The event benefited The Chicago Academy for the Arts, Hope Chicago, Jessie Rees Foundation, Royal Family KIDS, and Turning Pointe Autism Foundation
BARRINGTON HILLS, Ill. And COSTA MESA, Calif. (October 21, 2023) – The 10th Annual Carousel of Possible Dreams Chicago has raised $300,000 to help fund the specific individual needs, or dreams, of five children’s charities, including: The Chicago Academy for the Arts, Hope Chicago, Jessie Rees Foundation, Royal Family KIDS, and Turning Pointe Autism Foundation. Created and produced by Festival of Children Foundation in partnership with the Sanfilippo Foundation, the event was held at the Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington Hills, Illinois, on the evening of Saturday, October 21st. 250 guests attended the event that featured entertainment by The Chicago Academy for the Arts, estate tours, including the newly opened Perfume Passage, and a cocktail reception in the Carousel Pavilion.
The event is quite unique as it serves as central fundraising effort to amplify and optimize fundraising efforts for each charity. Following six weeks of peer-to-peer fundraising, local civic, business and philanthropic leaders representing each charity climbed aboard the “Eden Palais,” a spectacular 19th century, European Salon carousel meticulously restored by the Sanfilippo family. As they rode the carousel up to 50 times around each, guests pledged donations to help the charities reach or surpass their individual fundraising goals. “I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Sanfilippo Family and everyone who contributed to the success of this event,” said Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, founder & executive director of Festival of Children Foundation. Daniels continued, “The inspiration to support these five incredible children’s charities is driven by a shared vision of a brighter future for all kids. Through the generous contributions of our sponsors, donors, and attendees, we have taken significant steps towards achieving this goal.”
The Carousel of Possible Dreams Chicago is produced each year in partnership with the Sanfilippo Foundation of Barrington Hills by Festival of Children Foundation (FOCF), a national non-profit organization based in Orange County, California, that serves and supports nearly 500 children’s charities across the country. FOCF has also produced several other Carousel of Possible Dreams in Central Park in New York City, in Griffith Park in Los Angeles, at South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, California, at the Children’s Creativity Museum in San Francisco, and Disneyland. To date, the initiative has raised $5M to fund 240 high-impact programs for children’s charities across the United States.
The five children’s charities in this year’s event are:
The Chicago Academy for the Arts, whose Possible Dream is to offer full scholarships through the young men’s dance initiative. chicagoacademyforthearts.org
Hope Chicago, whose Possible Dream is to create pathways to success for multiple generations of Chicagoans through equitable access to higher education. hopechicago.org
Jessie Rees Foundation, whose Possible Dreams is to provide Jessie’s JoyJars® to kids fighting cancer and ongoing encouragement to Never Ever Give Up! negu.org
Royal Family KIDS, whose Possible Dream is to provide 5-day summer camps and monthly mentoring clubs that are free to children in foster care across the northwest suburbs of Chicago. rfk187.org
Turning Pointe Autism Foundation, whose Possible Dream is to improve the safety of their students at school and give them every opportunity to learn important new skills, grow socially, and broaden their access to the world in a safe and enriching setting. turningpointeautismfoundation.org
About Festival of Children Foundation
Festival of Children Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves to bring together and coordinate the efforts of charities, companies and individuals who work to improve the lives of children. 100% of the administrative costs are covered by designated funding, allowing donations to go further in direct support of programs and services that improve the lives of children nationwide. For more information please visit www.festivalofchildren.org.
Contact: Cassady Taylor
Festival of Children Foundation
(714) 438 – 3205
ctaylor@festivalofchildren.org
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