NERF 40th Anniversary Charity Giveaway
All the Foam Fun That a Kid (or a Not-So Grown-Up Adult) Could Want
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Here’s the deal - thanks to the good folks at NERF, we’ve got a bag-load of sweet foamy goodness to giveaway. We’re not giving it to you, rather to your favorite children’s charity. Whether it be local to your hometown or a nationwide cause, it matters not to us. So how does it work?
- Suggest your favorite cause or cast a vote of support for one someone else lists.
- Whatever organization gets the most votes, we’ll hook them up.
- Either way you’ve got to comment to give them a chance, and this is a great opportunity to do some good in this world.
- Remember, we believe the children are the future. And teaching them well means giving them foam-flinging firearms.
- The contest closes this Friday at midnight. We’ll announce the winner after that.
In case you didn’t realize, 1969 was a red-letter year in regards to American innovation and invention. Not only because we managed to put a man on the moon, but also thanks to the tireless effort of the Parker Brothers toy company. You see, that was the year that the game mavens behind Monopoly, Risk, and Trivial Pursuit unleashed NERF on the world. The evolution of NERF’s product line is incredible. It’s no overstatement to say that their foam toys have been etched into the childhood consciousness of every kid since.
Hit the jump for more on where NERF’s been, where it’s going, and to leave a comment asking Gear Patrol to send a load of Nerf-iness to your favorite children’s charity.
The original NERF toy was a ball, plain and simple. 4″ inches in diameter and made of polyurethane foam, it’s pictured here to the right. Billed as the “world’s first official indoor ball,” NERF actually touted it’s virtues by saying that when playing with the ball “you can’t damage lamps or break windows. You can’t hurt babies or old people.” I think you’ll agree that such is the stuff of marketing gold.
From there, NERF went on to introduce the indoor basketball game we all know and love, the NERFoop, followed by the original NERF football, predecessor to the ubiquitous Vortex that defined backyard football for our generation. From there, NERF exploded its offerings and, at some point, started shooting things. Balls and suction darts, to be precise.
Nowadays, NERF is still dealing in all the delightful toys of our youth, only they are even cooler. Case in point, the soon to be released N-Strike Raider Rapid Fire CS 35. This bad boy could be defined as Shock and Awe for the adolescent set.
The CS 35 comes kitted out with a rotating drum holding 35 suction darts. Yes, you read that right, the Raider offers an ammo bonanza. The blaster can be set to single-fire mode for accurate sniping of your little brother or office mate; alternatively it can be operated in “slam” mode for a rapid barrage.
Additionally, NERF has upgraded all of their sports gear as well, offering NFL team-licensed Pro-Grip footballs, basketball gear to jam in your bedroom, and a new model of the ubiquitous Vortex.
Regardless of your age, the pure joy of indulging in some NERF fun can definitely take you back to a simpler time. Whether that means loading up your own kids on some NERF gear or starting a cubicle war with a hail of whistling darts, there’s never a bad time for foam. Consider the following: when asked about his feelings on the subject, fellow Gear Patrol crew member Jon Gaffney replied, “No matter how old I get, there’s just nothing like plunking someone in the dome with a suction dart.”* Truer words were never spoken.
Check the official NERF site to get more of a foam fix.
*Gear Patrol does not endorse doming your humorless, balding boss. Go down that road, and the consequences are on you.
Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago!
http://www.childrensmemorial.org/
I second this.
St Jude's Children Hospital! An amazing organization that saves kid's lives.
Boys and Girls club of a America. They help to mentor inner city kids to make the right choices and be successful. Gear Patrol is all about being a better man right? Seems like a perfect fit.
Make a wish foundation. Give kids their dreams before it's too late.
Second to St Jude's Children's Hospital
Angel Tree. Preferrably, of Dayton, OH
I'm putting in for Toys for Tots. Semper Fi!
Ronald McDonald House wherever you guys are at.
This is the way, folks! A great start; keep it coming.
Vote for YCS! They're a great non-profit organization that my ad agency does pro-bono work for. One of the many wonderful things YCS does is take in neglected and abused kids, and help them recover from such experiences. They even find foster parents for the kids who need new homes.
http://www.ycs.org/main_layout.php?location_id=6
I voye for YCS also. They really do help neglected and abused kids. Nerfs would be perfect
http://www.ycs.org/main_layout.php?location_id=6
Four Diamonds Fund (childhood cancer)
http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home
The mission of The Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Association. I lost my only brother to this disease.
Many thanks…..Cindi
Boys & Girls Club of East Tennessee
Toys For Tots SoCal, representing Marina Del Ray (http://www.toysfortots-socal.org/site/default.asp...
Jimmy Fund
i vote for st. jude too. hooray for memphis!
I like the idea of a Ronald McDonald house. Nice call.
I like the idea of a Ronald McDonald House. Nice call.
I enjoy supporting Child's Play http://www.childsplaycharity.org/ , the charity founded by the guys behind Penny Arcade. They take toys and cash and distribute them to children's hospitals all over.
I enjoy supporting Child's Play http://www.childsplaycharity.org/ , the charity founded by the guys behind Penny Arcade. They take toys and cash and distribute them to children's hospitals all over.
I enjoy supporting Child's Play http://www.childsplaycharity.org/ , the charity founded by the guys behind Penny Arcade. They take toys and cash and distribute them to children's hospitals all over.
childrens hosptial - New Orleans
+1 on the toys for tots socal!
St. Jude's
Another vote for St. Jude's here.
(a great giveaway, by the way..very kind-hearted)
Angel Tree especially in Atlanta, GA.
Please consider the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I have vounteered on projects in the past. It's so bittersweet seeing the faces of kids light up when they receive the gift(s) they have always wished for…and yet knowing time is drawing short…… knowing that the scope of that wish will never get the chance to mature into adult pursuits, can be heartbreaking. And yet, knowing you can make a difference in a young life by showing a little kindness is the most rewarding thing ever. Thanks Gear patrol!
my vote is St. Judes
Please consider Fisher House (http://www.fisherhouse.org) which provides housing for families with patients getting treatments at Military hospitals.
Four Diamonds Fund (pediatric cancer - Penn State Children's Hospital)
Four Diamonds Fund
Four Diamonds Fund!!!!
Four Diamonds Fund benefiting Pediatric Cancer Research and Care.
My vote is for the Four Diamonds Fund (http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home... GO STATE… BEAT CANCER!!!
My vote is for the Four Diamonds Fund (http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home... GO STATE… BEAT CANCER!!!
Four Diamonds Fund (childhood cancer)
http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home
The mission of The Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.
Four Diamonds Fund (childhood cancer)
http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home
The mission of The Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.
Four Diamonds Fund (childhood cancer)
http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home
The mission of The Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.
"Four Diamonds Fund"
Four Diamonds!
Four Diamonds Fund.
For the kids.
Four Diamonds Fund FTK!
Four Diamonds Fund (childhood cancer)
http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home
The mission of The Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.
Four Diamonds Fund (childhood cancer)
http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home
The mission of The Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.
Kudos to you all banding together to support 4D4! That's the idea… let's get even more people into the act. You may not have this won yet!
"Four Diamonds Fund" We are FTK!!
They need to go to the Four Diamonds fund for Childhood Cancer. The kids will love them at THON
Kudos to you all banding together to support 4DF! That's the idea… let's get even more people into the act. You may not have this won yet!
Four Diamonds Fund (childhood cancer)
http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home
The mission of The Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.
The Four Diamonds Fund
Four Diamonds Fund (childhood cancer)
http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home
The mission of The Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.
Four Diamonds Fund; Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital!
my vote is for the Four Diamonds Fund (childhood cancer)
Four Diamonds Fund!
Four Diamonds Fund (childhood cancer)
http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home
The mission of The Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.
Four Diamonds Fund!!!!! http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home
Four Diamonds most definitely
Four Diamonds Fund of Hershey, PA!
Four Diamonds Fund !!
Four Diamonds Fund
Four Diamonds Fund!
http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home
Four Diamonds Fund
http://pennstatehershey.org/web/fourdiamonds/home
The mission of The Four Diamonds Fund is to conquer childhood cancer by assisting children treated at Penn State Hershey Children's Hospital and their families through superior care, comprehensive support, and innovative research.
Alex's Lemonade Stand! Help support Childhood Cancer
Thanks everyone for voting!
Comments/Suggestions are now closed. We will be selecting a winner over the extended weekend.
Did you finalize a winner?
Worry not. We shall announce the winner today (though little suspense is in order). Well done to all who voted.
St Judes
St Judes
Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri!!