The first meeting was held this past weekend for 100 Kids Who Care and organizers are thrilled with the outcome.
The event was held last Saturday at St. Patrick’s Community School and saw 149 kids attend who ultimately raised $1,490.
The charity that was chosen to receive the donation was the Red Deer and District SPCA.
The format of the event included 15 local charities who had their information displayed at various booths around the gym. Three of the charities were selected at random to present to the group and included the SPCA, the MS Society and Suicide Information and Prevention Services.
As well, there were various activities on site including a bouncy house, games, crafts as well as small groups where a leadership team from Dance Magic Studio talked about how to make a positive change in the community on more of an ongoing basis and different ways to fundraise money for the next 100 Kids Who Care meeting.
“From the moment the kids walked through the door they were engaged, connected, and ready to learn. It was incredible to see so many youth in our community come together to make positive change in their community. There were kids ranging from four to 18 years so the blend of ages was a really nice touch. The younger children had many to look up to and the older kids played a great role in leadership,” said Christine Slaymaker, one of the organizers of 100 Kids Who Care. “The kids were inquisitive and genuinely interested in learning about the charities that were in attendance. Each and every booth had a gathering of children armed with questions and a keen desire to make positive change in our community.
“We had an open floor discussion about ways the kids can extend this reach beyond just our meeting and they were able to come up with some fantastic ideas. From random acts of kindness like shoveling someone’s walk or helping them to their car with groceries, to fundraising efforts, community clean up projects and volunteer opportunities.”
Slaymaker said it was heartwarming to see children get so involved in the event.
“Many of the kids left with excitement to encourage friends and family members to join our next meeting. We are hoping to one day be Red Deer’s 500 kids Who Care and counting! I feel incredibly proud to have been able to be a part of this event. Red Deer’s youth are inspiring, creative, and passionate about making a difference. Truly young leaders of tomorrow. Our future. Change makers,” she said. “It is hugely exciting and I think the biggest thing is that this is about kids. There are so many great opportunities and Red Deer is such a great place to host community events and to get people involved. This is so unique in the sense that this is about the kids and I think they will feel completely empowered and hopefully extend beyond what we are doing.”
The next meeting is set for this spring and Slaymaker encourages continued community involvement. To register for the next meeting, visit www.reddeerdancemagic.com or visit the Dance Magic Studio.
efawcett@reddeerexpress.com
