Replay for Kids visits the Brunswick Rotary Club

BRUNSWICK — Bill Memberg from Replay for Kids, a nonprofit that adapts toys to be better suited for children with disabilities, spoke to members of the Brunswick Rotary Club on Thursday about his organization. Memberg is the founder and president of Replay for Kids and started the nonprofit in 1999. He came up with the idea while he was fixing broken devices for the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities. Volunteers can attend a workshop where they adapt battery-powered toys by adding easy-to-operate buttons or switches to make the toy light up, move, make music and more, he said. The main toys that are adapted are plush animals like Tickle Me Elmo, remote control cars and battery-operated action figures. Toys with one to two switches are best to adapt so it is easier for the child. Replay for Kids works with agencies and therapists to help determine which kids get toys and what toys are best for them, Memberg said. Adapting toys allows for teachers and therapists to motivate and teach kids with the toys as well as give the child something fun to play with. "Often families with (kids with) disabilities, their resources are required elsewhere with the kids, so getting a toy is not the top of the list," Memberg said. "A lot of these kids don't have toys at home to work with." A toy can also allow for children with disabilities to socialize with their peers, he said. "They get to interact with a child disability more," Memberg said. "It gives them a reason to bond over something." The organization works with about 100 different schools and agencies across 11 counties in Northeast Ohio. He said Replay for Kids gets interest from people across the country because it is the only organization that adapts toys year-round at this quantity. "There are some companies that sell adapted toys, but there's a very limited variety and they're way more expensive than regular toys," Memberg said. Recently a space was open in Solon to host workshops, he said. Replay for Kids brings the tools, toys and instructions to the workshop and charges businesses $25 per person to cover the cost of the toy and the staff's time. The price can be brought down if the group doing the workshop brings donated toys. During the pandemic, virtual workshops were started. People can now adapt toys at home with kits that have the tools, parts and instructions. This past year, around 1,300 toys were adapted and before COVID-19 it was about 2,000 toys a year, Memberg said. The organization is trying to work back up to its pre-pandemic numbers. "I also have a full-time job besides this, so it's a lot of juggling, but it's really rewarding to see the effect that it has," he said. Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at (330) 721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.