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Carousel fundraiser aids children's charities

Submitted by the Festival of Children Foundation

Carousel of Possible Dreams, a one-of-a-kind fundraising event for three charities that offer programs and services to children, took place from 5-9 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, at the Sanfilippo Estate in Barrington Hills.

Chicago civic, business, entertainment and philanthropic leaders tested their carousel riding prowess aboard the Eden Palais, a 19th Century European Salon Carousel housed at the private Sanfilippo Estate, raising $150,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana, The Little Angels Center for Exceptional Care, and National Diaper Bank Network.

Greg Leifel, director of the Sanfilippo Foundation, was the evening's master of ceremonies. He shared personal stories and encouraged the participants to go around and up and down, armed only with their cellphones, calling friends and contacts to solicit donations for the three organizations.

"The 1890 circa French Salon Carousel is the perfect venue for Carousel of Possible Dreams, where we can help move the needle for those less fortunate," James Sanfilippo said.

"It was a nice combination of friendraising, fundraiser, and people working together to make dreams come true," added Holly Buckendahl, CEO of RMHC-CNI.

"It was wonderful to be part of an organization that is built on dreams and dedicated to making them come true. It was a tremendous honor and a great help to Little Angels," said Mary Jean Adkins, director of development for Little Angels.

"We want to thank the Sanfilippo Foundation and the Festival of Children Foundation for including the National Diaper Bank Network in the Carousel of Possible Dreams," said Troy Moore, director of communications and development for NDBN.

"What an amazing event run by amazing people! We are truly honored and grateful for the generous support we received from everyone who participated in creating a memorable night. With the dollars donated, NDBN will be able to create reusable diaper drive kits that our members can use locally to attract more diaper donations and help more babies remain clean, dry and healthy."

The Carousel of Possible Dreams is an innovative fundraiser created by Festival of Children Foundation, a California-based nonprofit. The organization has hosted the carousel fundraisers throughout the U.S. for different children's charities since 2009.

"The concept of the Carousel of Possible Dreams is at the heart of Festival of Children Foundation. It's about people coming together collaboratively to make a positive difference for kids. Tonight's Carousel of Possible Dreams raised over $180k to fulfill the charities dreams," said Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, founder and executive director of 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.

All 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, visit www.festivalofchildren.org.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana is an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to care for families of children with complex medical needs by providing a "home away from home" while their child is being treated in the hospital.

Every night, 153 families heal together because of the comfort, compassion and community at five area Ronald McDonald Houses and three Ronald McDonald Family Rooms. That's 43,000 nights each year where RMHC-CNI families are able to stay close to their child, helping them to heal faster and saving them over $7 million in hotel costs. For more information, visit www.RonaldHouseChicago.org.

The Little Angels Center for Exceptional Care serves children and young adults with severe disabilities and extremely complex medical needs by operating the Pat Wasmond Home and the Cathy Freeman Center for Developmental Training.

Located in Elgin, both programs offer a lifetime of expert care in a warm, loving environment to bring new meaning to "the best life possible." To see how this is achieved, visit www.LittleAngels.org.

The National Diaper Bank Network is a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to eliminating diaper need in America by safeguarding access to clean, dry diapers. Founded in 2011 with the support of Huggies, the network raises national awareness of diaper need and supports the development and expansion of diaper banks in communities throughout the country.

Its active membership includes more than 240 diaper banks, diaper closets and food banks located in 44 states, the District of Columbia and Guam. More information on NDBN and diaper need is available at www.nationaldiaperbanknetwork.org and on Twitter

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From left, back row, Dave Lewis, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana CEO Holly Buckendahl and Ronald McDonald; front row, Ava and Zoe Buckendahl and Hunter and Rider Lewis. RMHC-CNI was one of the three charities benefitted by the Carousel of Possible Dreams fundraiser. Courtesy of the Festival of Children Foundation
Elaina McCalmont, Penny Williams, Laura Adkins and Mary Jean Adkins ride the Eden Palais, a 19th Century European Salon Carousel, at the Sanfilippo estate during the Carousel of Possible Dreams fundraiser. Courtesy of the Festival of Children Foundation
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