On the early morning of July 9th, kids loaded their camping gear and boarded a charter bus heading south from Edmonton. Kids spent five spectacular packed days in the outdoors and experienced the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, the Badlands, the HooDoos, Horseshoe Canyon, the Royal Tyrell Museum, the Atlas Coal Mine, East Coulee School Museum, a Hutterite Colony, bison paddock, Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump and a Tee Pee Village. Kids returned home on July 13th.

Daytime was spent playing, learning and trekking. The nights were spent around the campfire telling stories and singing songs. Sleeping took place in miners’ shacks and tee pees. Kids gained appreciation for Alberta’s environment, rich history and cultures as well as being given special insight into the Blackfoot culture and Piikanni Nation’s legends as told by the Elders.

Checkout the fun here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XMRTxF5nxY and visit the KIDS ON THE ROAD scrapbook.

Kids Up Front acknowledges the AMAZING support of program partners, Nomad Travel and associate vendors, program donors, T. Grundy, the Butler Family Foundation, C. Oshry, T&S Kane, K&J Fraser, program visionaries, Douglas Bevans, Cam Baker, Christine Cunningham, film guy, Dave Luxton/Dlux Productions, gear suppliers/designers, Above & Beyond Promotions, Kelly Resener, and stellar group leaders, Matt, Niki, Michelle and Jen. Thanks to ALL OF YOU, a bunch of great kids connected, formed friendships, discovered, dreamed…one magical bus ticket at a time!

“This is a wonderful gift that will strengthen our ability to deliver our 2010 program. I express heartfelt thanks to the Community Spirit Program for recognizing Kids Up Front, and to our financial supporters who made possible this opportunity.” KARLA SCHELL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The Community Spirit Program was launched in 2008 and is intended to encourage Albertans to donate to their charities of choice. Organizations, like Kids Up Front, can apply for a match of up to $25,000 for donations received from individuals throughout the year. For more information about the program, go to http://culture.alberta.ca/communityspirit/default.aspx

TAKE A CHANCE FOR KIDS

◊ Donating a pair of event tickets you can’t use to support the Kids Up Front ticket bank

◊ Donating $10 to receive additional casino chips  and/or $10 for a FAS Martini (donors receive entry for the grand prize draw to win WestJet’s Gift of Flight…2 tickets anywhere WestJet flies!)

◊ Bidding on Silent and Live Auction Items (check back in the fall for a list of featured items)

Event tickets are $200 and include entry to casino, first round of casino chips, drinks and appetizers. 
Tickets can be purchased on-line. (Ticket price includes a charitable portion) Companies are invited to pick-up a two pair (group of 10 tickets) for $1,999. View  tac2010-evite.

If you can’t make TAKE A CHANCE, you can still support this important Kids Up Front fundraiser by making a cash donation online or mail in our tac2010-donation-card

Sponsorship opportunties are still available. Download tac-2010-sponsorship-package

Thank You to our Sponsors!

BIG SLICK (Presenting)

BLACK JACK (Casino)

TRUE NORTH HOLDINGS

MEDIA (TV)

GRAND PRIZE

WestJet

DONATE THE EVENT TICKETS YOU CAN’T USE

 “This was a once in a life time experience for this youth and has already proven to have a positive effect on his actions. Sometimes we don’t see what effect we have on our youth, but I know that these experiences you provide to students will impact their lives now and in the future.” Read Nancy’s letter starprogram_jan2010

If you“can’t use your ticket, give it to a kid who can!” You will make a unique difference in the life of a kid! Click here to find out how.

Want to make a kid’s first-time hockey, lacrosse or concert event extra-memorable? Add a Kids Kombo and give a kid the means to visit the concession too!

Can’t use your ticket? programming is made possible through our  growing roster of ticket  donors as well as key charity ticket program partnerships we share with local arts, sports and entertainment organizations. Program delivery is supported by financial partners. If you’d like to financially support our Can’t use your ticket? and Kids Kombo programs, make a gift online.  Kids Up Front will turn your gift into a lasting experience for a kids(s).

Charity Ticket Program Partners

Media Partners                                   Take A Chance For Kids Presenting Partner
                    

More than 37,300 Kids Up Front experiences valued at $663,319 already granted in 2010!

BRAVO for KIDS (arts) 753
Citadel Theatre 556, International Children’s Festival 40, Celtic Dance 18, Edmonton Opera 25, Edmonton Symphony Orchestra 114                                                                                                                        

CHEER for KIDS (sports) 7,952
All Stars Baseball 500, Canada Celebrates 1058, Edmonton Capitals 445, College Rodeo Finals 18, Edmonton Eskimos  393/game, FC Edmonton Soccer 216, Edmonton Oilers 597, Edmonton Oil Kings 853, Old Timers Hockey Challenge 400, Edmonton Rush 1,501, Track and Field 8, University of Alberta Athletics 1,963                                                                                                                      

ROCK-OUT for KIDS (concerts) 760 

MOVIE NIGHTS for KIDS 38     

ALL-OUT-FUN for KIDS (entertainment) 28,799
AirFest 40, Canada Day Party at the Garrison 285, CapEX 27,000, CapEX Ride All Day 100, Enterprise Rent-A-Car Roller Skating Party 300, Eville Roller Derby 4, Farm & Ranch Show 60, Honda Indy  (Kids at the Track) 135, IMAX 30, MMA 2, Monster Jam 29, Monster Pro Wrestling 564, Shrine Circus 16, WEM Galaxyland/Waterpark Choice Passes 34, World Extreme Cage Fighting 200             

KIDS KOMBO (concession vouchers) 220

CHEER FOR KIDS
EDMONTON ESKIMOS CHARITY TICKET PROGRAM
Join Kids Up Front in giving a BIG, LOUD, CHEER for the Edmonton Eskimos and Full Back, Graeme Bell for inviting Kids to Commonwealth Stadium to share the experience of live CFL football action as fans in the stands!   

Kids Up Front is proud to team up with the Esks’ tradition of excellence to deliver the Esks’ Charity Ticket Program! The Esks, their corporate partners and season ticket holders will enable an average of 400 kids to attend each and EVERY home game to cheer for the ‘green & gold’ during the 2010 CFL Season.   

GRAEME BELL

“Our goal this year is to fill even more seats with hopeful eyes. Sometimes the healthy memory or the positive pick up that a single ticket provides can be a turning point to inspiring dreams, comforting a void, or motivating kids to do more with what they have. I encourage all Eskimo supporters to try and be a part of something that transforms a day, and potentially an individual.” GRAEME BELL 

(Read Graeme’s letter-to-season-ticket-holders)

Want to share your passion for football along side Kids Up Front Ambassador, Graeme Bell, and the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club? Support this FANtastic program by donating the game tickets you can’t use to Kids Up Front.  

Go to your Esks account manager and donate electronically to info@kidsupfrontedmonton.com . Kids Up Front will gladly accept tickets until 2 pm on game days. For weekend games, please send tickets prior to 2 pm on Friday.

Kids Up Front expresses our heartfelt thanks to Graeme, the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club and to the Esks’ Charity Ticket Program sponsors, All Sports, B&M Mechanical, Boston Pizza, Canadian Tire, Crystal Glass, Karl Hager Limb & Brace, Local 488, Park N Fly, Save-On-Foods, Staples, Supreme Basics, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare, for giving Kids the chance to be part of Esk history - each and every time they step on the field during the 2010 CFL Football Season. GO ESKS GO!

In addition to the Esks’ Charity Ticket program, 2010 CHEER FOR KIDS ticket donors have provided 7, 952 experiences (January - August 2010). Here’s a look at Kids Up Front cheering sections at various Edmonton sporting events: 

All Stars Baseball  500, Canada Celebrates 1058, Edmonton Capitals 445, College Rodeo Finals 18, Edmonton Eskimos (avg 400/game), FC Edmonton Soccer 216, Edmonton Oilers 597, Edmonton Oil Kings 853, Old Timers Hockey Challenge 400, Edmonton Rush 1,501, Track and Field 8, University of Alberta Athletics, 1,963 

Other CHEER FOR KIDS PROGRAMS

EDMONTON RUSH
The Rush, Pizza Hut and Realty Executives team up for Kids in 2010
The Edmonton RUSH and their corporate partners are committed to giving kids a rush through their KidsUpFront Sponsorship Program.

Each year, the Rush organization appeals to the community minded businesses to purchase season tickets for Kids Up Front. 

In addition to Pizza Hut, REALTY EXECUTIVES, have also teamed up with the RUSH to sponsor tickets for kids, why?… as Len Nunes from the RUSH stated, “Realty Executives are simply real! A company that firmly believes in building community.” Well said Len!  

This just in, United Cycle is also making seats available for  ! Any extra seats that aren’t sold through United Cycle’s in-store RUSH promotion will be donated to Kids up Front.

Kids (like those in the photo) are ready to experience the RUSH this season!

Thanks to the incredible generosity of the RUSH and partners, young fans will continue to have the awesome chance to experience live lacrosse at Rexall Place.

If you would like to sponsor season tickets for Kids, please contact the Rush organization directly.

“Getting to see the RUSH came at a time when we could use some kindness.” [The RUSH organization's] generosity was a good energy booster and restored our hope again in life…plus it was a good spot for my kids and me to yell at the top of our lungs-getting rid of every frustration!”  From A MOM OF FOUR YOUNG RUSH FANS

If sometime during the upcoming season you can’t use your Rush tickets, please give them to a Kid who can and add a Kids Kombo to let your fan visit the concession. GO RUSH and thanks for supporting Kids!

EDMONTON OILERS and EDMONTON OIL KINGS SEATS FOR KIDS PROGRAMS 2010
Thanks to the generosity of the Edmonton Oilers Charitable Foundation and numerous Oilers and Oil Kings season ticket holders, more than 1000 kids and families were granted the “chance of a lifetime” to visit Rexall Place to cheer for their local hockey heroes! 

Getting the chance to watch the Oilers, in particular, creates such excitement for the young people that are granted tickets through the Kids Up Front Foundation. When you read about the positive effect an Oilers hockey game had on a young man, all fans can be reminded that–win or lose–we cannot discount the power of an Oilers hockey experience! Read starprogram_jan2010.

BRAVO FOR KIDS
“Kids Up Front helps to change life stories and how students define themselves.  It is part of the whole picture in making healthy kids and families.  The little ticket makes a big difference; it helps our initiative to improve the mental health of the students and families that we see.” DENA DAVIS
Asst Principal Dan Knott Junior High School/Program Coordinator THE WAY IN

Exposing at-promise students to the Arts is a proven strategy that builds the 40 Developmental Assets^TM that are necessary for young people to become healthy, caring and responsible adults. During the 2009-2010 school year, our focused work with The Way In Program, indicated improved attendance and academic performance as well as enhanced feelings of hope and self esteem in the students that were granted tickets from Kids Up Front to attend Arts performances. Through strategic partnerships with the Citadel Theatre and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra/Winspear Centre, in particular, Kids Up Front made it possible for 600 kids and families a life enriching means of escape.

THEATRE FOR ALL
Kids Up Front creates access to theatre with the help of The Citadel Theatre and CIBC. Building on a successful partnership, the continued development of the CIBC Theatre for All program enters its third season. With the time and commitment of all three agencies, a donated ticket pool will be kept and administered by Citadel, as well as the always available direct-to-Kids option, both allowing notification to potential recipients in plenty of time for plenty of great experiences.

Kids get special backstage experience at A CHRISTMAS CAROL thanks to the CIBC and the Citadel Theatre

This season, children will have the opportunity to see JUNGLE BOOK and AS YOU LIKE IT, and the team at The Citadel works hard to foster both fun and education. 

Kids are invited to a pre-show chat that gives them insight into the story, and at intermission, receive a special ice-cream treat; a London Theatre tradition that Joe Shoctor brought to Edmonton when he created the Citadel Theatre. Following the show, a backstage tour ices the cake, educating kids on the people and magic behind live performance.

Pauline Hughes of CIBC Community Relations states “This unique partnership aligns beautifully with CIBC’s community focus on helping young people reach their full potential” - and Kids up Front couldn’t agree more. The imagination, tradition and plain old fun of live theatre makes for memories that last a lifetime. Please visit Citadel Theatre and CIBC to learn more about their work in the arts and community.

Enriching Kids with Music
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, ENMAX and the Cosmopolitan Music Society enhance the cultural life of kids through giving kids the chance to experience music.

 Kids Up Front partnerships with the ESO, ENMAX and the Cosmopolitan Music Society expose kids to various forms of music each year. As title sponsor for the ESSO Symphony for Kids Series at the ESO, ESSO Resources donates their Symphony for Kids season tickets to Kids Up Front. Each season, 100 kids ranging in ages from 5 to 12  get the chance to experience the interactive orchestral matinees as well as the play & learn activities scheduled before performances.

In celebration of the naming of ENMAX Hall at the Winspear Centre in 2007, ENMAX announced they would give the gift of the ESO to 100 kids in Edmonton every year for 10 years. Working together, ENMAX and Kids Up Front select various performances in different ESO Series that encourage kids to develop a passion for symphony. This season kids will enjoy: Soweto Gospel Choir, ESO Presents:  Cameron Carpenter, Oktoberfest, Late Night with Bill Eddins, Tribute to the Games. 

The Cosmopolitan Music Society of Edmonton helps kids become music lovers by giving kids the chance to experience its award winning community concert band programs and community chorus.

Kids is always looking for more ways to enrich the lives of the children we serve with music. If you are an ESO season ticket holder or a supporter of other music organizations, consider sponsoring tickets for kids or donating the tickets you can’t use to kids who can.

The Kids Kombo enhances a kid’s Northland’s event experience. The Kids Kombo is a concession voucher  that lets kids enjoy a hot dog or nachos or popcorn plus a pop; the little extra’s that make that hockey or lacrosse game, concert or other special event all the more memorable.

Kids Kombos can be added to event tickets by making a $15 donation. Concession vouchers are redeemable at all Northlands venues (eg. Rexall Place, Agricom, Sportex).

Your donation qualifies for a charitable tax receipt and $5 is reinvested into The Kids Up Front Foundation to support the delivery of our one-of-a-kind Can’t Use Your Ticket program.

A "shining star" fulfills her dream to act at the Foote Theatre School thanks to the Eldon and Anne Foote Fund at the Edmonton Community Foundation.

Acting, beading, painting, race car driving, flying helicopters, performing, travelling–unique experiences that are driven by the passions of our donors.

Thanks to supporters like the Eldon and Anne Foote Fund at the Edmonton Community Foundation which provides an annual grant that enhances Kids Up Front’s ability to give kids like Miranda opportunties to explore their passions through attending the theatre, and other events that stimulate their creativity.

In 2010, our Kids Count! program will  give kids a chance to: 

Kier's favorite Corb Lund song is "The Truck Got Stuck"

– meet country rock star, Corb Lund, backstage at the  Jubilee Auditorium and experience first-hand his brilliant gift for song writing and performing

 – tour Helicopter Squadron 408 and eat lunch in the Mess Hall with MP Laurie Hawn and other members of squadron 

Kids participating in a military inspired Kids Count! experience courtesy of MP Laurie Hawn, the Edmonton Garrison and sponsor Don Barr.

– make an original “heart bead” necklace with jewellery artisan Sandra Paetsch

"Bigs" and "Littles" making "heart bead" necklaces thanks to orange avocado's Sandra Paetsch.

– create original art with local artist Keri Mahl

 – participate in the “AS YOU LIKE IT” Students Club with Mayor Stephen and Lynn Mandel at the Citadel Theatre

– “get on the road” to tour the badlands, the Royal Tyrell Museum and other wonders of the wild Canadian west with Nomad Travel (Kids on the Road) in July 2010 

Kids at the Track introduces kids to the world of Indy Car racing thanks to title sponsor, Northlands.

– see the inside of a race car paddock and at the Rexall Edmonton Indy (Kids at the Track)

We are seeking additional sponsorship for KIDS ON THE ROAD ( kids-on-the-road-project-overview ) and KIDS AT THE TRACK. If you’d like further information about  these events or would like to custom design your own Kids Count! experience please contact us.

It was very touching for me and the person I brought (my mom). My mom and her brother, my uncle, who passed away in 1992, were two of Guns and Roses biggest fans. When I found out they were coming to the City I was so excited. I mentioned to Cindy Atkey, the Community Coordinator at YOUCAN, where I am attending a day program to get back on track that I wished I could go. Cindy said she would try but told me that it wasn’t a sure thing. I never really got my hopes up because of this.

On Friday, I worked really hard. I went and presented a Dealing with Difference Workshop at a school and then I went to Grant MacEwan in Millwoods to speak to a counsellor about going to school there. I didn’t even know I got the tickets until I got home and my grandfather told me he had to pickup the tickets. Cindy got an email from Kids Up Front and she responded to it. It was for two GNR tickets!

Sincerely,

Vernon

On Tuesday we received 4 tickets to the Oiler’s game.  The family who received the tickets were just talking the evening before how much their little guy, who is in ABC Head Start, loves hockey and how it was too bad that they could never afford to ever take him to an Oiler’s game.  The next morning, thanks to KUF, they got a call from their ABC social worker offering the tickets.  They were thrilled to say the least.

 Today, when you confirmed that we had 4 tickets to Blue Rodeo at the Jubilee, I called our site that is closest to that venue and the social worker called a family who has teenage daughters to see if they would like the tickets.  Mom and the girls had been wishing this morning that they go to this concert but, of course, it was out of the question because of cost.  When mom got the phone call she couldn’t believe it, thought it was almost eerie that they made a wish for something and a few hours later get a phone call fulfilling that wish.

Thanks for performing these small miracles for our families and their children.  Good job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” ANN, ABC HEADSTART