Tag Archives: Charity Events

We shopped ’til we dropped… hey, it’s all for the kids!

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If you’re anything like us in the Change for Kids office, then you’re a sucker for good deals. And on Tuesday, May 1st, there were plenty to be found at CFK’s Spring Shopping Soirée. We shopped ’til we dropped (guilt-free!), knowing that a portion of the proceeds went to benefit our partner elementary schools.

The Shop for Kids event featured fine jewels and lace from two of the city’s most fashionable ladies. Alexis Chasman, Stylist Extraordinaire, brightened up our wardrobes with affordable, exciting jewelry; while Margaret Shrum, NYC Lingerie Expert, spotlighted items from several up-and-coming Manhattan lingerie designers.

Joining the women last minute were Douglas and Kenneth Forbes (sons of CFK Chairman and Board Member, Chris and Louise Forbes), who outfitted us with the latest colors in CFK Change Bracelets. When Kenneth learned about the event from his mother morning-of, his first thought was: “Well, I like CFK. Why can’t I come?” So he grabbed his older brother, Douglas, and set up shop, raising $110 over the course of the night.

Check out the photos below to see more from the event. A big thank you to Alexis, Margaret, Douglas and Kenneth for helping to make our Spring Shopping Soirée a success! Missed out on this event? Well don’t let it happen again, ha – sign up to stay in touch.

The Penguin Party Sells Out: 27 Hours, 500 Tickets, 1 Incredible Cause

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I have very recently become hooked on TLC’s non-award winning series, Toddlers & Tiaras. My overall impression of the show’s subjects is that they’re all off their rockers; but after watching enough episodes, I have come to realize that the pageant moms and their children are mainly acting on one of life’s simple truths: everyone likes to dress up and look good.

CFK Penguin Party FundraiserThis could not have been more evident than when The Penguin Party, CFK Junior Council’s inaugural black tie event, sold out in 27 hours. On Friday, February 24th, 500 young, affluent professionals and budding NYC socialites will gather together at the Bowery Hotel to support two CFK partner elementary schools – P.S. 243 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn and P.S. 73 in the South Bronx.  We are so grateful for the evening’s sponsors: Jefferson’s Bourbon, Sugarleaf Vineyards, and Andrew Kaftan Photography.

If you were lucky enough to snag a ticket to this season’s most exclusive gathering and are in need of dapper suit, you might also want to check out what our good friends over at Alton Lane are up to. They’re supporting CFK with generous donations for the entire month of February. If you’ve been waiting for the perfect excuse to splurge on a little formal wear, you have it. Just mention the code “Change” during your appointment, and they’ll send $100 our way.

In terms of ticket sales The Penguin Party is by far the most successful event our Junior Council has thrown to date, even with a ticket price close to triple digits. The evening will feature a full open bar, live music by the East Coast Band, and tons of dancing. Junior Council Co-Chair, Andrew Maxwell, states, “I am excited about the overwhelmingly positive response we’ve received to The Penguin Party. I think it’ll be a fun night filled with philanthropy and friends, and it will serve as an awesome introduction to the organization for those first-time CFK- event attendees. We could potentially recruit some great new members to serve on the Junior Council.”

We’re looking forward to partying with the penguins!  Thank you to our generous sponsors:



Santa Crawl 2011: It’s all for the kids!

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Santa Crawl 2011

If you were wandering around lower Manhattan last Saturday looking for holiday gifts, you may have instead found holiday cheer – in the form of 40 strapping, young Santas caroling and merry-making their way through New York City.  Santa Crawl is an annual all-male bar crawl that requires participants to sport the quintessential suit, hat, and white beard all day long; and this year, the guys teamed up with Change for Kids to raise funds for our four partner elementary schools.

CFK caught up with Junior Council Co-Chair Andrew Maxwell (who, we have to admit, looks dashing in red) to recap the day’s festivities.

Q: Why did you participate in this year’s Santa Crawl?

A: What better way to enjoy the holidays than dressed in a Santa costume, singing “Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer” while going from bar to bar with a bunch of your friends?  Add that to the fact that we were raising funds for CFK, and there was no way I was going to miss it.
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Face painting, All-you-can-eat hot dogs, and a Justin Bieber dance off? Sign us up!

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Last Saturday 25 fifth grade students from P.S. 73 loaded a bus in the Bronx and landed 35 minutes later at the Variety Boys and Girls Club in Long Island City. As a reward for their hard work and excellent participation all semester in our Bronx Museum of Art and Story Pirates programs, these students were treated to a fun-filled day hosted entirely by our amazing friends at the Variety Children’s Charity.* Every year Variety throws an all day bash for all of the organizations who they work with throughout the city to celebrate the holidays, and this year we were incredibly proud and honored to join in the festivities.
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Bowl for Kids 2011: It’s a Wrap

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After the liquor bottles were all put away, after the silent auction items went to good homes, after the CFK staff finally managed to sneak in a full night’s rest, we counted up the total income from this year’s Bowl for Kids…$188,232. 

Clink through to check out the official Bowl for Kids slideshow

Which is about $41,000 more than we were able to pull in for Bowl for Kids 2010. Woohoo! Applause, applause! If you celebrated with a few too many Trips to the Principal’s Office (our signature Tom Collins, remember??), you can relive all your half-hazy memories by checking out the photos here. Most importantly, though, you should know that it’s not just our amazing student musicians who benefit from this event every year. Every single one of our programs is in the midst of expansion right now, and it’s because of people like you that our students will continue to receive the kinds of programs that foster creativity and confidence to achieve.
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Slam Dunk Auction Items

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Get excited for Bowl for Kids next week – not only will it be a slamming party, but it will also be the only place in the city with this kind of loot. Take a look at a roundup of our favorites, and then purchase your tickets here.
 

 
SIGNED 1994 ALL-STAR BASKETBALL Remember 1994? Shaquille O’Neal, Patrick Ewing, Scotty Pippen, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon…an utterly ridiculous lineup, all in one place again.
 
 


 
GOLF AT MAIDSTONE IN EAST HAMPTON Golf, caddies, and lunch for three at the exclusive Maidstone Club in the Hamptons. Retail value: $1,000

 
 
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Adorable Pics and Useful Vocab for CFK Runners

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Looking for the full set of Run for Kids pics? Click here.

The NYC weather gods may not have been with us for Run for Kids 2011, but the lively turnout and new CFK loot more than made up for the plunging temperatures and crotchety winds. If you made it out, you know: Run for Kids this year featured some of the best gear of any previous CFK event, including sleek t-shirts with our new logo and some pretty amazing signage thanks to Andrij Boris and Alicia Kubista.

Congratulations go out to Terry McLean and Mike Quinzio, who smoked the rest of the competition by finishing in 18:31 and 19:10, respectively, as well as Sophia Sheng, our fastest female finisher, and Gavin Meaney, our top kid runner. Many thanks and warm hugs to the volunteers who stood still for the duration of the event, keeping the runners cheery and on track. Luis Morales, John Faison and our new Development Director, Ashley Faison, came through big time with photos of every single runner. If you can’t locate yourself in the album above, be sure to check out our FLICKR PAGE for the master set of pics.

A very young CFK runner prepares for the race

Those of you who survived Saturday may have spent the rest of the weekend trying to convince your friends and loved ones how truly awesome your run was despite the seriously low temps. Forthwith, and for your convenience, a few useful terms to describe your experiences at Run for Kids 2011:

Strollerize: v. To roll over the competition despite additional burdens such as strollers or small dogs. See also Scott Delman.

McLean Up: v. To achieve an extravagant victory; eponymous term referring to Terry McLean’s 18:31 5k.

Pitcher Relief: n. The palliative effect of adult beverages at the Village Pourhouse after-party.

We’ll be accepting suggestions for further CFK-related definitions via the comments section of this post.

Thanks for such a fun time this weekend!



Last Minute 5K Prep from Resident Fitness Guru Justin Jones

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The second annual Run for Kids 5k is just 10 days away! For those of you who are unsure if you’re up for 3.1 miles, our resident fitness expert, Justin Jones, offers some tips and tricks for getting ready in a hurry. Use the guidelines to get your workout plan in place, and then be sure to follow us on Twitter (@changeforkids) for the next 10 days. He’ll be tweeting encouragement, advice and helpful reminders. Already excited about the awesome t-shirt you get at the finish line? REGISTER NOW for Run for Kids.

We can’t wait to see you all there!

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Justin Jones leads a class at P.S. 243

SCHEDULE – Try to schedule the workout times for your training now. Over the next ten days, train seven days with three off-days. Get out of bed one morning and see how it feels to do 20 minutes at the gym or go for a jog outside. Maybe try skipping happy hour one day for a workout instead. Invite a friend to train or walk with you. You can base it around a play date and walk or jog together and then play soccer or shoot basketballs afterward.

I tell my students to know what they’re eating and make sure they play every day. I also say, “I hope you’ll be getting better by the next time I see you,” so make sure you pat yourself on the back if you’re able to stick to your commitment or schedule. You could even make a little check-off chart for the next two weeks if that works for you.
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Run for Kids: Family Fun, Community Conscious

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If you’ve been hanging around CFK for a while, you know we devoted last summer to raising funds for fitness and nutrition education at our school in Bed-Stuy. Here’s what all your hard work accomplished.

Over the last eight months, FAN4Kids has become not only a wildly popular program with the students, but an inspiration for the greater P.S. 243 community as well. A group of teachers and administrators launched their own fitness program under the guidance of instructor Justin Jones (with the collective goal of dropping 243 pounds), and Principal Hambright is now installing a salad bar in the cafeteria.

Run for Kids 2010: And they're off! Photo credit: Deb Hymowitz

With all this hubbub over health—and in honor of the upcoming Run for Kids event—we decided to check in with Mrs. Padaya, third grade inclusion teacher and recent fitness convert. She’s added a once-a-week cardio session into her lessons to keep her students alert, and she’s managed to kick a wicked Pepsi habit after weeks of nagging from her students.

WHAT’S A HUMMUS? “My students adore FAN4Kids. All the third graders love when Mr. Justin has them sample healthy foods. Most of them have never tasted green olives, organic bean and corn salsa or hummus (One of my students asked Mr. Justin, “What’s a hummus?”). They even tasted organic whole grain nacho chips, which some said were better than Doritos. Instead of honey buns, some students eat apples. They even bust each other when they see a roll of Oreos in a lunch bag. Mr. Justin has also taught the students how to find healthier foods in the little bodegas that dot our streets like trees. It was a great lesson since there are not Whole Foods or Trader Joes in our area.”

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Bowl for Kids

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The wild success of last week’s Bowl for Kids event left us with quite a conundrum here in the office. Is there a bowling metaphor, we wondered, that would accurately convey how ecstatic we were with the turnout and energy at Thursday’s event? Call it a strike, turkey, kingpin or a smorgasbord of spares; whatever the (cheesy) metaphor, it doesn’t do justice to the final count:

$145,605

That’s enough for comprehensive programming at two of our partner schools: field trips, music lessons, literacy tutoring, Story Pirates, art education, early reading, and school supplies for 1,400 students. PLUS, enough left over to add tutoring sessions on Saturdays, expand fitness and nutrition programming, and ramp up our music program to include more students than we’ve ever been able to serve.

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