Sunday marks not just Mother’s Day, but also the 34th annual Courageous Kids Day at the California’s Great America amusement park in Santa Clara.
The event, happening from 11 a.m to 3 p.m, provides children battling cancer and their families free admission to the park, along with a special programming for attendees. Event organizers said it’s a way to provide young cancer patients “a day away from cancer.”
In order to participate, attendees must be younger than 18 and currently in treatment for cancer. They can register from their current treatment center or send an email to courageouskidsdayca@cancer.org. Registration prior to the event is required.
Bay Area resident, long-time American Cancer Society volunteer, and two-time cancer survivor Gay Crawford founded the event in partnership with Great America in 1989.
In the years since then, Courageous Kids day has brought over 18,000 children to the park for games, contests and other fun.
This year, organizers have come up with a plan to include children who cannot attend the event because they are immunocompromised or are still in treatment at a facility. In what they call The Courageous Bear Campaign, volunteers deliver teddy bears, called Courageous Bears to patients throughout California.
People interested in supporting Courageous Kids Day can find ways to do so on their website. Donations can be made specifically in support of Courageous Kids Day, for American Cancer Society Childhood Cancer Research, or both. Donations to the Courageous Bears campaign will go toward both.
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