About Us
Who We Are
The Children's Toy Fund, Inc. is a 501(c)3 charitable organization located in Canton, OH that brings the "bouncy, squishy, AWESOME fun" to children facing difficult situations. We fill a much-needed gap by supplying all things fun and comforting to agencies and 501(c)3 organizations across the region to help them bring smiles to children and teens facing chronic illness, terminal illness, or crisis situations.
Mission
To provide hope, comfort, fun, and smiles into difficult situations—one kid, one toy, and one community partnership at a time.
Vision
To make the world a more fun and brighter place for all children, families, and communities no matter what difficult situation they face.
Governance
We are run by a five-member board of community members and retain corporate counsel out of Columbus, OH.
Children's Toy Fund, Inc. History
How It All Began
The organization was founded in 1990 by a group of mothers who had chronically ill children. They witnessed first hand the sights and sounds of a children’s hospital on a daily basis. They noticed incredible staff members making the best with what they had at the time (Pinkie the Puppet and coloring books) to entertain children throughout the hospital.
These mothers were Cathi Bogavich and Kimberly Samuels. Cathi’s own children were chronically ill causing multiple hospital visits and Kimberly’s son, Colin, was diagnosed with pleuropulmonary bastoma at the age of 2.5 (he ultimately would pass away at the age of 5). All of the experiences during that time encouraged these women to want to brighten the days of local hospitalized children by making the hospital as fun as going to an arcade. The original mission was for each and every kid to be able to be just a kid regardless what they faced.
The Earliest Operations
The organization, originally known as The Colin Morey Children’s Toy Fund, sent gameboys, movies, cartoons, crafts, activites, clowns, and entertainers to fill Akron Children’s Hospital’s hallways. The funds were raised entirely by door to door fundraising, local donors and through a canister that was in a local mini mart. Cathi Bogavich became the main figurehead of the organization that helped to set the direction. Her passion was for bringing smiles to local hospitalized kids right in our own community.
The organization was incorporated in 1992 and became “The Children’s Toy Fund, Inc.”
First Major Accomplishment: We developed a relationship with Nintendo of America to bring costs down to enable a fundraising effort to ultimately equip Akron Children's with some of the very first Nintendo systems!
BINGO!
Over time, our fundraising efforts grew into starting a state licensed bingo game. Our very first bingo session was on Wednesday, February 22, 1995. This shift in how we fundraised would be all the difference in the organization which enabled us to further our reach while providing a fun social game for the community with a chance for the participants to win a little money.
We began renting "Ken Mar Hall" or the "Old Swiss Club" in 1995. We later purchased that same facility on September 21, 1999 at auction and renamed it to "CTF Party Center."
Today, we hold one of the largest bingo games in Stark County. We are proud to create a social gathering in the community while connecting to bring awareness and further our cause.
Want to play bingo and support children facing difficult situations? We are open every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 4:30 PM.
Expansion Beyond Hospitals
We began to see an immense need in organizations outside of the hospital setting and expanded our articles and operations to include foster care organizations and other supporting organizations. In 2023, we sent out over 15,000 toys to 4 Foster Care Agencies, 5 Hospitals, 1 Domestic Violence Shelter, and 2 Wish Organizations across Northeast Ohio.
Better Together
We view every organization we support as a partner. Our goal is to engage each and every one in the way that is truly going to make a difference in the lives of the children and teenagers they service. We work to continually refine what we do to help every organization in the way that they need it most. We welcome feedback from all of our contacts on what is working with their population and what is not.
If you have an organization that could use our assistance, check out our What We Do section to learn more about how to start the conversation to receive support.
Support Children's Toy Fund, Inc.'s Mission
Donate Now
Volunteer With Us
Volunteer With Us
Your contribution can help us further our reach and spread smiles to more kids facing difficult situations. No donation is too small, and every dollar counts.
Volunteer With Us
Volunteer With Us
Volunteer With Us
Join our team of dedicated volunteers and make a difference in your community. Whether it's making tie blanket bundles, supporting our Bingo nights, organizing events, or providing support, we need your help.