“Toys"R"Us®, U.S. Launches "Be A Hero For Autism" Fundraising Campaign to Benefit Autism Speaks - Yahoo Finance” plus 1 more |
| Posted: Press Release Source: Toys"R"Us, Inc. On Tuesday February 22, 2011, 5:00 am EST WAYNE, N.J., Feb. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Toys"R"Us, Inc. today announced the launch of its nine-week in-store fundraising campaign to benefit Autism Speaks, North America's largest autism science and advocacy organization. Now through April 30, monetary donations will be collected at all Toys"R"Us® and Babies"R"Us® stores and online at Toysrus.com/AutismSpeaks. To celebrate the fifth consecutive year it has teamed up with Autism Speaks, the company unveiled a new theme, "Be A Hero For Autism," which highlights the everyday heroism of children affected by the disorder, as well as their caregivers, and those who are helping to find the cause and cure of autism through donating time and money. Building on the "Be A Hero For Autism" theme, the company's dedicated microsite, Toysrus.com/AutismSpeaks, will introduce visitors to several heroes through a "scrapbook" featuring children with the disorder and showcasing their daily achievements. "With millions of families in the U.S. impacted by this disorder, we wanted to shine a spotlight on the everyday heroes of autism, including children who learn to overcome obstacles and reach new milestones, to those who know a child with the disorder and are committed to helping solve the autism puzzle," said Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO, Toys"R"Us, Inc. "At Toys"R"Us, we love kids, and we are proud to have partnered with Autism Speaks for five consecutive years in their mission to fund global biomedical research on autism and advocate for the needs of individuals with this disorder and their families." Consumers Can "Be A Hero For Autism" In-store During the nine-week campaign, customers can donate cash at all Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us locations and online at Toysrus.com/AutismSpeaks. Inspiring in-store signage displayed in Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores across the country will highlight children with autism as super-heroes and appeal to consumers to donate by looking to the hero within. Additionally, customers who donate $10 or more to Autism Speaks at any Toys"R"Us or Babies"R"Us store will receive a reusable, giraffe-themed shopping bag designed by James Hogarth, a talented artist with autism, while supplies last. "Over the past five years, the "R"Us family and its customers have truly embraced the autism community through their generous support of Autism Speaks, and Toys"R"Us has quickly become our organization's largest corporate partner," said Mark Roithmayr, President of Autism Speaks. "Children with autism are heroes to us all, and the heroic efforts of Toys"R"Us and its customers have helped get us many steps closer to solving the autism puzzle." Toysrus.com Unmasks Heroic Makeover In conjunction with the in-store fundraising campaign, the company has also redesigned its dedicated microsite, Toysrus.com/AutismSpeaks, to feature images of children dressed as super-heroes. Throughout the site, customers will be introduced to even more heroes in a special "scrapbook." This digital album of children with autism highlights their heroic efforts – everyday tasks they have mastered, which are made difficult by the disorder. Featured children include: Hunter, age 9, who learned how to complete a jigsaw puzzle in order to join his family's favorite pastime; Justin, age 10, who practices his culinary skills as he bakes muffins; Madison, age 6, who learned to write her name, among others. The site also features a video of Jodi, age 9, a young girl on the autism spectrum, performing a song she wrote about those she considers everyday heroes. Jodi dedicated the song to those who help children like her to learn, such as teachers and siblings. Other children diagnosed with autism are featured in the video performing tasks they've mastered, including baking, riding a bicycle, reading, writing, playing basketball and more. Toysrus.com/AutismSpeaks serves as a year-round resource to parents, caregivers, families and friends of children with autism. Visitors can find a list of "Ten Toys That Speak To Autism," which provides toy suggestions to help guide anyone purchasing toys for a child with autism, as well as Safe Play Tips designed to help ensure the well-being of children on the spectrum, while encouraging the benefits of play. Walking To Benefit Autism Speaks Toys"R"Us is also kicking off its national sponsorship of Walk Now for Autism Speaks, a year-long series of more than 80 walk events taking place throughout North America. Regional teams of Toys"R"Us employees will walk alongside the company's iconic mascot Geoffrey the Giraffe and individuals with autism, their families and friends to raise money and awareness. All funds raised in Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores, online and through the Walk Now for Autism Speaks events will go directly to Autism Speaks to support research and advocacy efforts. Since the partnership began in 2007, Toys"R"Us, Inc., the Toys"R"Us Children's Fund and customer contributions have combined to provide Autism Speaks with more than $8.4 million. Last year's in-store and online fundraising campaign raised nearly $1.8 million for Autism Speaks in the U.S. Additionally, Toys"R"Us, Canada will once again lend its support to the cause by collecting donations in its nearly 70 stores and online at Toysrus.ca. Last year, Toys"R"Us Canada raised an additional $600,000 to support Autism Speaks. The Toys"R"Us Children's Fund also supports Autism Speaks and provided a $400,000 grant to kick off the organization's 2011 campaign. For high-resolution images of in-store signage and the "Ten Toys That Speak To Autism," please click on the following link: https://toysrus.sharefile.com/d/s5b675de47d44e04a About Autism Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 110 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The prevalence of autism increased 57 percent from 2002 to 2006. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown. About Toys"R"Us, Inc. Toys"R"Us, Inc. is the world's leading dedicated toy and juvenile products retailer, offering a differentiated shopping experience through its family of brands. It currently sells merchandise in more than 1,570 stores, including 858 Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores in the United States, and more than 510 international stores and 200 licensed stores in 33 countries and jurisdictions. In addition, it exclusively operates the legendary FAO Schwarz brand and sells extraordinary toys in the brand's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. With its strong portfolio of e-commerce sites including Toysrus.com, Babiesrus.com, eToys.com, FAO.com and babyuniverse.com, it provides shoppers with a broad online selection of distinctive toy and baby products. Headquartered in Wayne, NJ, Toys"R"Us, Inc. employs approximately 70,000 associates worldwide. The company is committed to serving its communities as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs dedicated to keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need. About Autism Speaks Autism Speaks is North America's largest autism science and advocacy organization. Since its inception in 2005, Autism Speaks has made enormous strides, committing over $160 million to research through 2014 and developing innovative new resources for families. The organization is dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. In addition to funding research, Autism Speaks has created resources and programs including the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network, Autism Speaks' Autism Genetic Resource Exchange and several other scientific and clinical programs. Notable awareness initiatives include the establishment of the annual United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, which Autism Speaks celebrates through its Light it Up Blue initiative. Also, Autism Speaks award-winning "Learn the Signs" campaign with the Ad Council has received over $258 million in donated media. Autism Speaks' family resources include the Autism Video Glossary, a 100 Day Kit for newly-diagnosed families, a School Community Tool Kit and a community grant program. Autism Speaks has played a critical role in securing federal legislation to advance the government's response to autism, and has successfully advocated for insurance reform to cover behavioral treatments in 23 states thus far, with bills pending in an additional 14 states. Each year Walk Now for Autism Speaks events are held in more than 80 cities across North America. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org. Follow Yahoo! Finance on ; become a fan on Facebook. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| As health costs soar, GOP and insurers differ on cause - Spartanburg Herald-Journal Posted: Published: Saturday, March 5, 2011 at 5:22 a.m. The new federal health care law may eventually "bend the cost curve" downward, as proponents argue. But for now, at many workplaces here, the rising cost of health care is prompting insurance premiums to skyrocket while coverage is shrinking. As Congress continues to debate the new health care law, health insurance costs are still rising, particularly for small businesses. Republicans are seizing on the trend as evidence that the new law includes expensive features that are driving up premiums. But the insurance industry says premiums are rising primarily because of the underlying cost of care and a growing demand for it. Across the country, premiums have more than doubled in the last decade, with smaller companies particularly hard hit in recent years, federal officials say. In New Hampshire, where the population is among the healthiest in the nation, according to various surveys, the insurance market for individuals, families and small businesses is extremely fragile. More than 90 percent of private employers in New Hampshire have fewer than 50 employees. Small and medium-size employers try to shop around for health insurance, but have few alternatives from which to choose. This year, groups of more than 20 workers have been experiencing premium increases of around 20 percent, insurance agents say, while smaller groups are seeing increases of 40 percent to 60 percent or more. "The rate of increase is phenomenal," said Jean Pierre La Tourette, owner of Flora Ventures, a florist with 11 employees in Newmarket, N.H., near Portsmouth. When he was recently notified that the monthly premium for single employees at his firm was going up by $229, or 40 percent, to $789, Mr. La Tourette said, he felt "a combination of anger and frustration." Economists and state regulators say health insurance is expensive primarily because health care is expensive. "You won't really address the cost of health insurance unless you address the cost of health care itself," New Hampshire's insurance commissioner, Roger A. Sevigny, said. In a letter explaining Mr. La Tourette's new rate, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield said it resulted, in part, from "an increase in medical trends, especially the utilization of services and the underlying cost of health care, for all small-group customers." William P. DeLuca III and his family own several companies, including four car dealerships and the Bank of New England, which together have 550 employees in New Hampshire and eastern Massachusetts. To obtain a better rate, Mr. DeLuca said, he switched this year to Harvard Pilgrim Health Care from Tufts Health Plan. The Tufts increase would have been 23 percent, he said, while Harvard Pilgrim's was 19 percent. "It's out of control," Mr. DeLuca said. "The cost of living is barely going up 1 or 2 percent a year. But we and our employees have to absorb these huge increases in health insurance costs." Some insurance industry lobbyists say the new federal health care law is driving up premiums. But Vincent Capozzi, senior vice president for sales and customer service at Harvard Pilgrim, said that only one percentage point of the increases here was attributable to the federal law, mainly its requirement for free coverage of preventive services. Another percentage point results from new state laws requiring coverage of hearing aids and certain treatments for autism, Mr. Capozzi said. Most of the remainder, he said, reflects increases in the use and cost of medical care by small-group customers, with adjustments for demographic characteristics like age. In many cases, insurance coverage is shrinking as deductibles are increasing and choices of hospitals are more limited. Robert I. Woodland, the president of the Woodland Design Group, said his company had experienced double-digit increases in premiums for seven years, even as benefits were whittled back. Most recently, he was notified that the rates were being increased 43 percent, so the monthly premium for a single worker would be $550, up from $384. "Essentially, we have been paying a lot more for a lot less," Mr. Woodland said. "It's outrageous. I cannot imagine charging my clients 43 percent more in a single year." James D. Bell Jr., the president of the EPE Corporation, which assembles electronic circuit boards at its factory here, said health insurance trends were starkly different from those of his other business expenses. "Everywhere else I see a decrease in costs as a percentage of sales when the business grows," Mr. Bell said. "We can buy raw circuit boards from hundreds of suppliers in the United States and overseas. But only two or three health plans make serious bids for our business." In an effort to save money last year, Mr. Zaremba's company, RAM Printing, chose a health plan that required employees to pay more of the cost. The added expense had an immediate impact. "I took a 5 percent cut in pay, because of the economy, and I was paying more for health care at the same time," said Gary J. Silveira, a longtime print shop employee. "We still owe $1,000 to our family doctor; I'm paying $100 a month. I'm three months overdue in paying physical therapists who treated my son. And I skipped a few months of blood pressure and cholesterol medications just to save money." Obama administration officials said several provisions of the new federal health law would help make insurance more affordable. Insurers must publicly justify large rate increases, and they must spend at least 80 percent of premium revenue on health care. Starting in 2014, each state will have a central market where consumers and small businesses can pool their purchasing power and buy insurance. In theory, the exchange could bring more insurers into the market, increase competition and drive down prices. In his budget address on Feb. 15, Gov. John Lynch, a Democrat, said hospitals were part of the problem. Instead of using their "excess cash" to reduce health care costs, Mr. Lynch said, "hospitals spend it on advertising, trying to attract market share from each other, buying physician and laboratory practices across the state, and then increasing overhead charges to patients." He proposed "a moratorium on the construction of new facilities by hospitals." Such construction, he said, is "driving up utilization and costs." But the New Hampshire Hospital Association objected, saying a moratorium would block spending on new medical equipment and health information technology needed to improve care. Governor Lynch won a fourth two-year term in November. At the same time, control of both houses of the state legislature flipped to Republicans from Democrats, putting into question state efforts to carry out the federal health law, which promises to be a big issue in the state's 2012 Republican presidential primary. Mr. Sevigny, the insurance commissioner, had been poised to award a $610,000 contract for work on a health insurance exchange. But he pulled back the contract, financed entirely with federal money, after Republicans raised questions. "It would be frivolous to spend taxpayer dollars on implementing a law that could very well be thrown out" by the courts, said William L. O'Brien, speaker of the New Hampshire House of Representatives. The House Republican leader, D. J. Bettencourt, said, "We don't want to become addicted to federal money." Republicans are trying to block or slow the creation of insurance exchanges in several other states as well. Delays will make it more difficult for states to meet federal deadlines, and Mr. Sevigny said it was important for state officials to understand that the federal government would itself set up an exchange in any state that did not do so. To some people hammered by rising premiums, the federal law offers a glimmer of hope. "It's imperative that we move forward with a plan that spreads the cost of insurance over a large population," said Mr. La Tourette, the florist. "I'm just thrilled that President Obama was able to get health care passed in any form. We can improve it later. I'm terrified that it will be repealed." This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
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