Owed to Volunteers!

By C.J. Hirschfield

Finding caterpillar eggs. Helping kids make fairy houses. Handing out treats on Halloween. Making popcorn for a family sleepover. Pulling weeds. Leading a Toddler Storytime.

These are just a handful of the many volunteer opportunities that Fairyland offers.

As we enter the new year, I want to take a moment to thank the 540 awesome Fairyland volunteers who contributed a total of 3,700 service hours in 2018. I’d like to reflect on the amazing work they helped us accomplish — without them, we simply would not have been able to serve as many happy kids as we did.

26 volunteers recently helped us take down our Fairy Winterland lights. This helper came to us from One Brick.

Who are these fairy godparents? A snapshot:

4 volunteers contributed more than 85 hours each
7 new inspiring Toddler Storytime readers were trained
10 Monarch Magicians saved more than 500 monarch butterflies
 

An Ice Rink Glides into Old Oakland

By C.J. Hirschfield

Last Friday I witnessed something in Old Oakland that I'd never seen in our city: dozens of kids, teens, and adults gliding, laughing, and occasionally stumbling around an outdoor ice rink.

Magic? No – just the latest creative idea born of creativity and civic determination. It was the grand opening of the Old Oakland Holiday Ice Rink – Oakland’s first outdoor ice rink in 63 years – in a space formerly occupied by a parking lot.

Skating in the Old Oakland Holiday Ice Rink. Photo: Visit Oakland

Giving That Feels Good

By C.J. Hirschfield

This is a special time of year at Children’s Fairyland. While Fairyland rings with the laughter of children and families on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, we have the rest of the week to tend to our facility’s needs, to reflect on what we were able to accomplish this past year, and to plan for the next.

Last year we learned that families living in temporary housing often find themselves without shelter for part of the day. Knowing how difficult that must be, we launched a new program, in partnership with First 5 Alameda County and Lyft, to become a haven for families waiting for shelter space during their transition. Using Lyft’s concierge service, we arrange for round-trip transportation from the shelter to Fairyland and welcome the families with admission passes and vouchers for lunch from our Johnny Appleseed Café.