> The Founder

Sasha Lipton is not new to the world of community service and helping others. At a young age she spent time with her father delivering food to home-bound seniors for Meals-on-Wheels (www.citymeals.org). Over the years she has worked at numerous soup kitchens and also sponsored a needy child from the Dominican Republic through Children International (www.children.org).

In the summer of 2006, Sasha volunteered as a counselor at Camp Sunshine (www.campsunshine.org), a retreat for children with life threatening illnesses and their families.

During the same summer, Sasha started Second Chance Toys, her own community-based program to rescue and recycle plastic toys that would otherwise end up in our landfills. She prepares the toys and has donated them to numerous organizations that help needy children throughout New Jersey.

Sasha got the idea for Second Chance Toys while driving with her mom around neighboring towns. She saw so many toys being disposed of at the curb, and many of them looked as good as new. It got her thinking how these discarded toys were so wasteful, terrible for the environment, and that many children would love to have them.

Because of the uniqueness and dual nature of her program, that of helping needy children and helping the environment, Sasha's efforts have been featured in several newspapers and radio shows, including a front page article and photo in the New Jersey Star Ledger (Second_Chance_Toys_NJ_Star_Ledger.pdf). Additionally, she has received several letters of thanks and recognition for her work including one from New Jersey Senator Thomas Kean, Jr and Assemblymen Eric Munoz and Jon Bramnick (NJ_Legislature_Recognition_Letter.pdf).

Sasha was selected to receive a bronze Distinguished Finalist medallion in the 2008 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards for recognition of outstanding volunteer work. As part of her community service work, Sasha has also qualified for the President's Volunteer Service Award on behalf of the President's Council on Service and Civic Participation. She also received a Resolution from the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders recognizing her work for the community (Union_County_Resolution.pdf).

Sasha has been involving her friends and family in the effort and due to growing interest from individuals, schools and community groups to start local programs, Sasha has created a Second_Chance_Toys_Getting_Started_Kit.pdf to help expand Second Chance Toys. The first couple of affiliate programs are already underway, Second Chance Toys of PA and Second Chance Toys of NYC. A senior at Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, Sasha's vision is to build Second Chance Toys into a thriving national entity with community involvement coast to coast. She will be heading to Chicago in September 2008 to begin her college education (class of 2012).