Toy company Hasbro will release a Gen. Colin Powell action figure for its G.I. Joe line, with a portion of proceeds going to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Powell is the retired chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He sits on the Boys & Girls Clubs board of governors and is active with a number of other charities.

The toy will retail for $49.99 and will be in stores for the Christmas shopping season.

Powell's G.I. Joe figure is part of Hasbro's Classic Collection, modeled after real military heroes such as George Washington and Gen. Omar Bradley, as well as specific roles such as the 442nd Infantry Nisei soldier from World War II.

Powell was raised in the Bronx and attended New York public schools before graduating from the City College of New York. He joined the Army after college and served two tours of duty in Vietnam.

He was named Joint Chiefs chairman in 1989 and retired from the post in 1993.

Boys & Girls Clubs of America is a national network of more than 2,000 neighborhood-based centers serving an estimated three million primarily underprivileged children between ages 6-18. Programs emphasize leadership development, education and career enhancement, sports, fitness and recreation.