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Children help children at Austintown event
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Members of the Autistic Learning foundation shared smiles at the first annual "Kids Helping Kids Day" at Austintown Park on April 28.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor ."Kids Helping Kids Day" guests Sydney Howard (left) and Theresa Cranston showed off the armstrong cable kites that they decorated at the event on April 28.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Mike Fuchilla (sitting) had his hair snipped at Kids Helping Kids Day on April 28, and donated the price of cut to the Autistic Learning Foundation and the R.O.C.C.K. Children's Choir.
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor .Young volunteers Hailey Dodd (left) and Renne Duhon sold signs and stickers that read "I helped" during the Kids Helping Kids Day at Austintown Park on April 28.
By SARAH FOOR
The rain that pelted Austintown Township Park on the afternoon on April 28 couldn’t dampen the passions of the many volunteers at the Kids Helping Kids Day.
Near the entrance of the park, the inaugural Mahoning Valley Cure Search Walk raised funds to find cures for pediatric cancer. The event honored past and present children’s cancer patients and offered prizes, music, food, and family fun.
Inside the park’s Stacey Pavilion, the Autistic Learning Foundation and A Way With Words Foundation’s R.O.C.C.K. Children’s Choir gathered to raise money for their causes and offer games and raffles.
Dan Gallagher, founder of the Autistic Learning Foundation, said all of the organizations teamed up for the event because of their common goal to help children.
“We’re having a lot of fun today, even in the rain, because we’re here to show support for each other and for the kids that benefit from our fundraising. For us in particular, the funds will help provide grants for children with autism to buy iPads, which help many autistic children communicate with more clarity,” Gallagher explained.
Gallagher and officials from the Autistic Learning Foundation manned a raffle of more than 20 baskets.
Officials from the R.O.C.C.K. Children’s Choir invited guests to decorate Armstrong Cable kites and take a look at some of the choir’s recordings and publications.
The choir, whose name stands for “Raising Our Commitment to Cancer Kids,” consists of juvenile cancer survivors and their friends and family.
The organization’s information coordinator, Karen Stilgenbauer, said the choir is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.
“We tour and visit Relay for Life events around the area. We recently sang for Congressman Tim Ryan. We’re not professional singers in any sense, but if you listen with your heart, we’re an unbeatable choir,” Stilgenbauer explained.
Stilgenbauer said the choir was happy to get involved in the Kids Helping Kids Day to be part of the positive message of the event.
“Our choir’s mission is to spread hope and show that there are options for support out there. Really, that is what all the organizations here today are trying to share,” she said.