As you’re cleaning up the wrapping paper wreckage and recovering from a day of getting, today makes a great day for kids to give back through Club Penguin’s annual online charity event, Coins for Change. From now until January 1, Club Penguin members can make a difference through Coins for Change by donating virtual coins earned from playing games in the online world.
Since I visited Club Penguin headquarters in Kelowna, Canada last year, my kids have been eagerly anticipating Coins for Change. They love playing Club Penguin where they interact in a safe online environment, playing fun games to earn coins to put toward items to furnish their igloo and goodies for their Puffles. While they’ve spent some of their coins, they have also been fiscally conservative knowing that Coins for Change happens during the holidays. Since Coins for Change started last week, they’ve donated 38,425 coins to 10 real-world projects that will share a donation of $1 million dollars from Club Penguin. They’re happy that their game play helps make a difference to kids around the world and I love that Coins for Change serves as an easy way for all Club Penguin players to get involved in charitable giving at a young age.
Over the past seven years that Club Penguin has been holding Coins for Change, $10 million dollars have been donated to charities around the world while raising social consciousness among the more than 200 million players who take part in the online community’s annual event. It’s an impactful program designed for kids to help kids through projects that truly make a difference.
“Club Penguin is about community and Coins for Change has become an important program for teaching kids how the Internet can help communities around the world,” said Chris Heatherly, head of Club Penguin. “Kids have an enormous capacity for good and Coins for Change empowers them to make a difference in the lives of millions by working together.”
Through Club Penguin Coins for Change, my kids are empowered to give back by donated coins to fund projects that resonate with them. Here’s a list of some of the global projects that Club Penguin players can help fund this year:
- Toys and warm coats for kids in the United States
- A Clean water project for a community in Ecuador
- Club Penguin hospital packages for kids around the world
- Penguin nesting grounds in Argentina
- Andean Cat and Golden Woolly Monkey habitat protection in Peru, Argentina, Chile and Bolivia.
- The construction of an elementary school and education support programs for women and children in Africa
- Painted dog and lion habitat protection
- Protected areas for the snow leopard and saiga antelope
- Ten new libraries in Ethiopia and five reading spaces for kids in India
- New hospital wing to keep babies and mothers healthy in Malawi
In the past, Coins for Change donations have helped over one million people in over 42 countries by funding 22 schools built for over 20,000 children, 40 school libraries accessed by more than 50,000 children, 33 playgrounds for 85,000 children to play, 35 clean water projects that provide 55,000 children & families with clean drinking water, and youth engagement & education programs around the world for over 1,000,000 children & families. It’s an impactful program that’s so easy for kids to participate in just by donating some of their coins from game play.
For additional information about Coins for Change, visit http://clubpenguin.com/cfc
Earlier this year I was invited to Club Penguin headquarters as part of a press trip with Disney Interactive who covered my travel expenses to attend. I was not asked or required to publish content related to Club Penguin and all opinions are my own. Photos courtesy of Club Penguin and Disney Interactive.
