A Gala for a Good Cause
TOTY Awards Serve as Critical Fundraiser for The Toy Foundation
February 5, 2018 | Did you know that The Toy Foundation’s (TTF) 18th Annual Toy of the Year (TOTY) Awards gala not only celebrates the best of the best in the toy industry, but serves as a critical fundraiser that supports TTF’s efforts to help underprivileged children all year long? To join in the industry’s charitable spirit, toy professionals are encouraged to purchase tickets through February 11.
Throughout the TOTY ceremony, to be held on Friday, February 16, guests will hear from the Foundation about its initiatives to collect and distribute toys to millions of deserving children each year. To date, The Toy Bank has provided $200 million in toys to 24 million children in need around the globe, thanks to generous toy industry donors.
“By attending the TOTY gala and afterparty, guests are supporting the Foundation by helping to make a difference for underprivileged children,” says Jean Butler, The Toy Foundation’s executive director. “These children range from foster kids, who are dealing with the uncertainty of not knowing where they will live on a day-to-day basis, to those coping with life-threatening diseases. We need your help to bring the joy of play to even more kids in need this year.”
Of course, the TOTYs are also about celebrating toys and the people that make them.
TOTY Awards will be presented in 17 categories; the overall Toy of the Year and People’s Choice award winners will also be announced. The evening will also celebrate the 2018 inductees into the Toy Industry Hall of Fame. This year, toy professionals can take part in additional networking opportunities at the celebratory afterparty taking place immediately following the awards dinner from 9:30 to 11 p.m.
The TOTY Gala will be held at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City. Tickets for the entire evening cost $395 per person, which includes free admission into the afterparty. Guests may purchase tickets for the afterparty only for $95 per person.
More information about the TOTY Awards is available at TOTYAwards.org. The TOTY gala kicks off the 115th North American International Toy Fair taking place February 17 to 20, 2018 in New York City.
The Toy Foundation (TTF) is a 501c3 children’s charity whose mission is to provide joy and comfort through toys and play to children who are coping with serious illness, enduring temporary home placements in the foster care system, suffering from abuse or neglect, experiencing separation from a deployed military parent, or dealing with devastating natural disasters.