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Welcoming Most Valuable Kids D.C. into the Tickets for Kids Family

Tickets for Kids® and Most Valuable Kids D.C. to Consolidate Efforts to Inspire Kids

PITTSBURGH, PA – (May 27, 2021) National nonprofit Tickets for Kids announced today that it will merge the operations of Most Valuable Kids Washington D.C. into the organization beginning June 1, 2021.

Both organizations have spent decades providing access for under-resourced kids and families to all sorts of ticketed experiences – sports, family entertainment, the arts, museums, and more. The two organizations share the common goals of inspiring children to aspire to greatness through exposure to new experiences. Collectively, the two organizations have provided more than 3 million tickets worth more than $74 million.

“This is an opportunity to consolidate the best that both organizations have to offer, expanding the impact of our shared mission to inspire kids by providing access to opportunities they might otherwise be excluded from,” said Tickets for Kids Executive Director Jason J. Riley. “We are grateful to Daryle and Beth Bobb, the founders of Most Valuable Kids, for their partnership and are excited to expand our impact throughout the D.C. metro area.”

Most Valuable Kids’ Founder Daryle Bobb said “We are very excited that through partnership with Tickets for Kids the mission of the organization will continue to flourish in the region. Beth and I are incredibly proud of the legacy that Most Valuable Kids D.C. will leave, and happy that Tickets for Kids will continue the work of building upon that legacy.”

Bobb will join the national board of directors of Tickets for Kids as Most Valuable Kids D.C. transitions to the Tickets for Kids brand. Chapters of Most Valuable Kids in Cincinnati and Atlanta will remain independent organizations.

Tickets for Kids began in 1994 in Pittsburgh, PA, acquiring donated tickets and matching them to those most in need. Since then, the model has been replicated in markets across the country. A trusted partner to both ticket providers and youth-serving nonprofits, more than 2,000 nonprofit partners benefit from the tickets donated by entities ranging from national sports leagues and musical superstars to local and regional theaters, museums, zoos, and more. The operations of the organization are funded by generous individuals, corporations, and foundations.

Building Benefits With Block Play

Without being prompted, kids often gravitate toward toys and activities that encourage them to build. Whether it’s stacking other toys, books, and objects, playing with simple wooden blocks, or construction toys like LEGOs, that drive to bring their ideas to life comes from kids’ natural desire to learn through a hands-on activity.

When children engage in building and construction play, they’re privy to unique developmental benefits that can help them academically and socially. As most parents can attest, specific toy sets aren’t always needed to facilitate this — kids will work with just what they have on hand, making forts out of empty boxes and towers from plastic cups, using their imaginations all the while.

In celebration of National LEGO Day, which takes place this January 28th, let’s examine some of the benefits of construction play.

  • It improves spatial reasoning: Conceptualizing objects in three dimensions, including the ability to envision how objects would look when moved or rotated, is called spatial reasoning. While some people are naturally better at this than others, certain activities can help to improve spatial reasoning, including construction play. [1]
  • It increases cognitive flexibility: Switching back and forth between activities requires patience, focus, and skill, culminating in an ability called cognitive flexibility. Greater cognitive flexibility is attained through experience, and construction play is linked to improvements in the skill. [2]
  • It stimulates creative thought: The use of creativity, imagination, and role-play in childhood activities is developmentally important — it encourages kids to be divergent thinkers and boosts their social aptitude. When engaging in construction play, kids have the opportunity to focus on their own ideas, stimulating their creativity and encouraging the future implementation of creative problem-solving. [3]
The benefits of LEGO play - Infographic

To learn more about the history of National Lego Day and discover some fun facts about the popular building blocks, click here.   

–Arthur Grant, Muddysmiles.com

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Ticket for Kids believes that experiences matter; every child should have the opportunity to be inspired by a trip to the zoo, museum, theater, or ballgame regardless of their economic circumstances. That is why Tickets for Kids partners with ticket donors, community partners, and social service agencies to inspire these dreams.

All of our tickets are donated and provided free of charge to our social service agency partners and their kids. Our methods are so efficient that we are able to provide experiences such as Twins games, Disney on Ice, Children’s Theatre performances, and Science Museum visits for an administration cost of only $3.25 per ticket! Your donation makes this entire process possible.

Did you know a donation of just $20 allows 5 children to access impactful experiences?

Can you help kids dream bigger with access to these important experiences?

Yes! I want to inspire children