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The new featured charities: Special Olympics, Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy (PPMD), War Child, Reach Out and Read. Special Olympics: the world’s largest movement dedicated to promoting respect, acceptance, inclusion and dignity for people with intellectual disabilities through sports. Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy’s (PPMD): Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy’s mission is to end Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This genetic disorder affects only boys, and has no cure. War Child: War Child is working in The Democratic Republic of Congo to get children back to school and in Uganda to protect the rights of children. Reach Out and Read: prepares America's youngest children to succeed in school by partnering with doctors to prescribe books and encourage families to read together.

Ira Jacobs, former chair of Kinesiology & Health Sciences, was surprised by the lack of empirical evidence available to explain Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or information to support affected families, after his nephew, Sammy Kohn, was diagnosed with ASD.
That started a process that culminated in the newly created Sammy Graduate Scholarship in Autism Research and its inaugural recipient Nidhi Luthra, a doctoral candidate in York University’s Department of Psychology.
The Sammy Graduate Scholarship in Autism Research was established with donations from the Jacobs family, the Webkinz Foundation and several other family members and supporters. The scholarship honours academic excellence and supports the research of graduate students in York’s Faculty of Health in the areas of prevention, diagnosis or treatment of autism, towards making an impact in the field.
York University is a leader in the field of autism research. Prof. Adrienne Perry is a founding member of the York Autism Research Alliance, which brings together seven researchers from across the Faculty of Health with an interest in ASD. The Alliance members conduct interdisciplinary research spanning the molecular through to the clinical with the goal of helping individuals with ASD and their families. Perry is also the principle investigator of the GO4KIDDS project, a University-based research study that seeks to better understand the health, well-being and social inclusion of school-aged children with severe developmental disabilities.

The new featured charities: Autism Speaks, Kidsave International, Care Canada, Central Asia Institute. Autism Speaks: dedicated to helping all of the families who are struggling with autism, so that people with autism can lead happier, more independent lives. Kidsave International: Kidsave helps children without parents who are growing up in orphanages and foster care find forever families. CARE Canada: The worst drought in 60 years is spreading across East Africa, creating the most severe food crisis in the world and threatening the lives of more than 12 million people. Life-saving support is urgently needed. CARE is helping. Central Asia Institute: Believing ‘Peace and Hope begin with Education: One Child at a Time’, CAI start schools and libraries in the most remote regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Ganz is teaming up with teen jazz sensation Nikki Yanofsky to record a special version of “I Dream in Pink”, as part of a wide-reaching campaign aiming to raise funds for breast cancer.
The campaign will embrace both virtual and real-world elements, including a recording from the 17-year old powerhouse Yanofsky. Nikki sings a version of the feel-good song “I Dream in Pink” from Webkinz World, the virtual world where Webkinz™ pets come alive online.
In an effort to raise funds for breast cancer, Ganz will donate specially-tagged Webkinz Pink Poodles to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, which will be available for purchase at special events hosted by the Foundation across Canada.
In connection with its 2011 “I Dream in Pink” campaign in the USA, Ganz is proud to donate a minimum of $2 from the sale of each specially-tagged Webkinz Pink Poodle to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. Walmart and a variety of independent retailers will offer the specially-tagged Webkinz Pink Poodles.
Yanofsky’s jazzy version of “I Dream in Pink” will be awarded as a FREE download to Webkinz members who register a new pink poodle .The I DREAM IN PINK video can be viewed on www.webkinznewz.com.  Nikki’s recording will additionally be available for music-lovers on Apple’s iTunes for a limited time.

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Webkinz World® members now have the chance to learn about 5 new charities when they plant virtual trees in The Caring Valley™. Webkinz World, the leading children's online world, introduced The Caring Valley to help members learn about giving while they plant and play. Webkinz Foundation will be making donations to each charity after their section of the valley is fully planted by members. The new featured charities: Charity: Water brings clean water to people all over the world. KIPP: the Knowledge Is Power Program is a national network of tuition-free, college-prep public schools preparing children from low-income communities for success in college and in life. Because I Am A Girl: Plan International is a global movement for change, mobilizing millions of people around the world to support social justice for children in developing countries. Right To Play: When children play, the world wins! War Child: War is no place for a child.

Children's Health Fund and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-School of Nursing will celebrate a new mobile medical clinic (MMC) for the New Jersey Children's Health Project Oct. 22 with a 1 p.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. The MMC is sponsored by a $500,000 grant from the Webkinz Foundation.

For the first time, a Webkinz song will be sold on iTunes, and proceeds will be donated through Webkinz Foundation to breast cancer charities. ‘I Dream in Pink’ is a jazzy song about the Pink Poodle, the October Pet of the Month. The promotion will continue until the end of the year.

Webkinz Foundation donates $10,000.00 to Save The Children Canada. This donation will provide urgent aid to victims of the overwhelming monsoon rains in Pakistan that have threatened the lives and safety of over 3,000,000.

Webkinz Foundation agreed to match donations up to $100,000 during a recent UNICEF mail campaign focused on child labour programs in Bangladesh. The campaign was extremely successful, raising $284,550 (including Foundation grant).