CASA Participates in the 41st Annual Foster Children’s Festival at the North Pole

We are honored to once again have been a part of the 41st Annual Foster Children’s Festival at the North Pole. Nearly 800 youth in foster care, along with their foster families, CASAs, and group home staff poured into Santa’s Workshop for a day of food and fun!

Many of the youth had never been to an amusement park before and experienced pure joy of being swept away by rides like the Candy Cane Coaster, Peppermint Slide, and Santa’s Sleigh Ride. Seeing the countless smiles and hearing their laughter makes the North Pole event one of our favorite days of the year! Hearing back from some of our foster parents just reinforced the incredible impact a day at an amusement park brings.

“Our family would like to thank you the wonderful time we had at the North Pole on Saturday. We had a blast! We were so well cared for — the check-in was easy, the lunch provided was awesome, and interacting with other foster families was a bonus. It was great to see our foster laugh and be a kid, as this is missing a lot in her life.”

“Thank you so much for the countless hours you must spend each year just to get this event completed. Coming to the North Pole puts a smile on [my foster son’s] face when he figures out where we are. He is outgrowing the little kids rides,…however, as long as he has a merry go round with music, it’s all good.”

“This foster parenting journey has been something. I have three foster kids who were non-verbal when they came to me a few months ago. The boys have come so far and can play with the other kids now that they can actually talk. To hear the sound of their laughter was so great! The girl’s first ride ever went from being terrified to happy. She would see me as the ride went around, smile, and say, “Ma, ma, ma.”