Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Toy Industry Association



Children at Bronx Charter School Receive New School Supplies, Toys and More from Toy Industry Foundation and My Stuff Bags Foundation

The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) and strategic partner, the My Stuff Bags Foundation, kicked off the school year with a “Back to School” donation on Monday, September 14, at The New York Foundling’s Mott Haven Academy Charter School in the Bronx, the nation’s only public charter school for at-risk students in a foster care or child welfare system. As a result, My Stuff Bag duffels filled with school supplies, toys and more were distributed to more than 120 kindergarten, first and second grade students in need. The special event helped to kick-off the school’s second academic year.

Each year an estimated 300,000 children enter foster care across the United States and more than 16,000 kids are in the foster care system in New York City alone. Often suffering from abuse or neglect, these children must leave their homes and may arrive at shelters with few personal belongings other than the clothes on their backs. Individual My Stuff Bags, valued at nearly $100 each, are filled with new items such as toys, toiletries, school supplies, a stuffed animal and a handmade blanket or hat.

TIF, the nonprofit arm of the North American toy industry, has pledged to My Stuff Bags a contribution of $400,000 in addition to 50,000 new toys over a two year period. The toys are donated via The Toy BankTM, which is generously stocked by contributions from toy manufacturers, retailers and distributors.

During the month of September, five hundred “Back to School” bags in total will be sent to New York area agencies and five hundred more will be sent to foster children across the country.


Collectors Clamor for Classic Toys in “Birthday Bids” Auction to Benefit TIF

Beginning on Wednesday, September 23 at 12 p.m. (EST) and closing Wednesday, September 30 at 5 p.m. (EST), the Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) will host an online charity auction on eBay GivingWorks to benefit children at-risk, abused, abandoned, ill or otherwise in need. The auction features exclusive character-based toys and collector items celebrating signature anniversaries for Barbie, G.I. Joe, SpongeBob Square Pants, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Each of the characters is celebrating a milestone anniversary in 2009:

· Barbie Collectors can bid on five custom dolls – each from a limited edition line of 1,000 produced for the icon’s 50th birthday and this year’s national convention – including Voyage in Vintage, the Tribute Gift Set, the Auburn Ponytail Gift Set and the 50th Anniversary Silkstone Barbie.

· G.I. JoeAn exclusive leather golf bag and movie poster signed by the producer, director and cast of the blockbuster G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra are being auctioned in honor of the “granddaddy of all action figures” turning 45 in 2009.

· SpongeBob SquarePantsThe most well-known resident of Bikini Bottom turns 10 this year, and two of the limited-edition gold SpongeBob plush toys produced for the occasion are available for bidding.

· Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles A set of hand-painted limited-edition cold cast statues of the four action heroes – along with a certificate of authenticity signed by the creator – help “shell-ebrate” 25 years of “Turtle Power.”


The auction is the latest in a series of initiatives to promote individual giving in support of the Foundation’s philanthropic activities. 100% of proceeds will benefit TIF programs such as The Toy Bank™ which provides “millions of toys for millions of kids” through donations of newly manufactured toys to charities supporting underserved, homeless and at-risk children around the world.

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