Many think fondly of the holiday season, looking back to happy childhood memories of family, good food, and new toys. However, for many underprivileged children in San Francisco, this is not always the case. In classic holiday spirit, Gregg Lynn, Derek Barnes, and Arthur Goodrich, friends and former colleagues of our executive director Ellen Goodman, organized a very special Toys for Tots event at the St. Regis Hotel to brighten the season for needy children. The cost of admission was one or more unwrapped new toys. Toys were donated to organizations that provide services to local Bay Area children who otherwise wouldn’t receive a gift this holiday season. As part of our December community service project for AmeriCorps members, Playworks San Francisco was proud to work as the on-site volunteer crew for Toys for Tots. AmeriCorps members and staff worked the coat check, registration, and even shuttled toys to and from the tree. It was a busy and successful evening with over 1000 in attendance and 1654 donations. Thank you Toys for Tots for inviting Playworks to participate in a wonderful volunteer opportunity!
More Updates


January 12, 2023
Golden State Warriors Community Foundation & Salesforce partner with Playworks ›
We are grateful for our continued partnership with the Warriors Community Foundation and Salesforce during the 2022-2023 school year. With their support, Playworks Northern California has delivered safe and healthy play to over 41,200 elementary school children of promise this year! Check out this inspiring video showcasing our work together:


November 16, 2022
2021-22 Annual Report ›
We are excited to share with you a look back at everything we accomplished in the 2021-2022 program year. It was a year focused on rebuilding after the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and we are proud to share that we served 41,200 students in the Northern California Region. We are thankful for your continued…


July 28, 2022
A year of social and emotional learning ›
“You can’t do SEL, trauma, or equity work without each other,” Jennette Claassen, Head of Evaluation, Playworks. As Playworks continued to progress on our equity journey, we explored a critical question: what are the intersections between play, social and emotional learning, physical activity, and trauma? A working group focused on this question decided, among other…