Hasbro and generationOn Celebrate Ten Inspiring Youth as Hasbro Community Action Heroes

NEW YORK, November 3, 2016 /3BL Media/ – Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS), a global play and entertainment company, and generationOn, the youth division of Points of Light, today announced that ten outstanding youth were named Hasbro Community Action Heroes. The award recognizes young volunteers whose service achievements have demonstrated the qualities of a hero -- kindness, courage and leadership – to serve their communities. The ten youth, ages 5 to 17, are taking action to help to address important social issues through volunteerism, from persuading state officials to pass an anti-bullying law to creating an organization that promotes the inclusivity of kids with intellectual disabilities. Each Hero will receive a $1,000 educational scholarship and a $500 grant to their selected nonprofit to help them continue and further their mission.

“At Hasbro, we’re inspired by these young leaders and the work they’re doing to affect positive change in their communities,” said Karen Davis, Hasbro's Senior Vice President of Global Philanthropy and Social Impact. “As we work to encourage empathy and action among youth, we’re honored to celebrate our 2016 Hasbro Community Action Heroes who demonstrate leadership, passion and kindness.”  

Now in its seventh year, the Hasbro Community Action Heroes program is part of Hasbro’s recently announced BE FEARLESS BE KIND initiative. BE FEARLESS BE KIND is designed to inspire and empower kids to have the empathy, compassion and courage to stand up for others and be inclusive throughout their lives. Parents and educators can visit www.BEFEARLESSBEKIND.com to access free resources and tools that can help to teach empathy and put it into action.

Together, Hasbro and generationOn selected this year’s ten Hasbro Community Action Heroes from hundreds of inspiring nominations submitted on behalf of youth across the nation. The heroes will be celebrated at New York International Toy Fair in February 2017 where they will all complete a service project together.

The 2016 Hasbro Community Action Heroes are:

• Violet Humble, age 8, Spokane, WA: Violet wanted to see kindness ripple, so she rallied family and friends to help the homeless population of Spokane. In the past year, she assisted nearly 250 homeless people per week by distributing thousands of toiletries and snack bags, serving 900 meals and raising over $4,000.
• Hailey Richman, age 9, Long Island City, NY:  Hailey founded Kid Caregivers, a support group for kids who are assisting their families in caring for a loved one with dementia. Kids as far away as Russia, Germany and Africa participate. Hailey is also the assistant director of Puzzles to Remember, where she distributes puzzles and volunteers her time to help seniors with dementia.
• Zoe Terry, age 9, Miami, FL: After being teased and bullied in kindergarten, Zoe created her own organization called Zoe’s Dolls at age 5 to inspire and motivate girls of color to know their image was beautiful. Since launching Zoe’s Dolls, she has donated more than 2,000 dolls of color to girls in need.
• Paloma Rambana, age 10, Tallahassee, FL: Paloma, who is legally blind, recognized a critical gap in services for visually impaired 6-13 year olds in Florida. She led two rallies at the Capitol and lobbied the Florida legislature, who approved more than $1 million in funding for Florida's blind and visually impaired 6-13 year olds.
• Morgan Guess, age 13, Paducah, KY: At age 8, Morgan was bullied and started to become withdrawn and depressed. She decided to take action and be part of the solution by starting Guess Anti-Bullying to support other kids experiencing the same issue. Morgan also spent three years lobbying her home state of Kentucky to join her and, as a result of her efforts, a statewide taskforce was appointed to study the issue of bullying. A bill was ultimately signed into law defining bullying in Kentucky, impacting 1,233 public schools and protecting approximately 640,000 students.
• Aidan Thomas Anderson, age 15, Woodstock, GA: Aidan’s love of music inspired him to realize he could make a difference after donating the tips he made playing his harmonica to help kids in Africa get much-needed medications. Now he wants to help teach his generation to give back through his initiative, Aidan Cares. Speaking to youth from over 30 countries, some as young as 4 years old, he is helping people understand how to follow their passions to give back.
• Zachary Rice, age 14, Long Valley, NJ: After being diagnosed with a rare degenerative bone disease, Zachary realized playing video games helped distract him from pain. Now he hosts the “Action for Distraction 5K” to help donate gaming systems to children’s hospitals. To date, he’s raised more than $75,000 and helped more than 200,000 children in four years find comfort and normalcy in the hospital.
• Angelina Zevallos, age 17, Berkley, CA: Leading a community project called “Youth Voice Activate,” Angelina recruited more than 30 youth to create awareness about the crisis of homelessness in the Bay Area. Together with community partners, Angelina was able to engage homeless youth, recognizing their unique talents and contributions, to revitalize an empty lot that helped to create a safe space for them. She also helped collect and distribute more than 150 care packages to homeless families and feed more than 350 homeless individuals.
• Eden Duncan Smith, age 17, Brooklyn, NY: As a Broadway and big screen actress, Eden is taking advantage of her increasing fame to help shine a light on civil rights and become a voice for others, especially for the LGBT community and young women of color. Through her nonprofit organization, Angel in the S.K.Y.E. Network, Eden has spoken out about women’s rights, including at the United Nations, and engages her community members to create opportunities to continue to find ways to fight for everyone’s basic human rights.
• Josh Kaplan, age 17, Phoenix, AZ:  Recognizing that kids with intellectual disabilities are often isolated socially, Josh created GOALS (Giving Opportunities to All who Love Soccer), a nonprofit Unified Soccer Program for kids with and without special needs to help build a forum for positive social interaction between the groups. They have impacted more than 200 kids of all abilities, creating inclusive opportunities for all to feel welcome, encouraged and cared about.

“Together with Hasbro, we are encouraging the next generation to build empathy and take action by reaching out in their school or community when they see a problem,” said Delores Morton, Executive Director of generationOn and President, Programs Division, Points of Light. “The Hasbro Community Action Hero program allows us to recognize and celebrate amazing these young changemakers for the impact they are able to make on society.”

Since the program was first established in 2010, 50 youth have been recognized and celebrated as Hasbro Community Action Heroes. generationOn provides programs and resources, like the Hasbro Community Action Heroes, that support the development of caring, compassionate and capable kids and teens through service, empowering them to become changemakers in their communities and the world.

To learn more about Hasbro’s Community Action Heroes, please visit http://generationon.org/teens/meet/hasbro-community-action-heroes/2016. You can also follow both Hasbro (@Hasbro) and generationOn (@generationOn) on Twitter and search #BFBK to join the conversation.  

About Hasbro
Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global play and entertainment company committed to Creating the World's Best Play Experiences. From toys and games to television, movies, digital gaming and consumer products, Hasbro offers a variety of ways for audiences to experience its iconic brands, including NERF, MY LITTLE PONY, TRANSFORMERS, PLAY-DOH, MONOPOLY, LITTLEST PET SHOP and MAGIC: THE GATHERING, as well as premier partner brands. The Company's Hasbro Studios and its film label, Allspark Pictures, are building its brands globally through great storytelling and content on all screens. Through its commitment to corporate social responsibility and philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to make the world a better place for children and their families. Learn more at www.hasbro.com, and follow us on Twitter (@Hasbro & @HasbroNews) and Instagram (@Hasbro).

About generationOn
generationOn, the youth service division of Points of Light, is dedicated to providing programs and resources that support the development of caring, compassionate and capable kids and teens through service, empowering them to become changemakers in their communities and the world. To learn more, visit www.generationon.org.

About Points of Light
Points of Light - the largest organization in the world dedicated to volunteer service - mobilizes millions of people to take action that is changing the world. Through affiliates in 250 cities and partnerships with thousands of nonprofits and corporations, Points of Light engages more than 4 million volunteers in 30 million hours of service each year. We bring the power of people to bear where it matters most. For more information, go to pointsoflight.org.

Media Contacts:
Stephanie Vermillion/Leah Wander
Litzky Public Relations
(201) 222-9118
svermillion@litzkypr.com
lwander@litzkypr.com

Kate Kerley
generationOn
917-746-8171
kkerley@generationOn.org