Chaplains take over academy Christmas toy drive - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

Chaplains take over academy Christmas toy drive

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The Air Force Academy has turned over a Christmas toy program to chaplains after a critic accused commanders of religious intolerance.

Academy critic Mikey Weinstein, founder and president of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, said academy officials crossed the line by promoting a program sponsored by an evangelical Christian group that sends toys and toiletries to needy kids around the globe.

The group sends a Christian message with the gifts, according to a report in The Gazette of Colorado Springs.

Academy commandant Brig. Gen. Richard Clark apologized to Weinstein on Thursday and academy officials say chaplains can recruit support for the program.