A Burnaby organization is looking to raise five times more money than it did last year so it can improve toys for kids with disabilities.
The Neil Squire Society is hosting its second annual Hacking for the Holidays campaign - on now until Dec. 31 - set to benefit families and therapists supporting kids on the disability spectrum.
It's inaugural drive in 2022 brought in $28,000 in financial donations and more than 600 toys that were altered.
This year, Neil Squire has raised the bar to $100,000 to build 2,000 toys, switches, and video game joysticks.
According to the non-profit, the toys are crucial to childhood development, noting commercially available assistive switches and switch-accessible toys are expensive and can exceed $100 each.
"Neil Squire's Makers Making Change program are experts at hacking battery operated toys, taking them apart, and adding in the switch jacks," the initiative's description reads.
"Often, the cost to adapt the toy is $5 of parts or less, and the adaptation is done by students, community makers, and corporate volunteers at our events."
Neil Squire's website states $50 can buy one toy and provide the parts to make a new switch, "giving a child everything they need to play with a new toy this year."
For more information on Hacking for the Holidays, you can visit the campaign's website or send an email to [email protected].
As of this publication, Nov. 13, the society has raised more than $23,000.
