Local Programs

 
 Don't mess with those kids and families from Mill Creek Elementary School in Warrington, PA.  They know how to organize a toy drive!  Do they ever!  They filled our 15 x 15 cubic yard 1-800-GOT-JUNK? truck up to the gills with gently used plastic toys; great toys to be recycled and distributed to literally hundreds and hundreds of kids in our community just in time for the holidays.  That is community and holiday spirit at its best.  Thanks to Principal Leonard Schwartz, Home & School leader, Stephanie McDonald and all the great students who helped make the December 3-10 toy drive such a resounding success for the second year in a row.  Some say "Ho Ho Ho" at this time of the year!  We simply say "Wow, you are the greatest!!

Second Chance Toys of PA wants to publicly thank and congratulate the wonderful children at Springfield Elementary School and Springfield Literacy Center who worked so hard to collect toys for us during their drive from November 3-12.  You did a great job and your efforts will help some very deserving children in Delaware County and beyond.  Your efforts are what the holiday spirit is all about.  Let's keep that spirit throughout the year.  Help the kids -- Help the Environment!  Way to go!!!

  Talk about a team effort.  Led by Girl Scout Troop 21808, the students, families and Parent-Teachers-Organization of Warwick Elementary School in Warwick, PA orchestrated a very successful toy drive and collection in support of Second Chance Toys of PA from November 22 to December 1, 2010. All banned together to help many needy children in the Bucks County and surrounding areas hopefully enjoy the holidays a little bit more this year.  Many boxes and bags were filled with reusable plastic toys collected by the Girls Scouts at the school. This is the first year the scouts have coordinated with Second Chance Toys and we are very proud of them for their truly outstanding efforts. They are helping to make a positive difference in the lives of other children and our environment!

 The great kids and families of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Doylestown, PA organized another successful toy collection on November 20, 2010 in support of Second Chance Toys of PA.  Once again, our 1800GOTJUNK truck was filled with quality, polished-up toys that will make hundreds of deserving children in our community very happy this holiday season.  This is the third year in a row that Mount Carmel has supported Second Chance Toys of PA activities.  We are not only impressed by this consistent effort, but very grateful indeed!  Thanks to all who pitched in. Special thanks to Laurie Frayne who coordinates these activities at the church and to Eric Blum from 1800GOTJUNK who helps us get the toys where they need to go.  

 Girl Scout Troop 335 of Manalapan has been very busy this holiday season. As part of their Bronze Award project, the troop held used toy drives in their neighborhoods to benefit Second Chance Toys.
The troop collected over 13 bags of gently used plastic toys in addition to two bags of new toys, two large plastic kitchens, a desk, an art easel and a Barbie jeep. Next, the girls cleaned the toys and made sure they were in working order. The toys were then dropped off to the Marlboro, NJ Branch of Investors Savings bank. They will soon be transported by volunteers from 1-800-Got Junk? to organizations that will distribute them to children in need.
In addition to having lots of fun, the girls learned about the value of recycling to help the environment as well as the importance of helping those less fortunate than themselves.

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

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.
 

 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.   

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.