Amazon Wish List – Keep our toy closet stocked with ease.

We launched our first Amazon Wish List to provide toys for local kids affected by childhood cancer. Amazon’s extensive catalog makes it easy to find toys suitable for children experiencing long or frequent hospital stays, and our wish list gives you an insight into what we need throughout the year.

Wish lists on Amazon function similar to wedding registries – we update the items needed based on popularity, season, age range, etc. Using the Amazon Wish List makes donating toys easier than ever. View the list and simply click “add to cart” and it will ship directly to NNCCF.

There are many popular toys on this list (ex: Toy Story Legos, Paw Patrol toys) and more that we have yet to discover. Our Amazon Wish List can also serve as a guide for your next toy drive or individual donation. We will always accept new toys even if they are not on this list.

On our Wish List, you will find our selection of trending toys that can be used by children in treatment and an array of items that can entertain children of all ages. The list is practical and helps give insight to the needs and wants of our families. However what the list doesn’t display is how important these toys are to the children, siblings and parents. “The toys we provide have a greater significance to our families than a way to amuse a child during a car ride to the hospital. The toys help serve an escape from the trials at hand.” Read more about the importance of our toy closet to local children battling cancer: The Toy Closet: the reward, the bribe, the cabinet of smiles.

Many business and individuals host toy drives to support our nonprofit during the year. One of our favorite types of fundraisers are “in lieu of Birthday presents.” We have had children, inspired to help kids like them, run toy donation drives in lieu of receiving birthday presents. The giving and kind hearts of these children are inspiring to model after.

One of our Community Partners, Carrington College held a toy drive in February in honor Logan, a child currently in treatment. For the entire month, they had a donation station set up and encouraged students and professors alike to bring in a toy for a local child battling cancer. The results were astonishing. Each basket was packed to the brim with toys. The Carrington College community came together and made a donation of toys and other goods valued more than $1,000.

Community Partner toy drives like this help support our foundation and bring smiles to the children we serve. There are a few simple steps to host your own toy drive for your business, group, church or school.

Come up with a creative name for your toy drive – i.e. “Logan’s Lego Drive for NNCCF”- and share on social media, in your break room, on bulletin boards and more.
Send out our wish list and provide in your communications – everyone likes having an idea of what is actually wanted and needed.
Set a time frame and price range – it is helpful to know when the toys are due by and if you are asking for certain types of toys.
Host a donation station – your coworkers and friends can watch the amount grow, and feel inspired by the accomplishment.
Give Alicia Rasmussen a call 775-825-0888 (or email Alicia@nvchildrenscancer.org) and let her know! We will schedule a time for you to present your toys. It’s a perfect photo opportunity.

We are grateful for the donors that provide for our toy closet throughout the year, especially during the summer months. Have you heard of the term Christmas in July? We are dreaming of Santa’s little elves barging through our doors with bags of toys for girls and boys! Every year towards the end of spring, we call on our donors and community partners to help stock the shelves, and we are hoping our newly created Amazon Wish List helps provide helpful ideas and an opportunity to do so.