Beanie Babies resurrected for a whole new life in public relations By Caterina Mellinger VALLEY TIMES 08/29/2008 REMEMBER THE BEANIE BABY CRAZE of the '90s? I do and ironically I had recently cleaned out an old storage closet and found a few of the little stuffed animals tucked away in a box the day before I learned that Alamo resident Debbie Sanford is collecting Beanie Babies to send to the troops, who then give them to Iraqi children. When Debbie and I connected, she told me how it came to be that she decided to take up this task. She was at Longs in Alamo when she met some women who were there collecting Beanie Babies for the troops and was intrigued at how she could help, too. The women told her about their sorority, Delta Nu Psi, which was created to help give support to the troops. Debbie thought it would be great to get involved with the collection process and got the word out to her Bunko group and reading club, asking for donations of Beanie Babies – which by now are long forgotten, either collecting dust on a shelf or stored away in closets like my little creatures were. I told Debbie I'd help spread the word. "If you have some of those adorable toys waiting for someone to play with them again, then contact me and I'll arrange to pick them up or be delivered. No number is too small," Debbie said. You can reach her at orangeotterteach@aol.com. "Your donated Beanie Babies will be sent to our soldiers in Iraq. They in turn will give them to the Iraqi children as a gesture of goodwill," she said, adding that "they have been very well received, if not treasured." I recall writing about Debbie collecting suitcases for the homeless a couple of years ago, so she is no stranger to helping those less fortunate. You can visit the sorority Web site at www.deltanupsi.org. I took a look at it and learned that the troops are very grateful for our donations and even send in some interesting requests of their own. One soldier requested a "kegger" and another one was craving prime rib, and a squad of female soldiers longed for a bathtub. "Please take the time to go through your closets and shelves and make a child smile," said Debbie, who taught at Creative Learning Center in Alamo for 19 years, so she knows a thing or two about making kids smile. Have a great week! Reach Caterina Mellinger at aroundalamo@hotmail.com or by mail in c/o the Times, P.O. Box 607, Pleasanton, CA 94566.