Adventure in the Smithsonian!

On a beautiful Saturday, the 18^th of April, the Great Escapes families of the DC/Metropolitan area ventured into our nation’s capitol for an event planned by me, the Special Events Intern, Hannah Nichols! They enjoyed a picnic on the mall, sponsored by Qdoba, and an adventure through the many exhibits of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.!

 

The picnic started at 1PM and as the families trickled in, they enjoyed burritos, chips, and brownies while sitting in the grass talking amongst each other. As everyone finished up with their lunches, some of us played a game to get to know each other better, asking everyone “If you were…” questions, such as “If you were a dinosaur, what dinosaur would you be?” The families all got into it, coming up with questions of their own!

 

Once everyone had finished eating, we all went inside the museum, armed with scavenger hunt sheets and disposable cameras. Each family wandered around the museum, looking at the different exhibits, learning new things and taking fun pictures all along the way. The scavenger hunt suggested different pictures that got families surfing with sea turtles, getting buggy at the insect zoo, digging around with the gems and minerals, and so much more! (Even volunteers got in on the fun!)

 

We all reunited at 3PM to see what everyone thought of the event and also to take a group picture! Everyone seemed to have really enjoyed themselves and expressed great interest in participating in more events like this one!  After the group photo had been taken and we talked a bit, some families decided to go home, others went to a couple other museums, and still others chose to stay and continue to explore at the Natural History Museum!

It was a great day and I would like to thank everyone who came out to either help or participate! I hope you all had as much fun as I did!

 

Here is what some of our families had to say about the day:

“Good experience to get your mind off stuff and relax, explore and learn for the entire family. Also, lunch was great! Thanks!”

“This experience was better than the normal walk in a museum.”

“It was fun to have goals and things to specifically look for.”

“It was very educational and fun for the kids.”

Carly Weaver donates books!

 

Carly Weaver, a very giving and mature young lady collected and donated over 250 books to donate to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Towson, MD.   Starlight MidAtlantic helped coordinate the drop-off of the books to the children at St.Joseph’s, but the hard work was all Carly!  The pediatric patients at St.Joseph’s were very excited to receive the books from Carly, and the staff greatly appreciated her generosity.  Each of the books had a sticker that said “Donated by Carly Weaver & Starlight MidAtlantic”, so the pediatric patients will always be able to see Carly’s charitable work! Check out the picture of Carly with her books below!  Here is what St. Joseph’s had to say about Carly’s donation:

Just wanted to take a moment and let you know how much we appreciate the wonderful books that were brought in last week end to our Pediatrics Department.  Please let Carly and her Mom know how much we appreciate the generous donation.  Paulette Ball, Administrative Coordinator, Department of Pediatrics.  

 

 

Carly with her donated books!

 

 

 

Rise Sports Complex Event in Richmond

Richmond area Starlight families took a Great Escape to Rise indoor sports center. From hula-hoop contests to football toss, there was no shortage of activities to participate in on the bright green floor of the indoor soccer field which was the perfect place to run around and celebrate the spring season! This truly was an escape for everyone not just soccer pros–tables and pizza for chatting parents, plenty of M&M’s for us chocolate loving volunteers and games like tossing footballs, soccer of course, and a Moon-Bounce for the kids. Perhaps the best part of what seemed like our own little carnival at RISE was when parents and kids joined in for a classic gym class round of parachute games. Popping the fabric up and down as a little or not so little kid bounced around in the center of the red, green, yellow, and blue fabric put us all into high spirits and laughter. Our friends at RISE even put together a terrific team of face painting artists who did everything from flowers to football team mascots. Popcorn and soda really hit the spot after all that running around. Best of all, Vanessa took and awesome photo of all of us together, perfect for out soccer picture frames!

Almost all of us:) Some of our friends left before out picture.

Anyone like to fly today?

“All Fired Up” and Ready to Paint!

On Saturday, April 11, Starlight held one of the most imaginative events we’ve had in a while. Many Great Escape families showed up to All Fired Up ready express their creative juices by painting pieces of pre-made pottery to their liking. With a huge selection that included almost everything – from robots and monkeys to fairies and mermaids to teapots and creamers – we had neither idea what each child would choose nor how each would express their artistry. However, each piece proved to be as original as the artists themselves. We would like to extend our thanks to both teams at All Fired Up and Potbelly Sandwich Works. We appreciate the kindness that you extended toward the Starlight family.

Miss Teen Maryland’s Fun Center dedication!

On Wednesday, March 25th we gathered for the Wii Fun Center dedication at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. Brittany Sullivan who is Miss Teen Maryland and our Teen Ambassador raised $$ for a Wii Fun Center to be placed at Shady Grove Hospital in honor of her grandfather, who recently passed away.  We had a big turnout of people, many who had supported Brittany in her fundraising.  The Kiwanis, Rotary Club, the Gazette, and Fox News and many of Brittany’s family members came out to support her wonderful philanthropic work!  One of the pediatric patients, Jack, even got to try out the Fun Center and demonstrate his Wii expertise.  It was a great day, and we applaud Brittany on her great work.  She is only about $500 away from raising enough for another Fun Center!  Check out the video from the Gazette  and the pictures!

 

http://www.gazette.net/stories/03262009/montnew161607_32487.shtml 

Brittany talking about why she donated the Fun Center to Shady Grove!