Makers of Educational Math Game for Kids Pledges $100,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tamp

COCOA, Fla. - Dec. 18, 2013 - PRLog -- COCOA, FLA. (Dec. 9, 2013) – This holiday season, as parents search for meaningful gifts for their children, one game in particular is rising to the top of their shopping lists—a math and strategy game called TiViTz.

Not only can parents feel good about buying their child a fun yet educational board game, they’ll receive an added sense of holiday cheer knowing they’ve donated to a worthwhile local cause. For every TiViTz board game sold, its maker, SAS  Games, Inc., will donate $10 to Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC) of Tampa Bay.

The partnership between SAS Games and RMHC of Tampa Bay was formed as a result of a larger program to launch in 2014: The Ripken Baseball TiViTz Program featuring TiViTz Tuesdays at McDonald’s®. The game maker has partnered with nearly 200 participating McDonald’s restaurants in the 13-county Tampa Bay area to offer students in fourth through eighth grades an opportunity to play TiViTz at McDonald’s after school each Tuesday from Feb. 4 through April 22, 2014. Students can challenge players from other schools in order to improve their strategies and qualify for regional and championship tournaments at which they can compete for trophies, prizes and college scholarships. There is no cost to participate in TiViTz Tuesdays at McDonald’s, but players are encouraged to bring their own TiViTz board game to ensure they’re always ready to play.

TiViTz has been used as a part of the curriculum by more than 10,000 teachers and 400,000 students across the country, including public schools in Tampa/Hillsborough County. This year, the TiViTz program was introduced to educators in 12 additional Tampa Bay area counties in conjunction with TiViTz Tuesdays at McDonald’s, including Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter counties.

Donations from game sales will fund $15,000 in college scholarships to be awarded at the Ripken Baseball TiViTz Championship Tournament in June 2014 in the name of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay. Baseball Hall of Famer, Cal Ripken Jr., namesake of the Ripken Baseball TiViTz game, is expected to personally hand out the awards.

An additional donation of at least $15,000 or more will go directly to the not-for-profit this year for internal operations and programs. The pace of game sales will determine how quickly SAS Games can meet its total pledge of $100,000 to RMHC. This amount includes the funding of scholarships over the next three years as well as an additional general donation to RMHC operations. RMHC operates four houses in the Tampa Bay area and is now in its 33rd year of providing a safe and affordable "home-away-from-home" for families with children receiving medical treatment in Tampa Bay area hospitals.

Partnering with McDonald’s and Ronald McDonald House was the brain child of SAS Games president and co-inventor of TiViTz, Stephen Scully. “TiViTz is a powerful tool in empowering kids to enjoy and excel at math, not only building their math fluency according to the new Common Core state standards, but also building their critical thinking skills and ultimately, their confidence and self esteem,” said Scully. “Partnering with McDonald’s and Ronald McDonald House is a natural extension of what we already do — it’s all for the kids.”

The notion of partnering with SAS Games was a welcome idea for RMHC of Tampa Bay, said executive director & CEO Janice Davis. “We are very excited to launch this new program for TiViTz Tuesdays in McDonald’s, which not only benefits RMHC through the sale of games, but reinforces our mission of helping kids to a better tomorrow,” she said.

The Cocoa, Fla. -based game maker is counting on strong holiday sales as well as orders from schools to fund the sizable donation. To further entice schools to place orders for the 14-game TiViTz classroom set, SAS Games has secured a match from a private foundation. With the purchase of each 14-game classroom set for $425 plus tax and shipping, the purchaser will receive a matched set of 14 games. Local businesses are invited to Adopt a School with the purchase of a classroom set, which also will be matched.  Businesses or individuals may also Adopt a Student for $50, which includes a TiViTz board game and TiViTz Tuesdays T-shirt. These offers are valid only in the following counties: Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota and Sumter.

For more information about the TiViTz, the Ripken Baseball TiViTz Program featuring TiViTz Tuesdays at McDonald’s, or the Adopt a School/Student program, visit tivitz.com.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay
Ronald McDonald House Charities, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, creates, finds and supports programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children.  Its programs are grassroots-driven to enable the Charity to offer help where children need it most — right in their own communities.

The Ronald McDonald House of Tampa Bay, with four Houses is a not-for-profit organization now in its 33rd year of providing a safe and affordable "home-away-from-home" for families with children receiving medical treatment in bay area hospitals. These four Houses have provided comfort and care to more than 44,000 families since opening in 1980. It is the cornerstone program of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Tampa Bay. For more information, visit www.rmhctampabay.com.

ABOUT TiViTz
TiViTz^® is a registered trademark of SAS Games, Inc.  Based in Cocoa, Fla., the company is led by CEO Siobhan Mullen, a former aerospace executive, in partnership with TiViTz creator, Stephen Scully.  SAS Games produces the popular TiViTz board game as well as 2D and 3D online versions at tivitz.com (http://www.tivitz.com/). The game has won multiple awards in the toy and game industry, including Dr. Toy, National Parenting Center, Creative Child and Parents’ Choice.

TiViTz is not only a favorite of school districts, youth sports leagues, after-school clubs, and of course, discerning parents and kids, it is also endorsed by several celebrity spokespersons, most notably, Hall of Famer and former Baltimore Orioles’ Shortstop, Cal Ripken, Jr. TiViTz Live Action Tournaments have been sponsored and/or hosted by Ripken Baseball, McDonald’s^®/Caspers Company in Tampa, Fla., Busch Gardens Tampa, NASA/Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, the Schwarzenegger Youth Foundation, the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks, and Minor and Major League Baseball Teams including the Yankees, Dodgers, Tigers, Rangers, Devil Rays and Tampa Bay Rays.

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Media Contact:

Nancy Summers, Marketing Manager

804-501-6746 (cell)

813-839-4827 (office)

nsummers@tivitz.com

For more information:

website: tivitz.com (http://www.tivitz.com/)

Facebook: facebook.com/tivitz (https://www.facebook.com/tivitz)

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