Ready … Set … PLAY!
LOCAL TOY COMPANIES & VOLUNTEERS
BRING TOYS AND SMILES TO SOUTH FLORIDA KIDS IN NEED
Coconut Creek, FL | April 8, 2019 – “Play Your Part,” a nationwide philanthropic event series hosted by The Toy Foundation (TTF), made its way to South Florida today, bringing brand-new toys and games to more than 250 children in need. Held in partnership with Junior Achievement South Florida at its Coconut Creek headquarters, the fun-filled day of play was made possible by local toy company volunteers and thousands of toy donations from manufacturers, retailers, and distributors to TTF’s Toy Bank.
Every child in attendance got to take home a brand-new toy of their choosing. Additional toys will be delivered to kids in need throughout South Florida to help them celebrate holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions.
“Toys provide comfort to children who are living through difficult circumstances,” said Jean Butler, executive director of The Toy Foundation. “Our inaugural Play Your Part event in South Florida was a tremendous success. We are grateful to our toy industry donors for providing the ‘tools of play’ to help these children cope, as well as to our volunteers who worked together to make this day so memorable for the children in attendance!”
Local toy companies, including Basic Fun!, Jazwares, Just Play, Getta1Games, and JC Toys, among others, participated in the event. Companies either donated toys, sponsored an activity station, or sent company volunteers, who handed out toys and led activities for the children in attendance.
The lively gathering included exciting activities for the kids, including pin the tail on the Fortnite Llama, board games, crafts, and more. The day was capped off with a special toy distribution, when each child’s face lit up with delight as they received new toys to take home, including dolls, action figures, board games, arts & crafts kits, stuffed animals, and more.
"We were thrilled to participate in The Toy Foundation's ever-expanding Play Your Part event," said Karen Kilpatrick, vice president of marketing at Jazwares. "It’s an integral part of the Jazwares mission to give back to the communities that we serve and support the education and development of children through play. Being able to work together to actively engage with children has been really special. We are connected in our desire to give back and bring happiness to as many children as possible!"
“We are thrilled to host The Toy Foundation’s Play Your Part event to benefit hundreds of kids in the South Florida community at the JA World Huizenga Center at the Lillian S. Wells Pavilion,” said Laurie Sallarulo, president & CEO of Junior Achievement of South Florida. “At JA, we work with 50,000 students each year to bring financial literacy, workforce readiness and entrepreneurship programs to life that help kids achieve their greatest potential. This event is a special treat; a child’s dream come true – they get to have fun, play games, and receive toys from all the partners involved!”
The event marked TTF’s first “Play Your Part” in South Florida. Similar events have been held in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston. To date, Play Your Part has impacted more than 300,000 children in need across the country.
Sponsors for Play Your Part – South Florida included: Basic Fun!, Getta1Games, Jazwares, JC Toys, Just Play, and Women in Toys, Licensing, and Entertainment (WIT).
About The Toy Foundation www.toyfoundation.org
The Toy Foundation (TTF) is a 501©3 children’s charity whose mission is to provide joy and comfort to children in need through the experience of toys and play. TTF serves children who are coping with serious illness, enduring temporary home placements in the foster care system, suffering from abuse or neglect, experiencing separation from a deployed military parent, or dealing with devastating natural disasters. To date, TTF’s signature program, The Toy Bank, has provided more than $200 million in toys to over 26 million children in need around the globe, thanks to its generous toy donors.
About Junior Achievement of South Florida www.JASouthFlorida.org
Junior Achievement of South Florida (JA) inspires and prepares youth to succeed in a global economy. JA provides real-world training in financial literacy including budgeting, spending, investing and the use of credit; offers cutting-edge skill-building opportunities that enable young people to explore meaningful, productive careers; teaches students how to start businesses; and introduces entrepreneurial values that strengthen workplaces. Last year, with the help of over 7,100 trained corporate and community volunteers, JA delivered over 20 various programs to almost 50,000 students in classrooms throughout Broward and south Palm Beach counties and at JA World Huizenga Center at the Lillian S. Wells Pavilion, a first-class facility housing JA BizTown and JA Finance Park.