Special Needs Network To Give Away Toys & Books This Saturday To Kids In Need

STUDIO CITY (CBSLA.com) — Autism Activist and Advocate Areva Martin visited the KCAL9 studios Friday to talk about the Special Needs Network book and holiday gift giveaway.

Christmas is a special time of year for kids with Autism in South LA. With the help of corporations, sororities, nonprofits, CBS, CHP and parents, Special Needs Network collects 5,000 toys to distribute to distribute to kids with autism, their siblings and kids in underserved communities.

This year, in addition, to the latest toys, SNN is giving the gift of literacy. Through a partnership with Scholastic Books, SNN is giving away 10,000 books to kids from pre readers to young adults and its encouraging parents to read aloud to kids during December.

This Saturday, SNN is giving away toys and books at its Crenshaw office from 9 a.m. to noon.

To register go to www.specialneedsnetwork.org also, contact SNN if you want to donate toys. For kids with autism, preferred toys include bikes, scouters, skates, balls, squishy toys like stuffed animals, building blocks, musical instruments.