Second Chance Toys - NYC

Part of the heart of our mission of SCT is to help enrich the lives of children in need by providing the opportunity to play, so in order to broaden our reach in order to serve more kids, this year Second Chance Toys joined forces with the NYC chapter of Makers Making Change (MMC) to aid in launching their new event: Adaptive Toy Hackathons. 

Video here: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/donating-toys-children-43763949

 Six locations are accepting donations of gently used plastic toys from April 20 - 26.
New York Kid's Club: 601 Amsterdam Avenue, New York City
New York Kid's Club: 169 Amsterdam Avenue, New York City

New York Kid's Club: 219 East 67th Street, New York City
New York Kid's Club: 38 East 22nd Street, New York City

New York Kid's Club: 393 South End Avenue, New York City

New York Kid's Club: 182 Henry Street, Brooklyn

 
Thanks for all you do. You guys Rock!!

  Each year, thousands of needy children depend on the love and generosity of their neighbors to help make the holiday a happy one. Many larger, well funded organizations reach out to the community, ask for donations and are able to offer food, clothing, gifts and toys to needy families.  Pleas of many smaller organizations are never heard.  This year, according to Jocelyn Goldberg, founder of the New York City Chapter of Second Chance Toys, "Many smaller charities that don’t have the resources or manpower to ask for help were able to come to our website and connect with toy drives going on throughout New York City.  Drives held at organizations like Rapid Park Garages -- located throughout Manhattan –were able to collect and donate over 2,400 toys to organizations that otherwise would never have been able to connect with them. 
This year toys were donated to groups that include:

• Association to Benefit Children
• East Harlem Community Center
• New Creation Christian Church
• Mother-Child Crisis Center (Covenant House)
• Dads United for Parenting (Midtown Community Court)
• Brooklyn Family Defense Project
• St John’s Place Family Shelter
• Toys of Hope
• Save the Children of NY
• NY Kids Foundation
• Bethel Gospel Assembly

1-800-GotJunk? donated time and services to transport the toys to each of these organizations.

 This year, toys collected by Temple Shaaray Tefila’s Hebrew School program in New York City were donated to the Prospect Family Inn and the Williamsbridge Family Inn – two local centers operated by Homes for the Homeless. More than 200 children will receive a toy as a result of the drive, helping make this December’s holidays extra special.  Children enrolled in the daycare programs were given the opportunity to select their toy from under the tree, which was a special event for the centers last Monday afternoon. These centers serve 512 families and more than 600 children every day. According to Margaret Menghini, Program Associate at Homes for the Homeless, toys and play time are extremely important to the positive development of young children. This type of contribution, plus others from community organizations, help us provide our residents with the various items they need to get by on a day-to-day basis.    We are truly grateful for our partnership with Second Chance Toys and for the creative way they are recycling plastic toys and help less privileged children in the community”.
 

 Over 85 drop-off locations are presently available throughout New York and New Jersey. More locations will continue to be added during November.

 To my kind & generous friends- both old & new,
 
I would like to thank every single one of you who donated your children’s toys- and I would especially like to thank all the kids who let them go!
 
We collected hundreds of toys – on day 2 of the drive I had to stop the tally because I was over 200 already and there were so many more to count.  I was, and continue to be blown away by your selflessness.  You may think that you were getting rid of some old dust collectors, but you were wrong.  What you were really giving was hope.  And love.  And I will always be so grateful to all of you for that.
 
The group that was the recipient of your largess is The Guardian Angel Family Crisis Center, a not for profit group of people working to improve the lives of families all over Nassau County.  It’s staffed by two social workers Barbara Costello and Elaine Cordova (who are quite gifted in their vocation). They bring many years of social work with them and a tremendous network of 50 social workers involved with the county. When your toys were delivered, social workers came with a list of their most needy families and hand picked “presents” for them.  There were so many donations that they were able to host a “toy fair” when they opened their doors and allowed more families from social services to come and select just what they wanted! Everybody was so happy, and the children were delighted.  (In fact there was so much, they are doing another pick up next Monday!!)
 
I know that lately we have all been asked to donate to so many worthwhile causes, and I am so glad and grateful you picked Second Chance Toys, whose mission is to keep plastic toys out of landfills and into the hands of children. Many of the recipients are our neighbors, who because of many factors, now find themselves in desperate need.  
 
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!Carey Campbell

Since its inception in 2001, The New York Kids Club (www.nykidsclub.com) has been providing New York City kids a safe haven to learn, play, have fun and grow.  Kids get a chance to swing on gyms, rock climb, play soccer, paint, sing, and cook up their own gourmet dishes while they work off a whole lotta steam.  From the Upper West Side down to Brooklyn Heights NYKC’s 6 locations have become a community within the community for children 6 months - 12 years.
 
An important part of being a community, though, is giving back to the community.  Under the visionary leadership of founder Pam Wolf, the New York Kids Club is constantly seeking new ways to get involved. As organizations begin tightening their purse strings in light of the current economic ebb, NYKC has pledged to continue to make charitable contributions and participation a top priority.
This spring, NYKC teamed up with Second Chance Toys to transform the fun into a good and green campaign to support Earth Day.   Families rallied by donating their favorite “gently used” plastic toys to kids in the community that aren’t as fortunate.
“This year’s collection was over the top”, according to Jocelyn Goldberg, 15-year old founder of Second Chance Toys’ New York City Chapter.  “We collected over 3,600 plastic toys that would have ultimately wound up in city landfills. Instead, they now are getting a second chance to brighten the day of children that really will appreciate them.”
 
Toys were donated to the Educational Alliance, Association to Benefit Children, and Homes for the Homeless.  These organizations work tirelessly to provide shelter and educational programs serving tens of thousands of families in need each year.  1-800-GOT-JUNK?  helped bring it all together by transporting toy donations from NYKC to each of the facilities.   

You have plastic toys. They have plastic toys. The family down the street has plastic toys. But so many needy young children go without them.
With Earth Week drives in full gear, 1-800-Got-Junk? helps make it all happen. With their full fleet of truck teams, they transport thousands of toys from dozens of collection sites to organizations serving needy children. We thank all the Franchise Partners who make it all possible. You are truly helping to make a difference. Both Good and Green!!!