Sunday, April 23, 2023 | Special Advertising Section 1 R 36 SPONSORED CONTENT PROVIDED BY TOYS FOR KIDS As Issaquah-based organization Toys for Kids prepped for a holiday party at Seattle domestic violence shelter, executive director Heather Jones got a call. The shelter needed emergency funds for a family coming in, recently rescued from a situation that had led to the mother’s hospitalization. As the volunteer crew handed out presents the next day, a little girl wearing a Cinderellathemed dress, shoes and a tiara twirled her way over to Jones. She was the rescued girl. The girl grinned, her brown eyes dancing and said, “Aren’t I pretty?” At that moment, time stood still. “You are just lighting up this room with your smile,” Jones told the girl. The stress of preparing for a hundred toyfueled holiday parties throughout Washington melted away. “It didn’t matter,” she says. “All that mattered was that we stopped this girl's pain for this moment.” Indeed, toys and play can change lives. Play takes many forms, including imaginary and dress-up play. According to a 2018 American Academy of Pediatrics report, child’s play provides many benefits for the brain, including improvements in a young child’s peer relationships, language development and interpersonal skills. Play can boost early math skills and executive function: our brain’s control center that helps us pursue goals and ignore distractions. “In the presence of childhood adversity, play becomes even more important,” the report notes. Toxic stress can reduce brain and emotional development. This is where organizations like Toys for Kids — an organization that offers playthings for children who are homeless, living in poverty Toys help kids discover the power of play Toys for Kids gives the gifts of toys, scholarships, back-to-school supplies and more to homeless, disadvantaged children and families in Washington state. Learn more at tfkseattle.org. and/or rely on free and reduced lunches — come in. Seattle Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs and former Seattle Mariners center fielder Dave Henderson founded the organization in 1995. The duo worried over news reports on surging homeless populations, and whether all children would get holiday toys. Other Mariners joined in, and the crew gave more than 300 toys to homeless and disadvantaged children. In the first 20 years alone, the organization purchased more than 200,000 toys, and hosted more than 100 holiday parties at hospitals, shelters, crisis housing, boys and girls clubs and community centers. TFK now gives away more than 45,000 toys, a process that starts in August. Typically, Rizzs and Jones sit down to map out a budget for the 36 Washington agencies they provide toys for. Toys for Kids works with Amazon Business to find out what kids want that year — whether it’s classics like sports equipment or new big hits — and to ensure supply. Typical toys include basketballs, footballs, craft-making kits, stuffed animals and dolls. According to a report from the The American Academy of Pediatrics, children living in poverty often face barriers impeding playtime and healthy social-emotional development. Play — whether catching a ball or twisting a wire bracelet — helps children develop creativity and resiliency via cooperation and negotiation with others, while overcoming challenges. At the holiday parties, some volunteers are children themselves, often from wealthier homes. “Whether wealthy or homeless, the kids start playing together, putting games and puzzles together, laughing and having a great time,” Jones says. “They’re able to be kids again, enjoy the moment and forget what’s going on in their lives.” Donors sometimes get a chance to join in the fun, too. For example, the organizations’s annual NW Toy Run at Pacific Raceways asks participants to bring $5 or a new, unwrapped toy for the annual car enthusiast show. Any toys or money left over after the holidays is repurposed for birthday gifts or other special situations, such as rain or snow gear for a child who only arrived with basic clothes. “Toys for Kids is all about serving kids throughout the year,” Jones says. “We're here for kids when everyone has forgotten.” But the toys, and the emotions and inspiration provided, aren’t lost. One young man told Jones that he still had a TFK-gifted baseball bat gifted to him 10 years ago. “Isn’t it a little light?” Jones said to him, chuckling. “No,” he said. It’s a reminder someone remembered him that holiday season. Seattle Mariners broadcaster Rick Rizzs gets ready to hand out holiday toys. Donate today! Children at Toys for Kids annual Harborview Holiday party receive toys. (Photos courtesy of Toys for Kids)
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