Nonprofit Spotlight: RePlay for Kids

RePlay for Kids ensures that children with disabilities can enjoy the act of playing with toys, just like their peers.

An all-volunteer-run nonprofit, RePlay for Kids hosts workshops where participants adapt battery-operated toys so that children with disabilities can power them using external switches and other alterations.

The adapted toys are also used by therapists and teachers to motivate students and to help them learn independence.

"The feedback we get from the families, teachers and therapists about the smiles the adapted toys bring to the kids is very motivating," said Bill Memberg, founder of RePlay for Kids, which has been in operation for more than 25 years. "We also receive very positive feedback from the workshop volunteers, so the whole process is rewarding."

Funding from Akron Community Foundation, through our Community Fund and the Millennium Fund for Children, has helped RePlay for Kids host toy-adapting workshops at local schools, where STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) students adapt toys for Summit County children.

In some instances, the student volunteers also get to distribute the toys to children, allowing them to experience the rewards of their work firsthand.

"Akron Community Foundation has been very supportive of our program where we bring the toy-adapting workshops into local schools, helping to show students a fun application of STEM concepts," Memberg said.

To learn more about RePlay for Kids, visit replayforkids.org.