They’re the real superheroes!
Hundreds of youngsters — many dressed up as Superman, Batman, or another favorite crime fighter — came out to take a ride on the Ferris wheel at the ninth-annual Kids for Kids Family Fun Day to raise money for children’s cancer research at the Aviator Sports and Events Center on June 17.
A handful of kids presented a check to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for a whopping $1.3 million, but one of the greatest gifts of the day was seeing all the smiles on the children’s faces knowing they are making a difference, said one of the event organizers.
“We just make it a fun family day with rides, games, entertainment and just have a good time for the community while raising money for the hospital,” said Bay Ridgite Diandra Shear. “It was a great day. I think it was a very successful event.”
The Mill Basin-based foundation, which started nine years ago, raises money throughout the year for St. Judes. And the kids are an integral part of the foundation’s success — they make up what’s called its junior committee and hold their own fund-raisers, bake sales, and dance-a-thons. This year, the all-star junior committee raised about $65,000, said Shear.
“It’s so cute that they raised so much,” she said.
Families got to enjoy all of the rides, games, and various creations from the balloon artist, but what made it even better was that it was all for a good cause, said one of the organization’s founders.
“It was an amazing feeling,” said Staten Islander Todd Baslin. “It’s a great day, the kids all have fun, and to see everyone having fun and raise money for such a good charity, it’s a good feeling.”
