Posted on June 23, 2014 On June 11th, Victorian Gardens in Central Park was filled with music, laughter and the delighted shrieks of happy children as more than 500 guests of all ages joined the Coalition for our annual Carnival Night for Kids. As the sun finally broke through the clouds of an otherwise rainy week, girls and boys careened giddily between the rides, games, cotton candy, Ga-Ga pit and picnic tables of delicious food – slowing down only to line up for children’s authors Brian Floca, Tad Hills and Oliver Jeffers, who signed copies of their award-winning books for the kids! Parents snapped portraits at the photo booth and tried their luck on our balloon pop raffle and ‘Test-Your-Strength’ game, winning donated prizes like tickets to popular Broadway shows, gift certificates to top restaurants, luxury watches, all-inclusive resort stays, an iPad and much more. Check out pictures from the photo booth or on Facebook to relive some of the highlights of this unforgettable evening. We are so grateful to our generous event sponsors and dedicated Benefit Committee members for their incredible support! Their leadership helped raise over $100,000 for the Coalition’s youth programs, including Camp Homeward Bound and our afterschool program, Bound for Success. This year’s event was especially meaningful, as we celebrated the 30th anniversary of Camp Homeward Bound (CHB), the first sleep-away summer camp in the country designed specifically for homeless children. Over the past three decades, CHB has offered thousands of homeless girls and boys critical respite from the chaos and stress of life in a shelter in a safe and nurturing environment where they can run, swim, learn, play – and just be kids again. Again, thank you to everyone who came out and helped make the evening so special.
