Sharing the Spirit Holiday Parties bring Christmas to homeless youth

Homeless youths, ages 3-18 from Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Garden Grove and Santa Ana
enjoyed a Christmas party organized just for them at South Coast Plaza.

Festival of Children Foundation and The Happiness Project hosted the Sharing the Spirit Holiday Party for more than 500 underprivileged children at South Coast Plaza on December 5th.  The party took place at 9pm after the shopping center closed to regular business.  Homeless youths ages 3-18 from Orange County shelters and motels were brought to South Coast Plaza on buses.  Upon arrival the children were matched with a volunteer who guided them through holiday activities, including photos with Santa Claus, reindeer carousel rides, arts and crafts, beauty stations and face painting.

The kids frosted and decorated cookies, girls had their nails painted, boys built small Lego models provided by the Lego store, and the Puzzle Zoo store offered crafts.  Sanrio's Hello Kitty mascot was working the crowd along with Chick-fil-A's cow mascot.  The children enjoyed food provided by Chick-fil-A and Wahoo's Fish Taco, and at the end of the evening, each child received an age and gender appropriate gift bag full of toys and school supplies.

Bright and early on Christmas Eve, the Costa Mesa-based Festival of Children Foundation staff will head up to the Los Angeles Mission to set up a huge tent for the kids of Skid Row families.  After the families enjoy the annual Christmas meal presented by the Mission, and prepared by celebrity chef Ben Ford (actor Harrison Ford's son), the children are invited to enter the Festival of Children Sharing the Spirit Holiday Party tent where they will experience a winter wonderland, visit with Santa, and leave with a toy donated by JAKKS Pacific.  

"It gives us the opportunity to share ourselves directly with the children who attend.  We try and create a little magic for them, but we are as much touched by the magic as they are," said Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, founder and executive director of Festival of Children Foundation.

Carousel of Possible Dreams has raised nearly $2 million for more than 50 nonprofits nationwide

Carousel of Possible Dreams continues

to spin gold for youth-focused charities

Festival of Children Foundation’s innovative fundraising vehicle

has raised nearly $2 million for more than 50 nonprofits nationwide

               An innovative fundraising vehicle for youth-focused charities continues to move around and around and around, spinning gold in life-changing ways for nonprofit organizations in 50 states.

               The Carousel of Possible Dreams, launched five years ago by the Costa Mesa-based Festival of Children Foundation, has raised more than $1.85 million for 50-plus charities involved in causes ranging from autism to the homeless to Down syndrome.

               And all that money has been raised through one of childhood’s joyful and magical activities: riding a carousel.

               The latest fund-raiser, on the King Arthur Carrousel at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim on Nov. 5, raised more than $246,000 for 10 Orange County nonprofits that serve children. Riders got pledges before the event with the promise of completing 50 revolutions on the carousel. On the day of the event, they had a chance to make calls for more donations between rides.

               “Today, we just ended homelessness for 32 kids --- just in time for the holidays,” said Jennifer Friend, chief executive officer of Project Hope Alliance in Costa Mesa, as she watched riders take spins in Fantasyland before Disneyland opened to the public.

               “This is really powerful,” Friend said of the Carousel of Possible Dreams fundraiser.

               The Nov. 5 event, the second to be held at Disneyland in as many years, raised about $52,000 for Project Hope Alliance, whose mission is to end the cycle of homelessness through educating children in partnership with schools and by moving homeless families out of motels and shelters into affordable homes of their own.

              

For Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, a leading business professional and children’s advocate in Orange County, the latest Carousel of Possible Dreams --- the 12^th to be held since 2009, at such venues as Central Park in New York City and the Eden Palais, a spectacular 19^th-Century European Salon Carousel housed at the private Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington Hills, Ill. --- underscored the success of the foundation she founded in 2003.

               “The Carousel of Possible Dreams has opened up a whole new donor base that has allowed charities to tap into donors who can’t afford tickets to fancy galas,” said Daniels, whose family developed the world-famous South Coast Plaza shopping destination and brought culture to central Orange County with the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and other acclaimed performance venues.

Daniels, who has a grown daughter, created Festival of Children Foundation after she recognized the need to bring together a variety of youth-focused nonprofits so they could better collaborate and achieve their different missions and goals.

The Foundation, whose logo is --- what else? A colorful carousel --- provides programs and services to its 500-plus member charities in 50 states, helping corporations and individuals find opportunities where their support can make the most impact in the areas of arts and culture, social services, health and wellness, education and development, and the environment.

“What’s been really rewarding is watching people get together every year and collaborate together,” said Eileen Daniher, director of programs for Festival of Children Foundation. “We didn’t know when we started back in 2003 what we’d become, but we are very gratified with what we’ve been able to achieve thus far.”

A longtime advocate for children, Daniels personally covers administrative costs of her registered 501(c)(3) organization so 100 percent of the charity’s proceeds directly benefit programs and services that improve the lives of children.

The recent Carousel of Possible Dreams fundraiser at Disneyland was the third and last such event this year.

On Aug. 23, at the Sanfilippo Estate outside of Chicago, riders raised $201,421 for three organizations: Ronald McDonald House Charities Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Little Angels.

Daniels herself rode on the famous Eden Palais, smashing her fundraising goal of $2,500 by raising $11,596. Little Angels raised a total of $62,416.

The Aug. 23 event was the third in which the Ronald McDonald House Charities Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana has been a recipient, CEO Doug Porter said. The carousel rides have raised a total of about $400,000 in those three years, Porter said --- money that went toward a new Ronald McDonald House in downtown Chicago and toward a fifth house scheduled to open in January 2015.

“I think it’s a very unique fundraising vehicle, and the riders just love it,” Porter said. “For me, it provides one of the few opportunities I have to engage in peer-to-peer fundraising in which I reach out to my own network of friends who do not have to be physically present at some event to help support a very worthy cause.”

On Sept. 30, one charity --- Friends of Cathryn, in Laguna Beach --- was the sole recipient of more than $600,000 raised by riders on the carousel inside South Coast Plaza.

Friends of Cathryn is named after neuroblastoma survivor Cathryn Giusto, 11, a fifth-grader at El Morro Elementary School in the Laguna Beach School District who was diagnosed with the cancer in November 2008.

Susan Giusto, Cathryn’s mother, launched the charity in 2009 with the mission of achieving new approaches to neuroblastoma treatment and broader support for kids who come down with the disease.

Giusto met with Daniels in April 2014 and was shocked when Daniels told her that all of the proceeds from the Sept. 30 Carousel of Possible Dreams would benefit Friends of Cathryn.

“I was blown away,” Giusto said. “Sandy gave us this amazing opportunity and we are forever grateful to her and Festival of Children Foundation,” said Giusto, whose daughter’s prognosis is good. “I felt incredible personal satisfaction at being able to raise this money and help bring some sanity to the world of childhood cancer.”

Cassady Taylor, executive director of marketing and public relations for Festival of Children Foundation, recalls recruiting people on the day of the first Carousel of Possible Dreams in early 2009 to raise funds.

“In 90 minutes, we raised $85,000,” Taylor said, noting that the funds raised at that debut event were more than enough to cover a shortfall of $80,000 in a $300,000 campaign that began in the holiday season of 2008 for 10 charities that competed with many more to have their “possible dream” realized.

The Carousel of Possible Dreams has been successfully spinning success stories for children’s charities ever since.

Moving forward, the plan is to hold two Carousel of Possible Dreams fundraisers each year, Daniels said.

At the Nov. 5 event at Disneyland, the wizard Merlin got the action going at 7 a.m. --- three hours before the theme park opened to the public.

“Can you feel the magic in the air?” Merlin said as he rallied the troops. “Stop staring at me. Move it. There’s money to be raised.”

One of the riders at the Disneyland fundraiser was actor John Schaech, whose big-screen credits include a leading role in “That Thing You Do!,” the 1995 film that marked the writing and directing of debut of beloved Hollywood actor Tom Hanks.

Said Schaech, who secured pledges totaling about $3,000 for his carousel ride: “I love the ‘dream’ aspect of this fundraiser, and what better place to create magic and help children than the Happiest Place on Earth?”

Carousel of Possible Dreams spins gold for children's charities

Suzy Haner, a coordinator in the Commercial Music Program at Orange County School of the Arts was The Carousel of Possible Dreams top fundraiser, raising $21,375 for the school.  OCSA was one of 10 Orange County non-profits that participated in the early morning fundraiser held on the King Arthur Carrousel at Disneyland park.

Festival of Children Foundation invited 10 Orange County children's charities to form  teams of volunteer riders to go round and round and up and down on Disneyland park's King Arthur Carrousel to raise money in support of their organization.

Riders solicited donations online for weeks leading up to the event, and finished their fundraising efforts by completing 50 revolutions on the carousel.  The innovative fundraiser, called The Carousel of Possible Dreams, took place on November 5th and raised $246,195 for these 10 youth-focused organizations:

Boys & Girls Club of Anaheim

Child Guidance Center

Down Syndrome Association of Orange County

Festival of Children Foundation

Girl Scouts of Orange County

Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County

Orange Children & Parents Together

Orange County School of the Arts

Project Hope Alliance

Talk About Curing Autism (TACA)

Suzy Haner, a coordinator in the Commercial Music Program at Orange County School of the Arts was the top fundraiser raising $21,375 for the school.  She won a weekend stay at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and four Disneyland Resort Park Hopper tickets, compliments of Disneyland Resort.  

"We are honored to host this program, which aligns with our focus on promoting the happiness and well-being of kids and families," added Jill Bolton, Director of Corporate Citizenship for Disneyland Resort.  

We're returning to Disneyland!

The Carousel of Possible Dreams returns to Disneyland park's King Arthur Carrousel on Wednesday, November 5th
to raise money for 10 youth serving organizations in Orange County.

King Arthur Carrousel at Disneyland park will serve as a spectacular backdrop for Festival of Children Foundation's signature fundraiser we call 'The Carousel of Possible Dreams.'  

The early morning event will take place before Disneyland park opens to the general public and benefit 10 Orange County nonprofits that serve children:

Boys & Girls Club of Anaheim

Child Guidance Center

Down Syndrome Association of Orange County

Festival of Children Foundation

Girl Scouts of Orange County

Healthy Smiles for Kids of Orange County

Orange Children & Parents Together

Orange County School of the Arts

Project Hope Alliance

TACA - Talk About Curing Autism

Each organization has assembled a team of riders, ready to take the reins and raise money for their organization.  

Riders are currently soliciting donations online at www.festivalofchildren.org/disneyland2014.  On November 5th, they'll continue to make calls for donations between revolutions on the carousel, with the hopes of meeting or exceeding their goal.  100% of the money the riders raise will go directly to the nonprofit organizations.

The rider who raises the most money by 5:00 p.m. the night before the event will win a weekend stay at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel and four Disneyland Resort Park Hopper tickets compliments of the Disneyland Resort!

  

Carousel of Possible Dreams raises $605,100 for neuroblastoma cancer research

11-year old Cathryn Giusto is a neuroblastoma survivor.  Her mother, Susan Giusto, founded Friends of Cathryn Fund
 to support NANT:  New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy.

Festival of Children Foundation is pleased to announce that The Carousel of Possible Dreams fundraiser benefiting Friends of Cathryn Fund (FRoC) has raised $605,100 for neuroblastoma cancer research. Friends of Cathryn Fund is a Laguna Beach-based organization that raises money for NANT, a network of 14 universities and children’s hospitals nationwide, that test promising new therapies for high-risk relapsed/refractory neuroblastoma, the third most common pediatric cancer. 

Friends of Cathryn Fund is named for 11-year old Cathryn Giusto, a neuroblastoma survivor who had just turned 5 when she was diagnosed with the disease. In 2010, she was cleared, and that’s when her mother Susan Giusto started the foundation. Susan’s goal was to raise $500,000 in support of NANT (New Approaches to Neuroblastoma Therapy). The Carousel of Possible Dreams fundraiser far exceeded her goal, thanks in part to a $250,000 grant generously provided by The V Foundation for Cancer Research. 

On Tuesday, September 30th nearly 150 people gathered in South Coast Plaza’s Carousel Court to celebrate. Guests included members of Cathryn Giusto’s Girl Scout troop. The Girl Scouts climbed aboard South Coast Plaza’s carousel and went round and round and up and down in celebration of the successful collaboration between Friends of Cathryn Fund and Festival of Children Foundation. 

“We’re honored to be donating over $600,000 for neuroblastoma research. This donation will help fund essential clinical trials to improve outcome. Festival of Children Foundation’s support was invaluable in making this happen for the hundreds of children diagnosed with neuroblastoma each year,” said Susan Giusto, founder of Friends of Cathryn Fund.

NCAM Youth Ambassadors Unite in Washington, D.C.

Festival of Children Foundation founder Sandy Segerstrom Daniels
poses for a picture with 50 NCAM Youth Ambassadors at this year's National Child Awareness Month
Youth Ambassador training in Washington, D.C., held September 16-18, 2014.

In honor of September's National Child Awareness Month (NCAM), YSA (Youth Service America) and Festival of Children Foundation engaged 50 outstanding teens and young adults from across the nation to serve as NCAM Youth Ambassadors, leading service projects which will create positive change in the lives of other young people.

The NCAM Youth Ambassadors receive a national-level platform for their cause or issue-area, with support from YSA and Festival of Children Foundation.  In addition to funding this program, Festival of Children Foundation also provides each NCAM Youth Ambassador a $1,000 grant to support the development of a youth-focused service initiative; ongoing training, project and technical assistance support; and networking opportunities with other NCAM Youth Ambassadors across the country.

"These teens and young adults are the future of philanthropy.  They understand the importance making a difference and giving back.  Festival of Children Foundation's collaboration with YSA allows us to give these kids the tools to create a powerful youth network that will create lasting change across the country,"  said Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, founder and executive director of Festival of Children Foundation.  

September is once again designated as National Child Awareness Month by U.S. Senate!

Festival of Children Foundation is pleased to announce that the United States Senate has designated September 2014 as National Child Awareness Month (NCAM).  Senators Richard Burr (R-NC) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) co-sponsored Senate Resolution 503, which passed by unanimous consent on July 16, 2014 designating September 2014 as National Child Awareness Month.  September 2014 marks the 7th consecutive year for the designation.

"Nonprofits and charities in our local communities play a critical role in helping our children succeed.  They help children learn, improve access to health care and aid in the development of skills needed to live happy, healthy lives.  I'm pleased the Senate unanimously designated September as National Child Awareness Month to remind us that children are our future and we all play a role in helping them thrive," said Senator Dianne Feinstein.

The history behind the recognition of NCAM can be attributed to Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, Founder & Executive Director of Festival of Children Foundation.  Sandy has been diligent in raising awareness of issues facing youth across the country through the local, state and federal political processes.

NCAM is meant to raise awareness for all children's charities nationwide.  The four guiding principles of NCAM are:

Nurture one child, that's all it takes to make a difference.
Children are the future of philanthropy.  It's our responsibility to teach them the importance of sharing and giving back.
Actions speak louder than words.  Find a children's charity that's important to you and get involved.
Many hands make light work.  So join forces with those who share your goals and dreams.

Share That You Care Day is August 16th!

12,391 Letters = 12,391 Smiles

Festival of Children Foundation would like to thank Team Kids and the students at Vista Verde, a K-8 Blue Ribbon school in the Irvine Unified school district, for collaborating with us on our World Record attempt for "most letters to military personnel in one month."  

Between April 12th and May 12th, 2014, we collected a total of 12,391 letters for our Guinness World Record attempt.  The current record was 10,000, and our count is well over that. To make it official, we're submitting evidence to Guinness World Records in London, England, along with witness statements and details of our claim.

We hear it takes the folks at Guinness approximately 12 weeks to review and confirm a World Record.   We'll announce that good news (fingers crossed!) here on our blog as soon as we hear back.  In the meantime, it good to know that we  put 12,391 smiles on our troops' faces!

Just days left to help us break a Guinness World Record!

Luke's "Letter from Home"

Luke Reeve takes pen to paper for "Letters from Home," a Festival of Children Foundation program designed to teach kids about philanthropy and put a smile on the faces of over 10,000 of our troops!

On April 12th Festival of Children Foundation and Team Kids kicked off "Letters from Home," a month-long letter writing campaign for our troops, with the hope of breaking a Guinness World Record for "most letters to military personnel in one month."

4,397 letters have been received so far.  5,604 more letters are needed by May 12, 2014 in order to break the Guinness World Record!  

Letters can be mailed to:

Festival of Children Foundation

3315 Fairview Road

Costa Mesa, CA  92626

Or written letters can be scanned and emailed to letters@festivalofchildren.org.   To download a template, visit www.festivalofchildren.org/letters.

All letters received by May 12, 2014 will count toward the Guinness World Record!

Festival of Children Foundation's Guinness World Record attempt with Team Kids has officially begun!

Kids of all ages participated in opening day of "Letters from Home," a letter writing campaign designed to break a Guinness World Record for the "most letters to military personnel in one month."   On Saturday, April 12th Festival of Children Foundation and Team Kids got together for an afternoon of letter writing at South Coast Plaza's Carousel Court.  At the end of the day we collected 314 letters.   We only have 9,687 to go!

If you'd like to participate in "Letters from Home" and be a part of our World Record endeavor,
write a letter to the troops, and mail it to:

 Festival of Children Foundation
3315 Fairview Road
Costa Mesa, CA  92626

All letters received by May 12, 2014 will count!    

Caroline, age 7, and sister Vivienne, age 2, from Whittier, CA, celebrated Global Youth Service Day
by writing letters to the troops.

Help Festival of Children Foundation & Team Kids set a World Record!

In celebration of Global Youth Service Day, Festival of Children Foundation, Team Kids and Operation Gratitude are all collaborating on "Letters from Home," a letter writing campaign for American troops.   We're planning on breaking the Guinness World Record for "most letters written to military personnel in one month."

The letter writing campaign will kick-off at South Coast Plaza on Saturday, April 12th from Noon until 4:00 p.m.  Children and their families are invited to show up in Carousel Court where art supplies will be provided and military personnel will be in attendance.  The goal is to collect over 10,000 letters in 30 days.

Letters written from remote locations can be mailed to:

Festival of Children Foundation 

Attn:  "Letters from Home"

3315 Fairview Road

Costa Mesa, CA  92626

Letters written between April 12th and May 12th, 2014 will be counted as eligible for the world record. 

What are your New Year's resolutions for 2014?

Assistance League Newport-Mesa is one of over 500 member organizations of Festival of Children Foundation.

Hey, member organizations of Festival of Children Foundation!  What are your New Year's resolutions for 2014?  To raise more money?  To work smarter?  To build your board?  To cultivate more donors?  As part of Festival of Children Foundation's commitment to offering programs and resources to strengthen our member charities, we offer Achieve's webinars and online resource library free to staff, board members, and key volunteers in your organization.

Achieve, a creative agency for causes, offers an online resource library that holds more than 270+ tools and templates that will save your organization's hard-earned resources and time.

Need a template for grant writing?  Achieve Access has it.
Want some suggestions for sponsorship?  Achieve Access has that too.

From webinars to white papers, Achieve Access has an unparalleled collection of resources.  Visit our website at festivalofchildren.org to learn more.

Happy New Year!

Sharing the Spirit Holiday Party!

Festival of Children Foundation and The Happiness Project are bringing some holiday cheer to 600 underprivileged children at a Christmas Party being organized just for them on Friday, December 6th at South Coast Plaza.

The event, called "Sharing the Spirit Holiday Party," will take place in Santa's Village at South Coast Plaza from 9:00 p.m. until midnight (after the center closes to regular business).  Homeless youth, ages 5-16, from Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Garden Grove and Santa Ana, California will be brought on buses to the shopping center.  As each child departs the bus they'll be matched with a volunteer who will accompany them through a variety of activities including photos with Santa, rides on the reindeer carousel, arts and crafts, nail, hair and makeup stations, and face painting.  They'll enjoy food generously donated by Aloha Plate (the recent winner of Food Network's Great Food Truck Race), Chick-Fil-A, Creme de la Creme, Quattro Caffe and whole Foods Market Newport Beach.

South Coast Plaza retailers are "Sharing the Spirit" too.  Sanrio's Hello Kitty will help supervise their sand painting craft table.  At LEGO, children can build a LEGO mini model to take home with them.  Puzzle Zoo is providing craft projects for boys and girls, and Calico Critters' Bell Hopscotch rabbit will meet the kids in attendance.

Bare Minerals makeup artists will offer some holiday sparkle for the girls, and the Microsoft store will set up Xbox and Kinect stations.  400 volunteers will be on hand to ensure that the event is a success.

Festival of Children Foundation would like to thank the Center for Living Peace for helping to sponsor the "Sharing the Spirit" holiday party.

Festival of Children Foundation raises $208,575 for Orange County Children's Charities

Providence Speech and Hearing Center riders

Festival of Children Foundation invited 10 Orange County nonprofit organizations to fund raise at a signature event we call "The Carousel of Possible Dreams."  Over 100 attendees cheered volunteer riders as they went round and round, and up and down, on King Arthur's Carrousel at Disneyland Resort to raise money for their organizations.

The early morning event, held on November 6th at 7:00 a.m., raised $208,575.  Funds raised will go directly to these 10 organizations:

All American Boys Chorus

America on Track

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Orange County

Festival of Children Foundation

Girls Incorporated of Orange County

Make-A-Wish Orange County & The Inland Empire

Pacific Symphony

Pretend City Children's Museum

Providence Speech and Hearing Center

Wyland Foundation

The Carousel of Possible Dreams fundraiser was held in celebration of Festival of Children Foundation's 10th Anniversary.  "How fitting to host Carousel of Possible Dreams at the place where dreams come true every day," said Jill Bolton, director, Community Relations, Disneyland Resort.  "We are honored to host this program, which aligns with our focus on promoting the happiness and well-being of kids and families."

Girls Inc. of Orange County volunteer riders

We're going to Disneyland!

Festival of Children Foundation is celebrating its 10th anniversary at the happiest place on earth .... Disneyland. To help us celebrate, 10 children's charities will participate in The Carousel of Possible Dreams aboard  King Arthur's Carrousel at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim on November 6th from 7-9am.

Participating charities include:

All-American Boys Chorus

America on Track

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Orange County

Festival of Children Foundation

Girls Incorporated of Orange County

Make-A-Wish Orange County & the Inland Empire

Pacific Symphony

Pretend City Children's Museum

Providence Speech and Hearing Center

Wyland Foundation

Each of these nonprofit organizations has assembled a team of riders ready to take the reins and raise money for their charity's individual dreams.  To learn more about what monies raised will support, or to make an online donation, we invite you to visit www.ridethecarousel.org   

Festival of Children Foundation would like to thank the Disneyland Resort for making their magnificent King Arthur Carrousel available for our Possible Dream fundraiser.  This is the first time Disneyland's Carrousel has been utilized as a vehicle to raise funds for 10 Orange County children's charities! 

Meet the National Child Awareness Month Youth Ambassadors!

Festival of Children Foundation has once again collaborated with YSA on the National Child Awareness Month Youth Ambassador Program.  The year-long Ambassadorship trains youth (ages 16-22) to combat critical issues facing children.  Each Ambassador receives support, advocacy training in Washington, D.C. and planning guidance for their respective service projects.

Fifty-one Youth Ambassadors were selected through a competitive application process, and selected, one per state and the District of Columbia, to create a powerful network of young people who raise their collective voice in service to others. 

The Youth Ambassadors (shown above) each received an all-expense paid, 3-day leadership training in Washington, D.C. and a $1,000 grant to support their service projects in their own communities.  "These teens and young adults are the future of philanthropy," said Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, founder and executive director of Festival of Children Foundation.

The young leaders will spend the year ahead developing and leading cause-related service projects focused on children's issues in their respective communities.  Their issue areas are diverse and specific to the community - from access to educational opportunities to addressing bullying - but their mission is shared:  to create change which raises awareness and positively impacts the lives of young people! 

Shining a spotlight on children's charities during Festival of Children at South Coast Plaza!



Childhelp Orange County Chapter is just one of over 50 children's charities that will be on site during Festival of Children at South Coast Plaza this September.  Every weekend in September, families can participate in more than 100 events and learn about child-focused charitable groups. 

Activities include arts and crafts, singing and dance performances, and more.  Visitors can also check out Canstruction OC's giant fantasy structures made entirely out of canned foods.

This September is special, as we also celebrate National Child Awareness Month (NCAM).  NCAM is an effort led by Festival of Children Foundation to focus the attention of our nation on the most critical issues facing children today.

This month, and all year long, we're proud to shine a spotlight on children and the nonprofit organizations that serve them. 

So make plans to bring the entire family to Festival of Children this month.  All of the events are free to the public.  For a schedule, visit www.festivalofchildren.org. 

Carousel of Possible Dreams raises $150,309 for Chicago Kids

On Saturday, August 3rd, over 180 attendees (including Ronald McDonald!) climbed aboard a 19th Century French carousel to raise $150,309 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

"It was a nice intersection of friend-raising, fundraising and people working together all at an unbelievable estate," said Doug Porter, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana (shown above with Sandy Segerstrom Daniels and you know who).

The Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington Hills, IL was the site of Festival of Children Foundation's most recent Carousel of Possible Dreams fundraiser.  The Carousel of Possible Dreams is an innovative fundraiser of Festival of Children Foundation.  "The concept of the Carousel of Possible Dreams is at the heart of Festival of Children Foundation.  It's about people coming together collaboratively to make a positive difference for kids.  Festival of Children Foundation supports children's charities across the country, including some extraordinary organizations in the Chicago area," added Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, Founder and Executive Director of Festival of Children Foundation.

The Carousel of Possible Dreams puts the "FUN" in Fundraising!





Festival of Children Foundation is proud to partner with the Sanfilippo Foundation in Chicago to present The Carousel of Possible Dreams on Saturday, August 3rd.  This unique carousel fundraiser will benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Chicago civic, business and philanthropic leaders will test their fundraising prowess aboard the Eden Palais, a spectacular 19th Century European Salon Carousel housed at the private Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington Hills, Illinois.   Armed only with their cell phones, riders will dial for donations as they go round and round and up and down on the carousel.  Riders will not be allowed off the carousel until they've achieved their fundraising goals for the charities.  100% of money raised will go directly to the nonprofit organizations.  How long it takes is up to the riders! 

The goal is to raise $300,000 for these two children's organizations.  We invite you to visit www.festivalofchildren.org for information on how you can help support this unique fundraiser.