Community Corner

'Keeping Babies Safe' Donates 210 Cribs

Group receives grant from Toys 'R' Us charitable fund.

Keeping Babies Safe, which has in the past donated cribs to Somerset Hills YMCA, has now donated 210 safe, new cribs to The New Jersey Department of Children and Families and Life Choices Resource Center that will reach all of New Jersey’s 21 counties.

The cribs were purchased by the group after receiving a $25,000 grant from the Toys 'R' Us Children’s Fund through its 2011 New Jersey grant initiative.

“We wanted to reach as many families in New Jersey needing safe, federally-compliant cribs,” said Joyce Davis of Warren, president of Keeping Babies Safe.

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“That’s why we donated 210 cribs directly to the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and Life Choices because collectively they reach every county in the state to ensure that parents in need have a safe crib for their baby in early 2012.”  

Grants were given by the fund to alleviate economic challenges and sustain organizations that favorably impact children across New Jersey. Keeping Babies Safe was one of 54 organizations selected from 500 charities statewide requesting funding.

Keeping Babies Safe, has a long history of donating cribs throughout New Jersey through affiliations and distribution channels like the New Jersey Department of Children and Families and Life Choices, and made possible by generous grants like Toys 'R' Us—so far, more that 3,000 have been donated. In addition to giving safe cribs, Keeping Babies Safe educates these organizations’ social services professionals on safe sleep and crib practices so they in turn can pass this critical crib safety information onto the communities they serve. Our combined efforts of Keeping Babies Safe’s education, and crib donations campaigns has made an essential difference in providing safe sleep environments to babies throughout the State that otherwise would be sleeping in dangerous conditions.

“The New Jersey Department of Children and Families is extremely grateful for the work of Keeping Babies Safe,” DCF Commissioner Allison Blake said. “Through this partnership, our prevention programs are able to provide brand new, safe cribs for newborns of participating families that lack the necessary financial resources to make this essential purchase.”  

Find out what's happening in Basking Ridgewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The cribs are provided; along with training in crib safety and safe sleep practices, to new mothers and parents in all 21 counties of the state through their participation in the Department of Children and Families’ (DCF) home visiting programs, parenting programs and Family Success Centers.

“As a pregnancy help center located in Metuchen in central New Jersey, Life Choices Resource Center primarily serves clients from Middlesex, Somerset and Union counties, however, we accommodate anyone in New Jersey who contacts us,” says Carolyn Glodek, Director of Client Services. “While we offer emotional support to women who find themselves in an unplanned pregnancy, our efforts would be hollow if we could not assist them materially, as well. Our connection with Keeping Babies Safe allows us to, not only provide a new crib when it is needed, but one that we know will be safe. Keeping Babies Safe also provides us with their educational ‘Safe Sleep (Environments) for Babies’ materials, outlining sleep safety tips for newborns. Keeping Babies Safe fills a huge gap in the lives of many babies, and we are so grateful for their continued support.”

“As a company dedicated to children and families, Toys“R”Us shares in the commitment of Keeping Babies Safe to helping parents and caregivers keep children out of harm’s way, and we are proud that our support has enabled the organization to provide safer sleeping environments for hundreds of babies in New Jersey,” said Kathleen Waugh, Chairman, Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund.  “Of the many proposals the Children’s Fund received, Keeping Babies Safe demonstrated a distinctive commitment to supporting children in New Jersey through its safety-focused outreach efforts that positively impact the lives of countless children in the state.”

Grants will support a wide array of unique programs and services aligned with the Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund mission of keeping children safe and helping them in times of need. Funding was awarded to nonprofit organizations that demonstrated an immediate and specific need and directly impacted children in the state. Kids in each of New Jersey’s 21 counties will benefit from the impact of the grant initiative through community-based and statewide charities. To view the complete list of recipients, please visit: Toysrusinc.com/charitable-giving/2011NJGrants 

Toys“R”Us, Inc. has a long history of giving back to the communities it serves by keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need. The company and the Toys“R”Us Children’s Fund together have given hundreds of thousands of dollars in product donations and monetary grants annually to a wide range of nonprofit organizations in New Jersey. For 38 years, Toys“R”Us, Inc. has been based in New Jersey with more than 4,500 employees across more than 45 stores, regional offices, the corporate headquarters and the company’s largest retail distribution center in the country.

Keeping Babies Safe www.keepingbabiessafe.org is a 501 (c)(3) foundation that provides education, assistance and leadership in keeping babies safe from preventable injuries associated with unsafe cribs and unsafe sleep environments. Keeping Babies Safe offers safe cribs, sleep safety information, safety tips, and product recall information to empower parents with information so they can remain vigilant about keeping their babies safe.   Keeping Babies Safe, in connection with the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, created “Safe Sleep (Environments) for Babies” educational videos and helpful tips that we are making available to as many parents as possible.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here