Kids Wish Network

SANTA MONICA, Calif. – Jack Friedman, a longtime supporter and treasured “Guardian Angel” of national children’s charity Kids Wish Network, passed away on May 3, 2010. In his honor, Kids Wish Network contributed to his legacy of kindness by sending a Holiday of Hope Gift Bank to Mr. Friedman’s choice hospital in California: Santa Monica UCLA.

Few things bring a smile to the face of a child faster than a brand new toy and that’s exactly what JAKKS Pacific, Inc. co-founder Jack Friedman knew when he started his toy company back in 1995, working hard to make the world a better place for children through the magic of toys.

In 2002, Kids Wish Network was proud to become a part of the JAKKS “family” when JAKKS Pacific, Inc. contributed their first donation of amazing toys and games to Kids Wish Network’s Holiday of Hope Gift Bank program. Since then, Jack Friedman and JAKKS Cares, the company’s charitable division, have generously donated over $1 million dollars worth of outstanding merchandise to be distributed to thousands of children in crisis throughout the country.

“JAKKS has always been generous to us,” said Barbara Askin, the Director of Distribution for Kids Wish Network. “Jack Friedman was a kind man. He did everything out of the kindness of his heart.”

Even now, after his passing on May 3, Jack Friedman’s legacy of kindness continues as plenty of children are smiling right now at Santa Monica UCLA and the Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA, all thanks to a special shipment of amazing toys, books, games, puzzles and plush toys that were shipped to the hospital in his memory. In order to reach out to bring smiles to the faces of even more children, the Child Life team at Santa Monica UCLA have arranged to share their Gift Bank with a fellow UCLA hospital: the Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA.

Kids Wish Network’s Holiday of Hope Gift Bank program, which provided the toys to the hospital, is an uplifting, gift giving program that brings cheer to children in the care of specialized pediatric facilities nationwide. For this program, Kids Wish Network receives generous donations from some of America’s top toy manufacturers and distributors, such as JAKKS Pacific, Inc., that are then included in the Holiday of Hope Gift Banks to be shipped to participating hospitals and pediatric care facilities across the country. Once at the facilities, the amazing toys, games and other fun items are given directly into the hands of these deserving children.

Being in unfamiliar situations and undergoing painful and uncomfortable medical procedures are incredibly scary experiences for these courageous kids; the toys they receive go a long way in bringing them comfort when they need it the most. Doctors and nurses all agree: a smile is the best medicine!