To wrap up our Aim Higher initiative for 2021, Yeager Marketing partnered with the Maag Toy Foundation to provide holiday gifts for children at the Chicanos Por La Causa (CPLC) De Colores Shelter. CPLC has been advocating for underserved individuals and communities since 1969, and the De Colores Shelter has been a Phoenix safe haven for Spanish speaking survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault since 1986.

The Maag Toy Foundation connected us with a representative from the De Colores shelter, who provided us with a list of 46 children from 20 families in need. The children ranged in age from infants to 17 years old. We opened the opportunity for members of our team to “adopt” a child or a family, and we went to work. Over half of our staff “adopted” a child, and many chose more than one! We got family members involved, with many of our team consulting their children in the same age range as they purchased gifts. Yeager also provided several toys for a range of ages, recognizing that turnover at a shelter like De Colores can be high and fast, and that kids coming in at any time of the year should be able to pick out a toy they like to help them feel more secure in a new place.

We noticed two trends in gifting this year – educational toys, and games and activities. Over 30 of the donated toys were educational, with a strong STEM theme (growing crystals was particularly popular!), and there were about 50 crafts, card games, and outdoor activities donated. Our team took mindful gifting to heart, and made sure that we were providing toys that weren’t just fun to play with, but enriching too.

In total, our team donated over 100 toys, hopefully making the holidays a little brighter for the families at De Colores.