Thousands of Gertie Balls Given to Little Red Wagon Foundation to Benefit Homeless Children
CARSON, Calif., July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Small World Toys, a 50-year-old specialty toy company, has donated 5,000 Gertie Balls to the Little Red Wagon Foundation, a national non-profit started by Zachary Bonner when he was seven years old to help children in distressed situations. The balls are included in backpacks—or "zachpacks''—distributed to children Bonner encounters. Now 12, he is walking across the country to raise awareness about the plight of homeless children. The March Across America (www.marchacrossamerica.com) began Dec. 25, 2009, in his hometown of suburban Tampa, Florida, and will conclude in Los Angeles with many stops along the 2,478-mile route to meet children in need.
"All kids need a fun toy to play with so I make sure to include one in the backpacks along with the practical items, such as food, toiletries, a sewing kit and clothing items," according to Bonner. "Gertie Balls are great because they're light weight and don't take up much room when they're not inflated so kids can enjoy them and then store them easily."
"We're delighted to support Zach's Little Red Wagon Foundation by donating Gertie Balls," said Bob LaRocca, VP of Sales, Small World Toys. "He's an inspirational youngster and his efforts helping countless children have made a real difference in the lives of so many."
The idea for the Little Red Wagon Foundation grew out of Bonner's determination to help people in his community after Hurricane Charley hit in 2004. Awed by the devastation in Florida that had spared his neighborhood, he persuaded his mother to let him collect water donations to hand out to people forced to evacuate and live in temporary shelters. Then just seven years old, he walked door to door pulling his red wagon and before long the donations were enough to fill 27 pickup trucks. He has since focused his philanthropic efforts on numerous projects to alleviate the suffering of children in need. He has helped families living in FEMA trailers after Hurricane Katrina and raised donations of supplies for under funded schools among other projects. In the summer of 2009 Bonner concluded his "My House to the White House" walk and succeeded in drawing national attention to the country's homeless youth. The Philanthropy Project is producing a feature film inspired by Zach's life story directed by David Anspaugh from an original script by Patrick Sheane Duncan.
LaRocca said Small World Toys was encouraged to support the Little Red Wagon Foundation cause by one of its independent retailers in Charleston, S.C., Christine Osborne, proprietor of Wonder Works. At the time, LaRocca and Osborne were collaborating on ideas to help victims of Haiti's earthquake.
"When I heard about the amazing work Zach was doing, I just had to support him and when I learned about 'zachpacks' I knew Gertie Balls would be perfect," said Osborne. "In donating toys to volunteers embarking on relief missions over the years we've found that Gertie Balls are particularly popular because they're so packable."
Small World Toys is owned by Vertex Capital.
About Vertex Capital:
Founded in 2008, Vertex Capital Management LLC ("Vertex") is a NYC based private equity group. A premier equity investment group focused on making control investments in distressed private companies, Vertex partners with existing owners or industry experienced operators to preserve jobs rather than eliminate them. Companies currently owned by Vertex include Ronco Acquisition Group and Fitz & Floyd.
SOURCE Vertex Capital
Comment on "Thousands of Gertie Balls Given to Little Red Wagon Foundation to Benefit Homeless Children"
