Dec

21

While we try to accommodate ticket requests as often as we possibly can, there are certain high-demand events that we just sometimes aren’t able to get tickets for. Last month, we were sure that would be the case for when Paul McCartney came to town. Imagine our excitement, then, when not only did we have tickets donated to the show, but 2 of the tickets came with an entire VIP experience: front-row centre tickets with a private invitation to soundcheck, a VIP hospitality suite prior to the show and a piece of concert memorabilia. Many thanks to our donor who preferred to remain anonymous… our recipients were thrilled with the evening. Once again, the picture says more than we ever could.

Jun

15

We are thrilled to be sending over 100 kids to tomorrow night’s Children of Lir performance. This evening of Irish music and dance will showcase the Knock School of Irish Dance and special musical guests as they retell the famous Irish legend about the transformation of King Lir’s children into swans by the hand of their jealous stepmother. Should be a great show, many thanks to the Rince Parents’ Association for their generous donation of tickets to get Edmonton youth and families to what is sure to be a beautiful show.

If you missed the performance on Breakfast Television yesterday, you can check out the video clip here: Children of Lir performance on BTV

May

25

From a Children’s Heart Society Family that we sent to the circus this week:

To Whom it May Concern,
Thank you so much for the tickets for the Royal Canadian Circus. Both of my children loved watching the performance. My oldest child who is eight loved the acrobats and the funny clowns. My youngest daughter who is 5 loved the atmosphere. She isn’t very verbal, so when she puts her hands in the air and yells,”yeah” you know that she is having a good time.  She rocked to the music and clapped her hands on the ride home. We really appreciate the tickets  and having the opportunity to spend the evening together as a family.
Sincerely,
Jennifer L.
Proud mom of Sapphira (8) and Vienna (4)

May

17

A lovely email came through one of our staff partners at Catholic Social Services today:

This is a comment from one of our Youth mentor volunteers who took 5 newcomer youth to the Edmonton Energy basketball game on May 5, 2012:

“Volunteering with Catholic Social Services, is both rewarding and fun. On a recent outing to watch the Edmonton Energy basketball game, our youth were given free t-shirts, post-game autographs and one teen even participated in the half time challenge. They had a great time cheering, learning Canadian customs, spending time with their peers and mentors and just laughing together. There are many opportunities to get involved in the community and this was just one of many enjoyable activities that are provided by Catholic Social Services.”

Also, in the Edmonton Journal the next day there was a picture from the game and our group (Rachel and three of the girls) were in the background of the picture
– Kara , Youth Mentor Volunteer

Thanks, Kara, for taking the time to share your appreciation… Edmonton Energy loved hearing that you had a great time.

May

10

Congratulations to the Edmonton Rush on an outstanding lacrosse season. Kids Up Front was thrilled to have partnered with Edmonton’s professional lacrosse team this year to provide Rush game tickets to local youth. But the community partnership didn’t end there: Booster Juice has been an great supporter of the Edmonton Rush by hosting school clinics throughout the lacrosse season. When we started working with Cheryl Schneider, a Healthy Living Coach for 7 inner city schools, we wanted to give those kids the same opportunity. With the generous support of Greg Christenson and Christenson Developments, students from those inner city schools were able to attend a lacrosse game and learn more about the sport at clinics in their schools facilitated by Edmonton Rush players. For most of the kids in the inner city schools, this was the first time they were able to have an opportunity like this, and watching them experience it was uplifting. Our favourite story was of John, a little boy who moved here from the Philippines only two weeks before the lacrosse clinic was held at their school. With an odd number of students in the class, friends paired off quickly and John was left on his own, not even really understanding what was going on with his limited English skills. But he was beaming instantly when Jesse, the Edmonton Rush player facilitating the clinic, paired up with him and proceeded to give him one-on-one tips and coaching him for the rest of their session.

John had a great time at the Edmonton Rush lacrosse clinic

To Bruce Urban, owner of the Edmonton Rush, and Gord Sawyer, President of the team, and especially to players Ryan Dilks (#24) and Jesse Fehr (#18), thank you for your community involvement and for helping us create something truly special for local youth. You’ve definitely garnered some lifelong fans in the process. Can’t wait to do it all over again next year!

Apr

20

Just got a heartwarming little note from one of our agency workers who deals directly with some of the children and families making use of the services Kids Up Front is able to provide:

“Thank you! I really appreciate all the cool opportunities you guys are finding!”

What a great note to end the week with. We look forward to building and growing Kids Up Front to be able to continue to provide quality opportunities and experiences for Edmonton and area youth.

Mar

23

It’s certainly been a feel-good week for us in the office, being able to be part of the chain of events that allowed Dotti to attend a Hedley concert on Wednesday night. You can read all about how it came to be here. For a girl who was rendered speechless days ago by the surprise tickets, it certainly looks as though Dotti and her sister had the time of our lives. Once again, sincere thanks to those involved in making this dream come true for Dotti, and to all our partners and donors who continue to help us provide such amazing experiences for such amazing Edmonton kids.

Dotti and her sister get to meet Hedley

Mar

19

Some of you may recall that a few months back, CityTV invited us to bring a few kids down to Breakfast Television and to share what Kids Up Front was all about. Well, one of the kids left such an impression with her dream ticket request (a Hedley concert) that the great folks over at CityTV made sure that when that concert was coming through town, she would be seeing them. Not only that, but thanks to Universal Music, she gets to meet the band as well; needless to say, when we surprised her at school with the tickets today, she was left speechless. Many, many thanks to everyone involved in making this dream come true.

Jennifer Parenteau (The Way In); Dotti, our lucky ticket recipient; Christine Cunningham (Kids Up Front)

Mar

14

The University very generously arranged for us to send a number of organizations to a Pandas championship hockey game last weekend. One of the young men from Transitions said he had an amazing time at the event. Thanks to the U of A for helping us create 100 meaningful experiences that night!

Mar

13

As always, a private ticket donation created an unforgettable opportunity for a child at one of our partner agencies… in this case, last night’s Oilers Game was experienced by Boys and Girls Club of Strathcona County:

Awesome seats thanks so much!

We loved hearing that this little super-fan even got to take home 2 game pucks with him; what a memorable night!