THE WEBKINZ FOUNDATION

In June 2008, soon after the Webkinz Foundation was founded, a survey was created for Webkinz Retailers. They were asked what types of charities they would like the Webkinz Foundation to support. Overwhelmingly, retailers requested that we donate to organizations that deal with children’s medical issues. In the past year we have donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, York University Foundation – to help fund a scholarship for autism research, Canadian Diabetes Foundation, City of Hope Cancer Research Center, The Medical Foundation of North Carolina, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation, and the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. In addition I have been working on some larger grants to various hospitals. These have been exciting and fun projects to work on because, aside from the pleasure I get from sending in the check, we are helping to create some Webkinz theme playrooms in the hospitals. In The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, “Playroom 6A” on the transplant ward will soon be renamed “The Webkinz Room”. At the time of writing, The Webkinz Room is in the final stages of renovation. We are also beginning to work on the design for a Webkinz Playroom at St.Jude’s Hospital in Tennessee. This will be located in the Grizzlies House, an out building for patients and their families, and will give patients and their siblings a room to have fun. At the Children’s Hospital in Denver, Webkinz Foundation is sponsoring the purchase of a Mobile Blood Donor Coach. This unit will be delivered in 2010, and will be adorned with Webkinz graphics. The grants will be used by the hospitals towards their greatest needs – which include patient care and medical research. We are honored that we can contribute to the quality of care that a child receives during their hospital stay, as well as to the future of children’s health.

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