Search Results for: toy foundation

Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment Announces New 2024 WiT Foundation Scholarship

Building on the success of its long-standing scholarship program, Women in Toys, Licensing & Entertainment (WiT) continues to develop women leaders with the launch of the new 2024 WiT Foundation Scholarship, an application-based scholarship open to female students. The revamped 2024 program is designed to reach more women than ever before. It will support students who are pursuing undergraduate degrees in industry-related fields. The scholarship includes a financial award of $5,000, a oneyear WiT membership, career-focused programming, enrollment in WiT’s Ruth Handler Mentorship Program, access to internship and job postings, and more. Award recipients will also be invited to attend WiT’s Wonder Women Awards Gala in Los Angeles on September 13, 2024, where they will be recognized alongside industry professionals.

Register Today for The Toy Association’s LA Fall Preview Networking Party

The buzz is getting louder each day for The Toy Association’s LA Fall Preview, including the marquee networking event taking place on Tuesday, September 10. All toy industry professionals are invited to attend and encouraged to register. (Registration is complimentary but must be completed in advance.) Held on the second day of the Association’s dedicated market week (September 9 to 13), the LA Fall Preview Networking Party will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Otis College of Art and Design, home of one of the nation’s leading Toy Design programs. Anyone who is involved in the toy industry and will be in LA during that time is invited to attend.

The Toy Association Names Industry Veteran Greg Ahearn as New President & CEO

The Toy Association Inc, the business trade association representing a wide array of manufacturers, retailers, licensors, and others involved in the youth entertainment industry, announced that Greg Ahearn will join as President & CEO on June 1. Ahearn will be responsible for leading the next chapter of the Association as it continues to evolve and best serve its close to 900 members, as well as the needs of the entire industry. He will have oversight of the key objectives, which include industry trade shows and events, regulatory affairs and representation, toy safety and ethics initiatives, member education, as well as consumer outreach to champion the importance of play. The role also extends to partnership with The Toy Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the organization.

TOMY International Announces Julie Gwaltney Appointed Vice President Toys

TOMY International announced that Julie Gwaltney has been appointed Vice President of the Toy Division. Julie has over 30 years’ experience in the toy industry, most recently holding the position of TOMY International’s Senior Director of Toys. “We are happy to have Julie assume this role and bring her expertise across additional categories,” said Greg Kilrea, President of TOMY International. “Julie works very well with her team, the designers, our licensors, and our industry partners to help find great opportunities for TOMY and make lasting contributions to childhood play.”

Your Year-Round Donations to The Toy Bank Allow for a Quick Emergency Response

Last week, the Midwest was ravaged by dozens of tornadoes, leaving communities destroyed. The toy industry’s year-round product donations to The Toy Bank, a key program of The Toy Foundation (TTF), allowed the team to gather warehoused product and send truckloads of toys and emergency response supplies within 48 hours to Omaha, Nebraska and Sulphur, Oklahoma to impact thousands of children and families in each location.

Global Companies Join The Toy Association’s LA Fall Preview

Momentum is building for The Toy Association’s LA Fall Preview, with nearly 70 percent of available showroom space already sold. Taking place at 2250 East Imperial highway in El Segundo, in the heart of the LA “toy district,” the marketplace will welcome Hasbro, LEGO Systems, Inc, Crazy Aaron’s, Elenco, Horizon Group USA, and more as the toy industry gathers for preview activity in the fall, including a dedicated Toy Association market week from September 9 to 13.

The Toy Association – How Play Supports Pediatric Patient’s Mental and Behavioral Health

Children and youth are facing mental and behavioral health conditions at staggering rates (1), and play is a powerful tool clinically proven to help manage and improve children’s mental and behavioral health. Studies (2) have shown play therapy in a hospital setting reduces anxiety and negative emotions, as well as well as helps children express and communicate their feelings and emotions through toys. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, The Toy Foundation (TTF) facilitated an interview between VTech Electronics, a partner of TTF’s Children’s Hospital Play Grants program, and MemorialCare Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital Long Beach (Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital), a 2024 play grants recipient, to discuss how play is a vital tool for medical teams to provide pediatric patients with developmentally-appropriate mental and behavioral health support while undergoing treatment.