Toys"R"Us to cheer on Special Olympics athletes

Toys"R"Us is supporting the Special Olympics in Los Angeles this year in a new and innovative way.

The retailer is deploying employee volunteers to encourage and cheer on the littlest athletes, as they reach personal victories in a variety of sporting activities. Toys"R"Us has a longstanding commitment to the Special Olympics, and as a Games Level sponsor of the 2015 World Games, is able to help the organization's efforts to bring the benefit of sports to children and adults of all abilities.

"At Toys"R"Us, we fully recognize the transformative power of sports and are honored to help bring that to children on such a grand stage," said Kathleen Waugh, chairman of the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund. "Watching the Young Athletes compete is a joy and we are proud to have dedicated members of the Toys"R"Us family here at the World Games celebrating the littlest athletes as they experience their very first sports moments."

Earlier this year, the company launched the #MyFirstSportsMoment initiative designed to introduce the youngest aspiring athletes to the world of sports by learning to hit balls, run bases, take jump shots and more. Toys"R"Us has helped provide more than $4 million to the organization in 2015 alone through a combination of its in-store and online fundraising campaign and grants from the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund. In addition to supporting the Summer World Games, these funds will be used to help expand Special Olympics' Young Athletes™ program across the globe, which supports 2½ to 7 year olds in building critical physical, cognitive and motor development skills through the power of play.

Toys"R"Us volunteers are supporting "MyFirst" experiences, including: Aquatics, Softball, Bocce, Golf, Football, Roller Skating, Bowling, Tennis, Basketball and Gymnastics. Fans looking to cheer on the Young Athletes from home can join in on the conversation using #MyFirstSportsMoment on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.