Mattel Inc. announced its second annual Global Day of Play, a company-wide community service initiative that brings the power of play directly to children around the world. More than 1,000 Mattel employees in 30 cities across North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America will dedicate their time during events held throughout June.

Together, they will directly support 45 non-profit organizations and reach more than 8,000 children around the world – a 45 percent increase over the inaugural 2018 Global Day of Play.

On Thursday, June 20th, Mattel will host several activities for its 2019 Global Day of Play at its El Segundo headquarters:

  • Mattel employees will engage in a “Play Date” for more than 200 children from LA’s Best, Boys & Girls Club of Carson and patient families from UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital, who will all visit the Mattel campus to create unforgettable memories through play.
  • Representatives from UCLA Health will be onsite, joined by their community partners from professional sports teams including the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Dodgers and former Los Angeles Dodgers player Eric Karros. These teams will hold several activities, including a basketball “pop a shot” competition. In addition, the Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) will attend with their team mascot, Bond the Falcon, for a meet and greet with the kids and volunteers.
  • Finally, Volleyball World Champion John “Sinjin” Smith will be teaching volleyball skills to kids on Mattel’s sand volleyball courts.
    Sky Brown, the youngest pro-skateboarder, and summer games hopeful, will be showcasing her skills and doing a meet and greet with the kids.
  • Mattel has invited athletes from Special Olympics Southern California to participate in a UNIFIED bocce competition with Mattel volunteers.
  • Mattel employees will also partner with Save the Children to write letters to send to sponsorship programs in Indonesia and paint banners that will be hung in schools, shelters or childcare centers across the United States to inspire hope and encourage continued learning. They will also assemble more than 1,500 “play kits” – backpacks full of toys, games and activities – for kids impacted by devastating emergencies and rebuilding efforts following California’s wildfires, to be distributed by the Red Cross Los Angeles, Salvation Army™, Save the Children and Baby2Baby.

Globally, Mattel is partnering with hospitals to bring play to children around the world, including Brussels Children’s Hospital in Belgium; L’Elan Retrouvé Day Hospital in France; Heim Pál Children’s Hospital in Hungary; University College London Hospitals in the U.K.; and the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital of Buffalo in the United States. Mattel is also partnering with non-profit organizations, including Collingswood Children’s Farm in Australia; the Fondazione Istituto Buon Pastore in Italy; Kantaya in Peru; United Way in the U.S., and many others.

“We believe in a world where every child has the chance to play. In partnership with communities around the globe, we are honored to bring children those opportunities with our second annual Global Day of Play,” said Amy Thompson, Chief People Officer at Mattel. “This initiative is an important part of a companywide commitment to positively impact the lives of children, while also igniting the passion for play in all our employees.”

Global Day of Play is organized by the Mattel Children’s Foundation in partnership with the Mattel Global Philanthropic Alliance Team, which works to break down the barriers to play for millions of children in need each year.