Litzky Public Relations (LPR), a Hoboken, NJ-based agency that specializes in working with family-friendly consumer brands, announced a grant program that assists companies whose mission is to better the lives of children and families. LOVE, Litzky, an acronym for Lifting Outstanding Voices & Endeavors was developed to support entrepreneurs and small businesses and will spotlight a specific and timely issue each year; the inaugural recipient is PunkinFutz, a company that designs and manufactures sensory play products for kids, making play accessible for every child.
“Throughout 2020 we helped our clients pivot into important, relevant conversations, and asked ourselves where we as an agency could fit in as well,” said Josslynne Welch, president, LPR. “As we thought about opportunities to ‘pay it forward’ in a meaningful way, we recognized the importance of inclusivity on many different levels, among them children and play.”
“During our more than 30 years as a small business working in the children’s consumer products industry, we’ve been on the receiving end of many acts of kindness,” Welch continued. “With LOVE, Litzky we give back to the business community that has supported us and provide our employees an opportunity to get involved when many of us are looking to take action.”
PunkinFutz was chosen as the 2021 LOVE, Litzky recipient for its commitment to ensuring that all children enjoy the developmental advantages of inclusion, imagination, and child-led play. The grant will provide PunkinFutz with a PR campaign strategy to launch its Sesame Street collection and $25,000 in professional fees to execute it.
“PunkinFutz has been on our radar for years and we’ve been inspired by Lisa Radcliffe and her team. Not only does PunkinFutz make play inclusive through their product offerings, they support their community through job creation and are committed to sustainability and environmental responsibility. We are proud to partner with PunkinFutz as we launch LOVE, Litzky,” Welch concluded.
An award-winning inclusive play company and adaptive employer, PunkinFutz uses universal design to create original play products and accessories for children with a broad range of physical, sensory, developmental, and emotional needs. In 2021, the company has teamed up with Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, to introduce new creative play products for children of all ages and abilities.
Launching this July, the collection will incorporate the beloved Sesame Street characters into the original, highly acclaimed collection of PunkinFutz inclusive play products. The line comes at a key time when diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the forefront of conversations taking place across the globe.
“Teaming up with Sesame Workshop is a huge opportunity for PunkinFutz but 2020 was a challenging year for us and we were lacking resources to maximize the launch,” said Lisa Radcliffe, founder/CEO, PunkinFutz. “LOVE, Litzky will provide us with the PR support we need to make a big splash and bring our brand mainstream. We’re both thrilled and grateful to be the inaugural recipient of this gamechanging grant program.”
To launch the PunkinFutz Sesame Street collection, LPR built a strategic communications plan targeting trade and consumer media and social influencers across a variety of platforms. A dedicated account team will execute the plan over a three-month period.
To learn more about the PunkinFutz Sesame Street collection visit PunkinFutz.com and follow @PunkinFutz on Instagram. To see campaign updates and PR milestones along the way, check out LPR’s social channels: @LitzkyPR on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
About Litzky Public Relations
Litzky Public Relations (LPR) is a full-service, award-winning boutique agency located in Hoboken, NJ. With more than 30 years of expertise partnering with consumer brands that serve kids and families, the agency is recognized for its entrepreneurial spirit, exceptional client service, and resultsfocused approach. For a look inside the agency, visit our social channels (@litzkypr on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn).
About PunkinFutz
PunkinFutz products inspire playful discovery, choice-making and self-expression. We use universal design, so that all children can enjoy the developmental advantages of inclusion, imagination and childled play. PunkinFutz products are manufactured with the highest quality materials and responsible sourcing, including production in the US by adults with disabilities. We employ a fully adaptive workforce, giving us powerful insight into the market’s needs and producing superior quality products along the way. Our commitment to inclusion extends to programming for schools, libraries, healthcare and public settings, in conjunction with Powered by Inclusion, a non-profit created to extend our work. We recognize everyone has a super power. This is ours.
