Giving a kid a bowling ball might not seem like a big gift, but for a child who has nothing, who wants to aim at all 10 pins, the present might make him realize it can be a caring world.
KidsDream of Snohomish County aims to fulfill local dreams for abused and neglected children.
By attending a comedy show Saturday night, your money may get a child swimming lessons, a cap and gown or pay for Little League.
Help a kid get into Little League? Sounds like a worthwhile program. And those who wish to make a donation get a meal and laughs at Club Broadway in Everett.
Businesses like Club Broadway that support charities should be recognized. Alicia Adamson, club manager, said owner Allen Hemmat is happy to pitch in.
"He likes to do charity work," Adamson said. "We had an auction in February to benefit the Everett Rotary Youth Foundation. Allen has a huge soft spot for kids."
At Club Broadway, it’s common to help charities.
Even off the clock, Adamson does other volunteer work for a Parent Teacher Association, though she doesn’t have kids in school.
She said giving back to the community is a no-brainer.
"Every business in Everett should do charity events," Adamson said. "It’s such an easy thing for a business to do and it goes so far."
Recipients of KidsDream gifts are abused or neglected, so I can’t name them.
Jeannine Fosca, regional foster care improvement plan coordinator for the state Department of Social and Health Services in Everett, said children have received music lessons, cooking classes, prom dresses, bicycles, school calculators, football team fees, tuxedo rentals, art supplies, summer camp fees and a school yearbook.
All tax-deductible donations go to the kids.
KidsDream, partnered with the Children’s Home Society of Washington, negotiates deals so the money stretches for goods and services.
It might be hard for some folks to imagine not being able to afford your high school annual, but it’s a real dream for a student with no money or family support.
Fosca said KidsDream of Snohomish County began after social workers and foster parents recognized some abused or neglected kid’s needs were unmet.
They decided they wanted to be like the well-established Treehouse in King County. In the late 1980s, DSHS caseworkers ached when they saw children go without haircuts, warm coats or birthday presents. Treehouse originally was funded by bake sales and penny drives.
Think about how foster children may be shipped from home to home, losing favorite toys, forgetting to pack slippers, if they even have slippers.
Even the best foster parents are hard pressed to meet every need of their charges. Treehouse sends about 500 kids to summer camp each year.
They have tutors in eight schools and dress more than 1,900 in a Wearhouse program.
Someday, KidsDream may match the Treehouse program, but it’s still in the bake sale and penny drive era. To support the program, attend a comedy night fundraiser at 7 p.m. Saturday at Club Broadway, 1611 Everett Ave. in Everett, in the Manhattan Room.
Rodney Sherwood and Jay Wendell Walker will dish the jokes. Sherwood recently appeared on ABC-TV on a show called "The Funniest Commercials You’ve Never Seen." He has also appeared on TV shows including "Friends" and "That ’70s Show." Walker was raised in a family of vaudeville performers.
For $20 at the door, enjoy dinner, entertainment and make your mark at a silent auction. For more information about the show or KidsDream, call Fosca at 425-339-3945.
At the Club Broadway show Saturday night, proceeds will go to meet the goal of KidsDream, to develop children’s skills, talents and self-esteem. They need donations big and small.
One bowling ball at a time, the idea rolls in the right direction.
Columnist Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451 or
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