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Last year, organizers of the first-ever Festival of Children hoped the event would become a long-standing tradition in Orange County. Today, their sights are set on spreading the concept to other communities. The event, which celebrates children and family through a month-long series of festivities beginning in September, is the brainchild of Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, managing partner of C.J. Segerstorm & Sons, which owns, among other business entities, South Coast Plaza. In addition to popular offerings, such as exhibits, entertainment and celebrity appearances, the second annual event offers a valued component: It brings together dozens of organizations dedicated to children. The Festival of Children, presented by South Coast Plaza and Children's Hospital of Orange County, will be held at South Coast Plaza. Associate Editor Sandy Bennett recently met with Sandy Segerstrom Daniels about the creation of the event, the benefits it brings to the community, and other topics surrounding the festival. You've been involved in a number of children's organizations, from Children's Hospital of Orange County to the Southern California Children's Chorus. Where does your spirit of giving come from? It's from the examples that you have growing up and that would be my parents. They were very giving to people of their time and money. They were always helping out friends. A couple of them lived with us for a time when they were having problems with their families. (My parents) always took them in, gave them a place. One of your latest endeavors is the Festival of Children. How was the idea born? It was really an idea that came to my mind out of frustration one day. I had gotten my mail. You get requests for charitable contributions all the time and just can't support them all. Literally, I was standing there with two requests for a golf tournament like a week apart. And I thought, 'I wish you guys could just get together on this.' Then, I started thinking, 'Well, why can't they? Why can't groups start working together?' And I just kept thinking about the concept. What was the community's reaction to the inaugural event? It was very welcomed. The charities loved the exposure. It was a first time for everybody and we didn't really know how things were going to go or what was going to work and what wasn't going to work. And the concept of bringing these groups together, literally making them play together for a whole month, it worked. We tried to group some groups together that were similar in their mission statement and several of them did comment on how they were able to partner on an event of some sort and work together. And the community, they loved it because we brought all these events in and they were able to 1) experience the educational part of it; 2) have some fun; and 3) of course, meet all the charities and learn about them in one place. How do nonprofit agencies benefit from the Festival of Children? It's a whole month of free marketing for them. One of the concepts of the festival is that it is offered free of charge. No one pays for anything. The events are free to the public and being in the festival itself is free to the charities. So, it's a wonderful opportunity for them for a whole month of marketing. They just have to provide their tabletops. They have to keep them stocked with flyers and pamphlets and have somebody there on the weekends to man them. It also helps the charities to connect with volunteers, people who wanted to get involved. What about Orange County families. How do they benefit? Besides being just a fun thing to do, there are a lot of educational things, too. For instance, when we brought in SpongeBob SquarePants - a big family favorite - we had more than 5,000 people that came as families that day. They got to see SpongeBob and they got a free photo. We also brought in Arnold Schwarzenegger to talk about after-school programs. And that was the whole thing, to try to provide a well-rounded event. Another big element is it shows children about the gift of giving and what it means to have a sense of community. What ages are best suited for the Festival of Children? All ages. What events we thought were geared toward younger kids, like SpongeBob, we had more tweens and adults showing up for those things. For Mr. Winkle, we had an adult couple drive 500 miles from San Francisco. And of course, the younger kids loved the arts and crafts. Bowers Museum did a Pioneer Day program. We also had safety seminars for parents and grandparents. So we try to gear it toward all ages. And this year, I think, we are going to have a very well-blended bunch of events. More than 50 nonprofit agencies and 1 million people participated in the event last year. To what do you attribute its overwhelming success? Well, one, we did a lot of marketing and got the word out there. Two, our resource at South Coast Plaza, which is a draw to people anyway. And then, the programming. Another key element is that there are no other events that we are aware of that bring together numerous charities dedicated solely to children. I think, 'What if there's a family, and heaven forbid, there's a child that's being abused?' They are able to walk by this table and grab a pamphlet. If you've helped one child or family, then it's a success. A month-long event is quite an undertaking. How long and what does it take to pull off such an event? By the time we actually got our logistics on our first Festival of Children, we started about the first part of April. So we - I have an incredible team - put together that entire festival in about five months. And, we've actually been working continually on this year's festival since December...Last year, we weren't sure how it was going to take shape. And then after that last day - we ended with a group hug - on my way home I thought, 'How are we ever going to top it next year?' It was just such a high and so wonderful. What were a few of last year's most popular attractions? Of course, SpongeBob SquarePants and the Disney Princess storytelling and the characters. Disney brought Mickey and Minnie in and we had a photo session. Our back-to-school fashion show was really popular and the celebrities. They always draw. Will there be any new and/or expanded offerings this year? We hope to have the charities take the stage a little more and do some presenting as Ballet Pacifica and the Orange County High School of the Arts did last year. South Coast Repertory wants to do a mini-dramatic workshop to expose children to theater and to maybe further develop an interest. We're also working with Vans and Wahoo's to bring in an extreme sports park one weekend. Another new addition is Mervyn's Moving Mission, a large, mobile exhibit that shows some of California's missions. And we have a lot of feeders out in the celebrity community. They are very interested. What excites them is that they can come and represent and do good for more than 50 children's charities. Last year's event prompted the Orange County Board of Supervisors to declare September as "Child Awareness Month." Efforts are underway to extend this declaration throughout the state of California. We're working with state Assemblyman Lou Correa's office. They'll do a member resolution, which is passed through the state of California...People ask, 'Well, why dedicate just one month to child awareness?' It's like any other resolution: It's not just dedicating one month and then you forget about your kids the other months. September just happens to be a natural time, with kids going back to school, to really concentrate on our children. What are they getting? What are they not getting? And how can we better improve? It's kind of a month to inspire parents and children to be the best that they can and give them some education on how to do it. What are your hopes for the second annual Festival of Children? For one, the statewide resolution. Second, get the word out and hopefully a media buzz for what we're doing for our kids here in Orange County and that it will connect through other communities. I think this will take off and go to other communities, even outside of California. So there may be a time when we actually will be able to take our show on the road and go to another state and actually help them set up this event. Festival of Children participants A number of organizations will participate in the second annual Festival of Children. The following is a list of confirmed groups at press time: Art & Creativity for Healing Ballet Pacifica/Ballet Pacifica Conservatory Blind Children's Learning Center Boys & Girls Clubs of Orange County Boys Hope/Girls Hope Camp Fire USA Canyon Acres Children's Services Centennial Farms Children's Home Society of California Children's Museum at La Habra Costa Mesa Police Department Court Appointed Special Advocates Discovery Arts Discovery Science Center Families Forward Free Arts for Abused Children Friends of Santa Ana Zoo Girl Scout Council of Orange County Girls, Inc. Irvine Fine Arts Center Kids Konnected Laura's House LILA - French American School Make a Wish Foundation Mission San Juan Capistrano MOMS Resource Center Olive Crest The Orange County Child Abuse Prevention Center Orangewood Children's Center The Raise Foundation Southern California Children's Chorus Special Olympics STOP GAP T.A.S.K. Sierra Club - Inner City Outings Event by event What to see during the September Festival A month-long celebration of children and family will be featured in September as South Coast Plaza and Children's Hospital of Orange County present the second annual Festival of Children. This free event will take place at South Coast Plaza on the first level of both the main plaza and the Bear Street complex as well as in the parking lot. The festival, which combines education and family fun, features exhibits, celebrity appearances and entertainment. Among the many topics to be covered are health, wellness and safety education, sports and activities, education and literacy, and arts and entertainment. Exhibits from Orange County-based and national nonprofit organizations also will be on display throughout the month, providing parents and children with timely and relevant information about charities that support children, family and community. More than 50 agencies participated in the inaugural event. This year, organizers hope to attract even more. While programs will be offered each day throughout the month of September, most of the activities will be presented on weekends. The following is a sample of this year's happenings. (Dates and times are subject to change; celebrity appearances to be announced in upcoming weeks. Please visit www.festivalofchildren.org for confirmation and additions.) September 6 CHOC Safety Mobile (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Cub Scout "Pinewood Derby" (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Disney Princess Storytelling (11 a.m.-5 p.m) Lowes' Great Adventure Safety House (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Mighty Ducks Hockey Clinic and player appearances (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Museum with Arts & Crafts Activities (noon-5 p.m.) Speech and Language Center "Hi Tops" dance performers (noon) Ohmland: Children's musical/Yoga group (2 p.m.) September 7 Centennial Farm: Bill & Bob oxen team, planting, seedling transplanting, cow milking demo (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Grandparents' Day (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Lowes' Great Adventure Safety House (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Mighty Ducks Hockey Clinic and player appearances (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Petting Zoo (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Museum with Arts & Crafts Activities (noon-5 p.m.) September 12 "Mommy and Tea" Day (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) September 13 Extreme Sports Park (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) In-line Skating Clinic (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Museum with Arts & Crafts Activities (noon-5 p.m.) OCHSA Showcase (2 p.m.) Ballet Pacifica (3 p.m.) September 14 Extreme Sports Park (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Lunch With Legends: Sports Figures (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) Habitat for Humanity Bird-House Building (noon-4 p.m.) Museum with Arts & Crafts Activities (noon-5 p.m.) Soccer Clinic (noon-3 p.m.) Animal Show from Santa Ana Zoo (2 p.m.-3 p.m.) Gwendolyn: Children's Band (2 p.m.) September 19 "Mommy and Tea" Day (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) September 20 "Camp South Coast Plaza": Girl Scouts Badge Drive (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) CHOC Safety Mobile (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Disney Characters (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Safety Day: Police and Fire Department Equipment Exhibits (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Museum with Arts & Crafts Activities (noon-5 p.m.) Peter Vidmar: Gymnastics Clinic (noon-3 p.m.) September 21 "Camp South Coast Plaza": Girl Scouts Badge Drive (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Disney Characters (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Home Depot parking lot, hands-on activity (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Museum with Arts & Crafts Activities (noon-5 p.m.) Soccer Clinic (noon-3 p.m.) Fashion Show (1 p.m.) Animal Show from Santa Ana Zoo (2 p.m.-3 p.m.) Ballet Pacifica (3 p.m.) Pacific Symphony Orchestra Youth Orchestra (4 p.m.) September 26 "Mommy and Tea" Day (11 a.m.-1 p.m.) September 27 Cox Cable presents: "Hullabaloo Screening Party" the Power Puff Girls (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Disney Characters (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Mervyn's Moving Mission (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Museum with Arts & Crafts Activities (noon-5 p.m.) September 28 Disney Characters (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) In-line Skating Clinic (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Mervyn's Moving Mission (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Museum with Arts & Crafts Activities (noon-5 p.m.) Speech and Language Center "Hi Tops" dance performers (noon) OCHSA Showcase (2 p.m.) OC Family Magazine is a sponsor of the event. For more information on the Festival of Children, visit www.festivalofchildren.org or call 714.546.0110. |
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