Toys'R'Us increases support for Autism Speaks

WAYNE, N.J. Toys"R"Us announced that it has expanded its support of Autism Speaks to include a fundraising campaign in all of the company's stores in North America. This is the fourth consecutive year the company has partnered with Autism Speaks, an organization dedicated to funding global biomedical research for autism and raising public awareness about the disorder and its effects on individuals, families and society. This year, Toys"R"Us, Canada will join the partnership, increasing the company's ongoing support for Autism Speaks. This campaign marks the first time in the company's philanthropic history that its store networks across North America have joined forces to support a unified philanthropic endeavor.

"Expanding this campaign across all our locations in the United States and Canada provides us the opportunity to raise awareness for this disorder among even more of the thousands of parents and caregivers who visit our stores daily," said Jerry Storch, chairman and CEO of Toys"R"Us. "Through our ongoing partnership, the "R"Us family remains committed to helping Autism Speaks solve the autism puzzle."

This year's fundraising campaign to benefit Autism Speaks begins in late February and continues through Autism Awareness Month in April. Monetary donations will be collected at approximately 850 Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores in the United States, nearly 70 Toys"R"Us stores across Canada and on the company's Web sites, Toysrus.com and Toysrus.ca, during this time.

To kick off the 2010 partnership, including national sponsorship of the walk program, the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund awarded Autism Speaks a $400,000 grant. Since the partnership began in 2007, the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund, Toys"R"Us and customer donations have together raised more than $5.5 million for Autism Speaks.