful that our support and contribution to the region will spread some cheer in their time of need," said Susanne Lyons, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Visa USA. "We hope that we can do our part to help lift these families' hearts and spirits during this challenging period."

Holiday Entertainment and Toys

Santa and his elves will make their first visit to the Gulf Coast region after the hurricane season to ring in the holidays with a cheerful, interactive show. As elves busily make and paint toys on the set of a fully outfitted workshop, Santa will warm himself by the fire and direct his elves. Snow will even fall periodically as members of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve pass out toys to children. Santa will lead the audience in classic seasonal songs, such as "Jingle Bells" and "Here Comes Santa Claus," and bid a jovial farewell to the audience before embarking on the next stop of the tour.

Corporate Partners

Visa's partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program provides Visa an opportunity to give back to the community, particularly those most in need this season. Several other organizations have joined the program to lend support in various ways, including:

-- Macy's, which has arranged for their special friend the one and only Santa Claus to travel with the Workshop for the entire tour after his big debut in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

-- Big Lots, which will host the Workshop at select tour locations in Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas

-- H-E-B, which will host the Workshop at select tour locations in Texas

-- Winn-Dixie, which will host the Workshop at select tour locations in Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi

How to Support the Program

To help spread holiday cheer, individuals may visit www.visa.com or www.toysfortots.org to make donations directly to the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Foundation. All donations made through www.visa.com will be used to purchase toys for the thousands of children affected by these storms.

Tour Stops

The Toys for Tots Santa's Traveling Workshop presented by Visa is scheduled to visit the following communities(i):

Nov. 25         New Orleans, La. - Kick-off Event
Nov. 26         New Orleans, La. - Inside the city
Nov. 27         Mobile, Ala. - Daphne, Ala
Nov. 28         Fairhope, Ala.  - Gulf Shores, Ala. - Foley, Ala.
Nov. 29         Robertsdale, Ala. - Bay Minette, Ala.
Nov. 30         Monroeville, Ala. - Selma, Ala.
Dec. 1          Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Birmingham, Ala.
Dec. 2          Montgomery, Ala. 
Dec. 3          Meridian, Miss.
Dec. 4          Jackson, Miss. - Vicksburg, Miss. 
Dec. 5          Natchez, Miss. - Columbia, Miss. - Laurel, Miss.
Dec. 6          Hattiesburg, Miss.
Dec. 7          Pascagoula-D'Iberville-Ocean Springs, Miss.
Dec. 8          Biloxi, Miss. - Gulfport, Miss.
Dec. 9          Pass Christian, Miss. - Long Beach, Miss.
Dec. 10         Houma, La. - Thibodaux, La. - Raceland, La.
Dec. 11         New Iberia, La. - Franklin, La. - Plaquemine, La.
Dec. 12         Prairieville, LA -  Baton Rouge, La.  - Lafayette, La.
Dec. 13         Abbeville, La. - Lake Charles, La.
Dec. 14         Port Arthur, Texas
Dec. 15         Beaumont, Texas - Lufkin, Texas - Conroe, Texas
Dec. 16         Houston, Texas
Dec. 17         Pasadena, Texas - La Porte, Texas
Dec. 18         Texas City, Texas - Galveston, Texas
Dec. 19         Hammond, La. - Le Place, La.
Dec. 20         Mandeville, La. - Slidell, La.
Dec. 21         Kenner, La. - River Ridge, La. - Jefferson, La.
Dec. 22         Metarie, La. - Destrehan, La. - New Orleans, La.
Dec. 23         Westwego, La. - Avondale, La. - Harvey, La.
Dec. 24         New Orleans, La. - Heart of the City (closing at Noon)

(i) Events subject to change.

For a complete listing of tour dates, please visit www.visa.com or toysfortots.org.

"One of the best parts about the holidays is watching a child's face light up when receiving a toy from Santa, and we want to thank everyone who is helping us bring that magic to the children of the Gulf Coast," added General Cooper.

The Toys for Tots Santa's Traveling Workshop presented by Visa was created and produced by M2000 Corporation.

About the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program

The mission of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November, and December each year and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community the campaign is conducted. The primary goal of Toys for Tots 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. Toys for Tots' objectives are to help needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas; to play an active role in the development of one of our nation's most valuable natural resources -- our children; to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign; and to contribute to better communities.

About Visa USA

Visa USA is the nation's leading payment brand and largest payment system, enabling banks to provide their consumers and business customers with a wide variety of payment alternatives tailored to meet their evolving needs. Visa USA is committed to increasing the choice, convenience, acceptance, and security of Visa payments for all stakeholders in the payment system - Members, cardholders and merchants. Through its 13,420 Member financial institutions, more than 488 million Visa-branded cards have been issued to cardholders in the United States. Last year, U.S.-based financial institutions relied on Visa's processing system, VisaNet, to facilitate $1.3 trillion in transactions with unparalleled reliability.

Worldwide, cardholders in over 150 countries carry more than 1 billion Visa-branded cards, accounting for more than $3 trillion in annual transaction volume.

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