NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Today OUTFRONT Media (NYSE: OUT), one of the largest out-of-home media companies in North America, announced its official partnership with Operation Toy Soldier, a nationwide toy drive, that will begin November 16 and run through December 16. Operation Toy Soldier is a toy collection initiative started by Veterans Funeral Care to provide gifts to the children of deployed and non-deployed soldiers.
OUTFRONT Media will help amplify the toy collection program by donating billboard advertising space and by encouraging the participation of company employees. Over three years, Operation Toy Soldier has contributed a combined 50,000 toys to families in need.
“We are extremely excited to partake in Operation Toy Soldier and honored to support military families in this small way,” said Jodi Senese, Chief Marketing Officer of OUTFRONT Media. “The OUTFRONT family is gearing up for collections in all of our offices, our in-house creative team has developed ads for promoting the initiative, and we’ve mapped out billboard space in each market. We hope to help make this year’s toy drive the most successful yet.”
Aiming to provide for military children of all ages, Operation Toy Soldier is anchored by a hyper-local approach. For example, toys donated in the Atlanta area will go to a soldier’s family in Atlanta, and all of the collections in a region are made by the local military bases.
“Operation Toy Soldier has truly taken off over the past few years, and having a corporate sponsor like OUTFRONT Media this year will help us provide for more military families than ever before,” said Jim Rudolph, President and CEO of Veterans Funeral Care. “As we continue to grow the program nationally, we keep true to our approach of providing toys locally, which gives it a great communal feeling – you are helping your neighbors and the families of soldiers who are defending our country.”
Operation Toy Soldier started as a local program by the Tim Stewart Funeral Home in Georgia and was officially implemented as a nationwide initiative by Veterans Funeral Care in 2013. Founders Frankie Stewart and Kim Garrett discovered that there was an intense stress in deployed soldiers’ families, especially during the holiday season, and they wanted to help.
OUTFRONT Media has historically volunteered its advertising resources to like-minded organizations through philanthropic programs such as Red Nose Day and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America’s recent “Vote to Count” public service campaign, as well as in-house initiatives driven by OUTFRONT Studios, like its anti-texting while driving series.
About OUTFRONT Media Inc.
OUTFRONT Media is one of the largest out-of-home media companies in North America with a leading presence in top markets throughout the United States and Canada. We have a diverse portfolio of billboard, transit and digital displays reaching mass audiences, as well as a distinct offering of prime assets impacting select markets. As part of our recently launched ON Smart Mediaplatform, we are developing hardware and software solutions for enhanced demographic and location targeting, and engaging ways to connect with consumers on-the-go.
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