Giving Gifts of Love and Happiness

When buses arrived at South Coast Plaza retail center after business hours on December 10th, 350 homeless and motel children from around Orange County, CA stepped out to join a gathering of happiness, charity and holiday cheer.

A collaborative effort hosted by Festival of Children Foundation, South Coast Plaza, YPO Southern California Chapter and The Happiness Project, “Gifts of Love” gave children a chance to be a VIP this holiday season. As each child departed the bus they were matched with a volunteer helped them navigate the various activities. From visits with Santa to unlimited rides on the reindeer carousel, to arts and crafts and delicious food provided by Wahoo’s Fish Taco and Z Pizza, the children were given the Christmas they truly deserved. A teen lounge equipped with video games and music was available for the older children, and every child in attendance received a special gift bag tailored to their age group and gender.

“The opportunity to host this event and visit the shelters and motels has opened our children’s eyes to the very real issue of homelessness here in Orange County. Hopefully this holiday experience of giving to others will motivate children and adults alike to continue to make a difference in our community throughout the year,” said Brian Murphy, President of Athletes First and a member of YPO Southern California Chapter. We graciously thank the 200 volunteers who gave of their time, and the dozens of individuals and businesses that came together with donations and financial support to provide a magical evening for children in our own community.

Spreading Holiday Cheer From East to West

What do you get when you send Julius the Monkey on a cross-country tour to spread a little holiday cheer? Milk, cookies, candy canes, and hundreds of books for kids who need them the most! Festival of Children Foundation partnered with Paul Frank Industries this holiday season on a six-stop tour, where patrons got to enjoy holiday treats, as well as a 20% discount in the store with a donation of any new or gently-used book. We then distributed the collected books to our member charities that promote literacy in those six cities:
•Edgewood Center for Children & Families (San Francisco, CA)
•First Book (Las Vegas, NV)
•Orange County Children’s Therapeutic Arts Center (Santa Ana, CA)
•Screen Actors Guild Foundation (Los Angeles, CA)
•Children of the City (New York, NY)
•Working in the Schools (Chicago, IL)

The Fundamentals of Grant Proposals: A Seminar

When Festival of Children Foundation brings together executives from 29 different charities in one room to discuss the fundamentals of grant proposals, ideas are developed, friendships are made, and valuable information is shared freely. Fundraising expert Melissa Brown joined us from the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University to lead the collaborative discussion as part of our Executive Training Seminar series. She provided valuable information pertaining to the steps of proposal development, including linking project goals to community need, matching projects to funders’ interests, preparing a budget, and writing effectively for proposal review.
Nonprofit executives left feeling energized and empowered to approach the often overwhelming world of grant writing. “I feel confident that what Melissa taught me today will make a ‘leaps and bounds’ difference in my ability to write grant proposals for our organization,” wrote Marie Gentosi of Assistance League Newport-Mesa.
The seminar was provided at no cost to member organizations, thanks to the generous support of The Allergan Foundation.

Connecting Children, Charities and Communities

What a fantastic celebration of childhood we've had this September! Festival of Children is in full swing, with one weekend left to go - and it has been an all-around astounding success. Our participating charities and performers are reaching so many new people, spreading the word about their organizations, and recruiting new donors and volunteers. We couldn't ask for more!

We hope you'll come visit us if you're in the area for our final weekend, as we close out the month and move on to Season of Caring Presents The Possible Dream, our annual grant-making program.

A Celebration for Children All Over America!

We wanted to share some good news with you!

On June 7, over 1,000 mayors from around the country gathered in Oklahoma City for the United States Conference of Mayors. Santa Ana Mayor Miguel Pulido introduced a resolution to the conference on behalf of Festival of Children Foundation, and as a result, the conference resolved to designate September National Child Awareness Month!

SEE IT HERE!

A few members of our staff just returned from Washington, DC where we met with local Members of Congress and state senators to encourage their support of National Child Awareness Month at the federal level. We eagerly await the passing of these resolutions in Congress and the Senate, which are expected to be introduced in the weeks ahead. This would be the third year in a row that the legislation is recognized for the entire month.

If you want more information on National Child Awareness Month, visit www.nationalchildawarenessmonth.org.

Stay tuned! And hey, thanks for your continued support of our efforts!

Taking the Nation's Capitol by Storm!

On Monday, part of the Festival of Children Foundation team will head to our nation's Capitol, Washington, DC to lobby for our political leaders' support of National Child Awareness Month. We'll meet with several congressmen and congresswoman, state senators and other "movers and shakers" to garner their endorsements of this monthlong celebration of children.

This will be the third year in a row that we're granted the designation of National Child Awareness Month and it will provide a platform to turn the nation's attention to children for the entire month of September! If you're a charity, a business, or just someone who cares about children, you can help us celebrate! To learn how you can get more involved, visit www.nationalchildawarenessmonth.org.

FREE Legal Counsel for YOUR Organization

Attention Member Organizations!

Did you know that, in collaboration with two renowned law firms, Festival of Children Foundation offers pro bono legal services to our member organizations nationwide?

Our friends at Seyfarth Shaw LLP and Latham & Watkins are working to put the limited resources of children's charities back to work for the kids. This means that, if your organization meets the minimum requirements of what these firms can offer in their pro bono programs, your legal issues can be resolved at no cost.

We invite you to apply for free legal counsel on matters including corporate governance, your tax-exempt status, human resources, intellectual property, real estate and lease issues, and more. Please contact us directly by sending an email to tpodlas@festivalofchildren.org with your specific request and we will determine which law firm best fits your needs.

"At Seyfarth Shaw, we are always looking for innovative ways to expand our pro bono program. Partnering with Festival of Children Foundation allows us the potential to provide pro bono legal services to a much larger group of deserving children's charities than if we had tried to find and approach each group separately," remarked Allegra Rich, Pro Bono & Philanthropy Partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP.

We hope you can take advantage of this exciting resource, and we thank our pro bono legal service partners for their commitment to helping improve the lives of children.