TIF Brings Holiday Play to Military Base

Playthings Staff -- Gifts and Dec, 12/10/2012 9:23:27 AM

OAHU, Hawaii - The Toy Industry Foundation (TIF) brought toys to more than 3,000 boys and girls living with their parents on Hawaii's Schofield Barracks and Fort Shafter U.S. Army bases.

The families were treated to two exciting days of toy giveaways on Dec. 4 and 6. Hosted by the Toy Industry Foundation in partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA) Military Services, the events brought the military families gifts, holiday carolers and the lighting of two of the largest Christmas trees in the country.

"The stress and uncertainty of military life can be overwhelming for these families," said Jean Butler, executive director, TIF. "Toys and play allow them to escape their worries and have fun. This is the perfect time of year for us to say ‘thank you' to these families and to help them enjoy the holidays together."

Through the Play Comforts program, toys donated to TIF's Toy Bank by generous toymakers and merchants are delivered to families on dozens of U.S. military installations at home and abroad all year long. In 2012 alone, TIF worked with BGCA to provide toys for nearly 100,000 children of service members stationed in the U.S. and internationally.

Gifts distributed at this event were generously donated to the Toy Industry Foundation by American Plastic Toys, Cartamundi, Cryptazoic, Daydream Toy, Disguise, Dunecraft, Fremont Die, GANZ, GUND, Hasbro, Kidz Toyz, LEGO, Look Out Word, Mattel, Morphology, Playmates Toys, Radio Flyer, RBI Toys, Small World Toys, The Happy Artist, and TMI Toymarketing International.