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TDmonthly Giveaways Gain Speed Glide Bikes, Zoob Scooters & Safari Ltd. Creatures Zoom to CharitiesThis summer will be extra special for needy kids in Coer d’Alene, Idaho; Sarasota, Florida; Scottsdale, Arizona and Round Rock, Texas: Their local toy stores won the TDmonthly Charity Giveaway contest earlier this year and are about to bestow the bounty on local charities and schools.     Kids will soon receive ZOOB H2H Fastback sets from Infinitoy (for ages 6 &up, MSRP $29.99), which features two pullback motors, so kids can build any two cars from ZOOB pieces and race them side-by-side; 15 ZOOB Jr. Scooters, which has larger, softer ZOOB pieces, for younger builders, (ages 3-6) so they can build any number of wheeled  creations, such as a skateboarder, scooter, or robot, etc.; Safari Ltd. Incredible Creatures® and other lifelike sets (includes combinations of Incredible Creatures® Queen Triggerfish, Incredible Creatures® Galapagos Marine Iguana, Incredible Creatures® White–lipped Snail, Incredible Creatures® Cobra Hatchling, Wild Safari Flippers, Fins & Fun Set, and Safari People John with Baxter Zookeeper on Platform); and red or blue 12" Mini Gliders from Glide Bikes.Publicity for Charities  One of the benefits of the TDmonthly Charity Giveaways is that many small or little known charities are given publicity not only by the toy stores and their local media, but by TDmonthly, as well – which gives them national attention they couldn’t receive otherwise. "We have chosen charities where we feel we can make the largest impact in our community through education outreach, literacy, and medical needs (i.e., causes we are personally vested in)," said Brett and Susan Sommers of Figpickels Toy Emporium in Coer D’Alene. "We put a special emphasis on education as constant budget cuts and other headwinds are putting the children of Idaho and Eastern Washington at a great disadvantage."Tim and Cynthia Holliday of Children’s World in Sarasota also favor educational institutions when they donate toys and games. Their store not only sells toys but also services 30 local schools with uniforms and other goods.  "I always choose charities that are near to my heart and who don’t have a big funding base," said Sari Powazek of Doll House and Toy Store in Scottsdale."All of our chosen recipients will benefit from Figpickels bringing community awareness to their causes and allowing the public to learn more about their charities through events planned in our stores," added the Sommers. The Real "Winners": The Charities and the Kids Texas Baptist Children’s Home The Home was founded in 1950 to care for abused and neglected children in Central Texas. From a start of 5 cottages on 112 acres, the home has expanded to 26 buildings that provide long-term residential care for youth ages 6 to 17, helps single working mothers and their children with temporary shelter, and provides counseling and support for needy individuals and families in the area.  "We’ll be donating the Glide Bikes to the children at the Texas Baptist Children’s Home," said Terry of Kaleidoscope Toys in Round Rock. Glide Bikes are uniquely balanced – even at low speeds – which makes learning how to ride easy for kids of all abilities. (See Terri's Facebook album for TDmonthly's charity giveaways here.)Berkman Elementary School "The schools can really use the Zoob builders," said Terry. She will divide the Safari Ltd. figures between the school and the Children’s Home. Invent Idaho Invent Idaho has held creativity and innovation contests for thousands of students since it began in 1989. ''Invent Idaho is the only program in Idaho that celebrates student creativity and innovation, while teaching the inventive thinking process in an interdisciplinary curriculum,'' states its website. ''Young inventors participate in progressive levels of competitions, including three Regional events held across Idaho, culminating in an Invent Idaho State Finals event.'' Click here to see interviews with inventive kids. "JDRF's mission is to find a cure for type 1 diabetes (T1D)," said Fondra Magee, from the JDRF’s Board of Directors. "T1D is an autoimmune disease which cannot be prevented, can be diagnosed in anyone at any age, results in a lifelong dependence on insulin injections, and there is no cure."  Figpickels has served as publisher and distributor for the Mudgie & Millie book since 2009. They are nearing sales of 20,000 copies, translating into thousands of dollars raised to support programs of the Coeur d Alene Library Foundation. (See a video here) "Our TDmonthly winnings will allow us to provide prizes at the 5th year celebration of the Mudgie and Millie project in September," shared Brett and Susan. "We will be sponsoring several Mudgie & Millie Events leading up to September's celebration, including a jelly bean mural of the Book cover to be unveiled during celebration festivities."  "We have given budding Photographers the opportunity of a lifetime to have their work immortalized in Figpickels Toy Emporium's Candy Store Division (Mrs. Honeypeeps Sweet Shop) in return for products they can auction off to raise funds for outreach projects they want to support," said the Sommers (see photos). The Scottsdale Wellness Center for Children With Cancer Sari of Doll House and Toy Store, a veteran of the TDmonthly Giveaways, prefers to work with charities that have personal meaning for her. Last year, she picked Devereaux House, which helped her son with his mental health issues.  "[Curing] cancer is near and dear to me – very dear to a lot of people we know," said Sari. But one case in particular stands out for her. "One of our dearest friends’ daughters had leukemia as a child. It was at one of our parties that she decided to live. She’s now 30 years old and just got engaged."  The Intangible Benefits Are the Most PowerfulHow does being part of another TDmonthly Giveaway make our winners feel? "We feel empowered!!" said Brett and Susan. "This award allows us another unbelievable opportunity to make positive changes in our community that might not exist otherwise." "I just hope it makes a lot of kids happy," summed up Sari. "It's all about giving back." You can see the toys the retailers will be giving away below: 12" Mini Glider by GLIDE BIKES
 Writer's Bio: ALISON MAREK is an award-winning writer, director and cartoonist whose work has been published by Fairchild Publications and DC Comics (Piranha Press), broadcast on Showtime and other cable networks, and viewed worldwide in film festivals. See her short films and print work on www.alisonmarek.com. Watch her nefarious villains in the web series www.MuggsMovers.com. Get inspired by her cartoons "Daily ARFFirmations to Unleash Your Inner Fido" at www.ARFFirmations.com. Phew! And then ... Read more articles by this author |
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