RELEVANT PLAY PARTNERS WITH CARRYING HOPE TO BRING HOPE & JOY TO FOSTER CHILDREN IN A MOMENT OF CRISIS
Award-winning toy company donates toys to Texas-based nonprofit serving children in the foster care system.
Austin, Texas (September 29, 2020) –– Carrying Hope, a 501c3 nonprofit that provides Hope Packs––backpacks filled with new, age-appropriate essentials and comfort items designed to provide everything a foster child needs for the first 48 hours in a new home––announces Relevant Play as its first-ever toy sponsor.
Each year, more than 22,000 children are removed from their homes and placed in foster care by Child Protective Services in Texas. Often, when children enter the foster care system, they arrive at their new foster home with nothing other than the clothes they are wearing. Carrying Hope is changing this sad scenario for children across Texas by providing lovingly-curated Hope Packs to ensure that children who are entering foster care––kids who have already been through so much––get a fresh start in their new home with brand-new essentials as well as comfort items including toys to provide a happy distraction in an otherwise traumatic moment.
“Many of the children we serve have never received their own brand new items, let alone the sorts of innovative, exciting and on-trend toys offered by Relevant Play,” said Kristin Finan, Carrying Hope’s CEO and president. “We could not be more thrilled about this new partnership, which will bring so much joy and light to foster children during what can otherwise be a very dark time.”
Relevant Play, the creators of stress-relieving toys such as the super-soft building compound Mad Mattr and S.T.E.M. learning toys like Build-a-Bot that allow children to create their very own robotic pets, is a perfect partner match for Carrying Hope, which serves children in need of some extra brightness and joy in their lives.
“We could not be more excited or more passionate about supporting an amazing organization like Carrying Hope,” said Chad Lucero, CEO and President of Relevant Play. “What they do for these vulnerable children going through what could be the most traumatic time in their life is simply wonderful. As a company that develops and distributes toys globally, we believe that toys are meant to bring joy and happiness to kids of all ages. If by providing toys to kids going through the foster care system helps positively impact them in any way, we are more than happy to do all we can to participate with this outstanding organization and help every child we can.”
During this unprecedented time, when many children residing in shelters and residential treatment centers are under strict shelter-in-place orders and foster children placed in new homes are having to navigate virtual school in a new and unfamiliar environment, Relevant Play’s toys are providing some much-needed stress relief, creativity and playtime. In addition to becoming Carrying Hope’s toy sponsor, Relevant Play has created a unique opportunity for online shoppers to purchase a Bundle of Hope Play Pack for their own children. This amazing set includes the Mad Mattr Super Pack and an additional 10 oz. color pack of Mad Mattr, The Greatest Mattr in the Universe! For every purchase of a Bundle of Hope Play Pack, Relevant Play will send a toy and extra joy to another child who truly needs it. No matter where you live, you can join Relevant Play in bringing hope and happiness to the foster children Carrying Hope serves by purchasing a Bundle of Hope Play Pack at www.relevantplay.com.
About Carrying Hope
Since becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in July 2016, Carrying Hope has provided thousands upon thousands of Hope Packs filled with comfort items and essentials to children entering the foster care system in Texas. Carrying Hope works directly with CPS as well as foster care agencies to distribute Hope Packs, which are broken down by age and gender and contain everything a child needs during his or her first 48 hours in foster care. For more information, please visit www.carryinghope.org. Follow @carryinghope on Instagram, @carryinghopeaustin on Facebook and @CarryingHopeATX on Twitter.
About Relevant Play
Relevant Play believes playing and learning go hand-in-hand and remains passionate about creating awesome toys for kids that encourage imaginative and open-ended play. With this vision, Relevant Play has brought to market numerous, award-winning toys to nurture the creative genius that naturally lies within all children, spanning compound products including Mad Mattr to Build-a-Bot robotic toys that take S.T.E.M. learning to a new level. Relevant Play products can be found on Amazon, Target and specialty retailers around the world. For more information, please visit www.relevantplay.com. Follow @relevant_play on Instagram, @relevantplay on Facebook and Twitter.
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