FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Toy Industry Foundation Delivers Toys to Pediatric Cancer Patients During New York Yankees “HOPE Week”

May 25, 2017 | New York, NY – The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) delivered brand-new toys, games, and costumes this week to local pediatric cancer patients and their families honored by New York Yankees HOPE (Helping Others Persevere & Excel) Week. The Yankees’ 9th annual HOPE Week, which shines a spotlight on individuals, families, and organizations worthy of recognition and support, is taking place May 22-26.

During HOPE Week, TIF distributed brand-new playthings to sick children, including an 11-year-old boy from the Dominican Republic who traveled to the United States for care when he was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, and a group of children currently undergoing treatment for pediatric brain tumors. The playthings were generously donated by local toy companies Cardinal Games, Epoch Everlasting Play, and Rubie’s Costumes.

The celebration for the kids and their families took place at Yankee Stadium, where the children, their siblings, and their parents enjoyed special festivities in a fully decorated Yankees Party Suite.

“The Toy Industry Foundation is honored to work with the Yankees on their HOPE Week initiative,” says Jean Butler, executive director at the Toy Industry Foundation. “As part of our continuing goal to bring laughter, comfort, and the healing power of play to children in need, it was a joy to bring brand-new toys and a fun-filled day to these deserving kids, who have suffered through so much.”

The Yankees’ annual HOPE Week is “rooted in the fundamental belief that acts of goodwill provide hope and encouragement to more than just the recipient of the gesture.” On each of five consecutive days during the celebration of HOPE Week, the initiative raises awareness about causes and charities worthy of recognition, and rewards honorees for their fortitude in the face of adversity.

The Toy Industry Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the North American toy industry, makes play possible for millions of children who are sick, impoverished, suffering, neglected, or otherwise in need. The Foundation’s Toy Bank is generously stocked by manufacturers, retailers, and distributors throughout the year. Toys and games are delivered to a network of more than 1,000 children’s charities across the nation and around the globe.

About the Toy Industry Foundation (TIF)      www.toyindustryfoundation.org / www.thetoybank.org
The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) is a 501(c)3 children’s charity whose mission is to provide joy and comfort to children in need through the experience of toys and play.  TIF serves children who are undergoing complicated medical procedures, enduring temporary home placements in the foster care system, suffering from abuse or neglect, experiencing separation from a deployed military parent, or have had their lives disrupted by a devastating natural disaster.  To date, TIF’s signature program, The Toy Bank, has provided $200 million in toys to 23 million children in need around the globe, thanks to its generous toy donors.