e-Claire

This page is dedicated to Claire and Arnold Corbin without whom there wouldn’t be a Connection Channel. They were the initiation, inspiration, and support for all of our efforts.

The initial seed for the Connection Channel, and the offering of our talking plush animals as our primary Connection Channel Messengers™, began at the home of Claire and Arnold Corbin. They purchased a cute plush animal to give to one of their close friends who was hosting a big celebration. They wanted to do something different, something special. So they recorded their own, unique wishes for their friends to play that night and whenever they thought of them in the future. They showed the gift to us and shared the catalog that displayed the wide range of adorable gift toys.

As it turns out, the Corbins had learned about the product from the father of the man who had started up this business. We thought about it and realized the power this family of products had in helping people to connect with each other by sending their own voice in a huggable messenger. We were also touched by the origin of these products, which arose from a need for parents to give comfort to their children during extended stays in hospitals.

As we evolved our broader mission of the Connection Channel, which included giving back to the community, and donating to charities and hospitals, my husband and I realized that we were recreating the legacy of Claire Corbin. During the 1950s, Claire worked at the WOR radio station in New York City. She was responsible for running all aspects of the WOR Christmas Fund. The fund collected money (even single dollars were sent in envelopes) from the people of New York to buy presents for needy kids in hospitals and other charitable organizations.

Claire worked through all the details of the program, from advertising, collecting money, deciding what presents would be purchased, doing all the purchasing on the lower East Side of New York City, coordinating the individual wrapping of every item and finally to the delivery of these presents to hospitals. She made certain that every child received two presents: one fun toy and one piece of clothing. For a more personal touch, names were written on the presents when provided. It was an enormous, yet rewarding task.

I should know. I am her daughter. I participated in all aspects of the WOR Christmas Fund, along with the rest of my family. We only hope that the efforts of the Connection Channel will be able to bring as much joy to people and charities as the labors of Claire Corbin. She and her husband, of 63 years, Arnold (my father), have always worked as a team in business and in life. My husband Paul and I plan to continue that tradition.

Karen Corbin Lionti