Themed Concepts Partners For Children's Charities
Custom products manufacturer Themed Concepts, is proud to announce that it has partnered
with three children's charities: Feed My Starving Children, Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation, and Give Kids the World Village, in an effort to directly benefit children who struggle with hunger, pediatric cancer and life-threatening illness.
"Themed Concepts is in the business of creating beautiful things for children to see and play on," said the company's Director of Marketing Lisa-Marie Klooster. "Our line of products is a perfect fit with our charity partners' work with children. After working on the development of the Play4Change project for the past three and a half years, I am very proud to announce that this philanthropic venture has finally come to fruition!"
Co-Owner and V.P. of Sales Kaarl Nasvik said “The Play4Change project is the only one of its kind, yet from day one it seemed like such an intuitive pairing of efforts. We work hard to ensure that children of all abilities have open access to play, but what about those children whose access is hindered by a setback like poverty or disease? Surely they deserve our attention as well!”
The three guiding principles of Play4Change are children's hunger, health, and hope. Each of those ends is espoused by one of the three charities that Themed Concepts has partnered with.
Feed My Starving Children was founded in 1987 in order to provide food to malnourished children. The charity engages volunteers who prepare specifically formulated meals for children who are in dire need of them. The program has serviced orphanages, schools, and clinics in more than 70 countries with the express goal of eliminating hunger which results in poverty. With nearly one million volunteers and 230 million meals produced, Feed My Starving Children has helped to feed hundreds of thousands of children.
Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation seeks to eradicate cancer in children. The invention of the young cancer victim Barrett "Bear" Krupa and his mother, Kathleen Casey, Bear Necessities helps young cancer patients by improving their quality of life and seeking a cure for their illnesses. Their Bear Hug program sends stricken children to sports and musical performances and any other occasions which might provide light in their lives. Bear Hug also helps ill children's families by providing financing and support in their times of need. Additionally, the Bear Discovery program awards money to investigative researchers who make meaningful advancements and discoveries towards finding a cure and therapies for various types of pediatric cancer.
Give Kids the World was founded in 1989 by holocaust survivor Henri Landwirth. His mission is to provide memorable and cost-free experiences to children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Give Kids the World Village spans 70 acres and provides all the accommodations and whimsy that other parks provide, but with the express purpose of catering to the needs of children with special needs. The organization has welcomed more than 140,000 families from all around the world, most of whom could not have enjoyed an amusement park experience but for Landwirth's vision.
"We are blessed to be in this business," continued Klooster, "building cement frogs, trees, turtles, fossils, and everything else for kids to delight in. In partnering with these organizations we get the unique opportunity to create value in every child's life. You can't eat a sculpture of a dinosaur, of course, but anyone who buys one of ours will be actively feeding the hungry, treating the sick, and giving vacations to children who dearly need that hope."
Themed Concepts' Play4Change product line has a mission to donate $1 million of its revenue to these three charities over the next five years. The Play4Change catalog will be available on September 15th, 2015 at the NRPA Annual Conference in Las Vegas, and the Play4change.org website is set to launch the first week of September.
Co-Owner and President Ole Nasvik said “We couldn’t be more excited to launch this line in time for the NRPA’s 50th Anniversary Conference in Las Vegas. So much work has gone into Play4Change behind-the-scenes. It will feel very rewarding to see the project come to life at such a prestigious venue.”
Themed Concepts has worked in the theming industry since 1971 and has installed projects all over the world. The Forest Lake, MN company has revolutionized the art of simulating real stone and brick and developed plastic imprinting tools that apply texture, in addition to color and pattern, to decorative concrete flat-work. Their glass fiber reinforced concrete playgrounds, furniture, and decorations adorn thousands of amusement parks, restaurants, hotels, parks, and shopping centers around the globe.
For inquiries, or to find out how you can become a Play4Change certified sales rep, please contact Lisa-Marie Klooster at Themed Concepts Corporate office, 855-724-3270.