Spirit of Play Foundation by Spielwarenmesse eG promotes ‘play as a basic need’

At Kids India, Spielwarenmesse eG launched its new charitable project, the Spirit of Play Foundation. Under this name, the Nuremberg-based company is bringing the charity campaigns of its national and international events together under one roof – the aim being to raise everyone’s awareness of ‘play as a basic need’, emphasise its importance and anchor the issue more firmly in everyday life. The first handover of donated goods took place in mid-September in Mumbai.

Successful launch in India

Most of the exhibitors at Kids India (12–14 September) donated their toys to the Spirit of Play Foundation on the final day of the fair. The beneficiaries of their contributions were the Indian organisations St. Catherine’s Home (www.saintcatherineshome.com) and The Toybank (www.toybank.in). Both of these charities strive to improve children’s lives by reinforcing the power of play with innovative programmes and offering perspectives for the future. “We are convinced that play is essential for children’s holistic development – regardless of age, gender and background. That is why we are targeting our support on the distribution of toys and focusing on their positive benefits,” says Christian Ulrich, Spokesperson of the Executive Board at Spielwarenmesse eG. 

Year-round project

The Spielwarenmesse in Nuremberg is similarly helping exhibitors to participate in the new charitable campaign. The toys provided by the companies are donated to carefully selected projects such as daycare centres for children, schools and social amenities based both in the fair location and in other German federal states. In addition, as a company that operates internationally, Spielwarenmesse eG and the Spirit of Play Foundation will be active in other countries as well – in Brazil, for example, where it has its own representative office and has good connections to the local toy manufacturers. The web page www.spielwarenmesse-eg.de/en/foundation provides regular information on the latest charitable projects.