Holiday cheer in full effect: Tonight marked Wear the Cape’s second annual kidkind foundation holiday extravaganza! A night focused on philanthropy, the event took place on none other than #GivingTuesday. Giving Tuesday, for those who may not be aware, is a global day that is dedicated to giving back; it’s a chance to unite and celebrate generosity.
As founder of Wear the Cape and the kidkind foundation, I opened up my home in Warren, NJ for the sake of promoting among our children that it is “Cool to Be Kind”. Together, with 80 fine women as guests, about 20 Cape Kids in action, and many vendors who donated their time and their specialties, the night was a resounding success, raising $7K for kidkind to use in 2015 to continue its mission. In addition, the fundraiser collected thousands of dollars in supplies for our troops – the ultimate heroes who fight for our freedom – and gathered hundreds of beautifully-wrapped Lego and Frozen toys to be donated to orphans at the NJ Children’s Shelter in Trenton, NJ.
Cape Kids, who have each contributed to society in their own unique ways, were also celebrated. They exemplify what we’ve learned from Wear the Cape’s wise guru Dr. Philip Brown, PhD – that kids who learn and practice the act of volunteering for their community reap all kinds of benefits, including building stellar character. Check out our recent list, “Top 10 Reasons to Encourage Your Kids to Volunteer,” for more.
To make the night even more interesting, there was a turbo-charged Holiday Cookie Exchange so that all the ladies could arrive with one type of cookie and depart with their choices from 80 different kinds. Friendly competition got fiercely fun as attendees dueled for the coveted honors of best looking and most delicious cookies in the house!
Local organizations popped in to make holiday shopping a little less stressful for all. The big-hearted vendors “wore the cape” in their own right – Bayhead Boutique, Petite Lily, Christina’s Dresses, and MySuperFoods – donating a percent of proceeds to the kidkind foundation. And, of course, Wear the Cape gear and clothes – every item complete with a Hero Tag that coaches kids on what to do when challenging life scenarios arise – were for sale and flying off the shelves (shop for Wear the Cape goodies for yourself and your loved ones HERE).
Quoting Plato in my remarks for the night, I encouraged:
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”
That about sums up the night – Wearing the Cape in action! Because, as my mom always used to say, kindness is free.
Choose kind,
Leigh Ann
