| |
Latinos in Social Media, the largest organization of Social Media professionals of Latino origin, is partnering with the Being Latino network, one of Facebook's fastest growing organizations, to bring joy to disadvantaged Latino children in the US and Latin America this holiday season. LATISM’s 1st Annual Three Kings Day Toy Drive & Fundraiser will benefit The Children’s Aid Society’s and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
“Part of LATISM’s long-term vision is to give back. The fact that our first Toy Drive and Fundraiser is aimed to benefit both children in Latin America and at home is yet another innovative example of how LATISM is using new media to benefit our community at large,” said Louis Pagan, Co-founder of LATISM.
"Being Latino's goal has always been the betterment of our community. Through establishing relationships with organizations such as LATISM, we can reach a much wider audience and spread our word to new ears. As a big brother, I understand the importance of giving back to underserved communities and have seen the impact one can make in a life with very little effort," said Lance Rios, Founder of Being Latino.
The partnership between LATISM and Being Latino has two primary goals:
- To collect at least 400 toys which can be distributed to children who may otherwise not have any presents this Christmas.
- To raise at least $1000 in monetary funds to help programs working for the survival, basic education and health needs of disadvantaged children in Latin America.
To this end, the Toy Drive & Fundraiser will have two levels:
1st Level – TOY DRIVE: Thanks to generous donations from their sponsors, Time To Play, Ingenio and Discovery Toys, LATISM and Being Latino will be donating new unwrapped bilingual Educational toys to the Latino Outreach Center of the Children’s Aid Society, located in Washington Heights, New York City. The toys will be distributed to poor Latino children in the area.
2nd Level – FUNDRAISER: LATISM and Being Latino will be collecting donations from their joint online networks. These monetary donations will benefit UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, and be distributed through UNICEF to centers aiding disadvantaged children in Latin America.
“In these tough economic times, it’s more important than ever to make sure that disadvantaged children in the US and Latin America enjoy the holidays and have access to basic necessities. LATISM is proud and excited to partner with the Being Latino network to help world-renowned organizations such as the Children’s Aid Society and UNICEF in their continued efforts to provide these services,” said Elianne Ramos, CEO of Speak Hispanic, Inc.
TOY DRIVE/FUNDRAISER LAUNCH DETAILS:
WHAT: Live Twitter Party
WHEN: December 30th 2009, 8pm EST
WHERE: Twitter (use hashtag #latismtoydrive or enter latismtoydrive on TweetChat.com – you must have a Twitter account).
Potential donors can help by:
• Participating in LATISM’s live Twitter party to raise awareness about the Toy Drive
• Making a monetary donation ONLINE through our Chipin/PayPal account. Monetary donations will be accepted until January 3rd, 2010. Details on the latism.org page.
• Making a toy donation by sending new, unwrapped toys to: The Children’s Aid Society -105 East 22nd St, New York, NY 10010. Please use codename: LATISMTOYDRIVE09. Toy donations will be accepted until January 3rd, 2010.
• Following and Retweeting our Toy Drive message using #latismtoydrive on Twitter.
• Writing about it on their blog. Please contact eramos[.]elianneramos.com for press materials.
• Posting up the LATISM/Being Latino Toy Drive/Fundraising widget on their blog. Details on the latism.org page.
• Broadcasting our link through FaceBook & LinkedIn pages/groups.
Toy Drive and Donations totals, as well as ceremony pictures will be posted at our Latism.org website on January 6, 2010. For further information, please call Elianne Ramos, LATISM DC Media Relations Manager, at 646-932-7752 or Louis Pagan, LATISM Co-Founder, at 347-688-5385.
About LATISM
Latinos in Social Media (LatISM) is the first entity to organize, train and promote social media professionals who are either of Latino origin or target the Hispanic/multicultural audience. LatISM members are bloggers, twitters, group leaders in social networks, social media consultants, government officials, non-profit program officers, developers and more. As the leading organization for Latinos in social media, LATISM is proud to help empower and mobilize the Latino community.
About Being Latino
Being Latino is a communication platform designed to educate, entertain and connect all peoples across the global Latino spectrum. Their aim is to break down barriers, foster unity and empowerment through informative, thought-provoking dialogue and exchanging of ideas. Being Latino seeks to give a unified voice to the multitude of communities that identify with the multidimensional culture that is Latino.
About The Children’s Aid Society
The Children’s Aid Society was founded in 1853. It is one of the nation’s largest and most innovative non-sectarian agencies, serving New York’s neediest children and their families with a network of services that includes community schools, neighborhood centers, camps, adoption and foster care services, teen pregnancy prevention, education, health and recreation. The Children’s Aid Society is a founding member of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and the vast majority of Children’s Aid’s sites are Boys & Girls Clubs. For more information, please call 212-949-4938.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in over 150 countries and territories to help children survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation, and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals, businesses, foundations and governments.
|
eramos[.]elianneramos.com 
