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May 2010

Congregation Commits to Cause

Picture1 Congregation B’nai Jeshurun (TBJ) ran a used plastic toy drive in partnership with Second Chance Toys during Earth Week, 2010.  The religious school and Early Childhood Center (ECC) participated in the toy drive.  Collection bins were placed in the TBJ lobby from April 18th through April 25th.  We are happy to announce that we collected approximately 6 large plastic garbage bags full of toys of all sizes that were distributed to the ARC of Essex County.  We look forward to partnering with Second Chance Toys in the future, as our congregation includes many families eager to help the greater community.
 

Second Chance Toys Breaks 50,000 Donations to Needy Children

50000-747001 Thanks to everyone who continues to drive our mission and make the achievement of these milestones possible. Together we are truly making a difference!

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Donations of Second Chance Toys Delivers Gratification for All

Ay 2 of SCT (2) 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

NY Kids Club & Second Chance Toys Make a Difference One Child at a Time

NYKC 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.   

JFK Elementary School in Jamesburg, NJ Learn About Doing Good and Green #Recycle

Picture1 For the past 2 months, the students at JFK Elementary School in Jamesburg, NJ, have been working on a project to recycle gently used toys.  After the toys were brought to school, the Student Council cleaned them and made sure they were in good working order.  The kids learned the value of recycling to help our environment, as well as the importance of giving to children in need.  We donated approximately 200 toys to Catholic Charities in New Brunswick, NJ.  The drive was extremely successful. 
We would like to thank Second Chance Toys for sharing this idea with us and making a difference in the lives of many children.

Virginia Moms Pull Together for Earth Week

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Our first collection in Virginia was a success! The Moms Club of Haymarket, Virginia contributed 75 of their children’s toys to send to Appalachia. Renee Johnson, Administrative Vice President of the Moms Club, spearheaded the effort. Because the toys were donated to Sharing and Caring Hands, which serves the very needy of Appalachia, it was an especially gratifying experience.

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NJ Volunteer Enjoys The Good and Green

First, I want to say I am so glad to have gotten involved with Second Chance Toys.  While searching for a place to donate my own gently used toys, I came across the website and was inspired by the story of how this organization came to be.  This was my first volunteer effort since being a stay at home mom for the past 3 years and it was a very rewarding experience. I have to thank Greenwich Nursery School and Old Greenwich Presbyterian Church for helping distribute flyers and allow me to use their lot as the toy collection site. After sorting through all of the toys that people brought, I ended up with approximately 45 to 50 that were in great condition.  There were quite a few more received that did not meet the requirements and in my opinion, were too old, dirty, and battered looking with missing pieces to accept for donation.   I cleaned, sanitized, and bagged all of the toys and delivered them to Investors Savings Bank in Clinton on April 21st where they were very appreciative and a great  pleasure to deal with.  I was sad to see they had only received one toy by that time, so I felt so good about my collection.  All in all, I think it was a huge success for me personally and for Second Chance Toys.  I think it is wonderful that these toys are going to end up in the hands of less fortunate children who will truly appreciate them, but we kept a lot of plastic out of the landfills as well. Thanks again for inspiring me to get involved and please keep me in mind for any future volunteer opportunities.  This was truly a wonderful experience and I look forward to doing more with Second Chance Toys in the future. Dina PintoClinton, NJ
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Union County’s Trailside Museum Collects Second Chance Toys for Earth Day

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Trailside Museum included a collection of Second Chance Toys during its Earth Day educational programs and activities. Park Naturalist, Rebecca Novorro, who spearheaded the collection during Trailside’s first Earth Day celebration, was enthusiastic about keeping these non-biodegradable plastics out of our landfills. She noted, “We wanted to invite our community to join us in having fun while honoring the Earth and recognizing the different ways we impact it.  We were thrilled with how many people were eager to pledge promises to the planet for the upcoming year, take home a Sycamore seedling to plant, and donate their gently used toys in order to reduce the waste we generate and reuse the toys in a productive way. Thanks Second Chance Toys for providing an incredible means to encourage people to reduce, reuse, and recycle!!” The 125 toys donated by residents all over Union County went to the Community Coordinated Childcare program in Hillside.