Have You Seen It?!: WANTED Posters

Have you seen these new WANTED posters around the museum?! We’re always on the hunt for new additions to enhance each one of our exhibits, and now, your generosity could help us capture these items!

If you see a WANTED poster and can help us out, just visit the front desk to make your tax-deductible donation. We thank you so much in advance!

Random Act of Kid-ness: Trading Hair for a Home

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us all the way from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where 12 year old Natasha Moraes de Andrade cut and donated her over 5 foot long hair (!) to earn money so that her family could buy a house. Natasha, who currently  lives in a small, window-less room in a shanty town, plans on using the $4,800 she got for selling her hair toward a new family home.

Read more about Natasha’s struggle with her hair and the eventual decision to donate it for good here.

Random Act of Kid-ness: Lemonade Stand for a Sick Dad

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Gladewater, TX, where 6 year old Drew Cox opened a lemonade stand to raise money for his dad’s cancer treatments. His dad Randy was diagnosed with Seminoma cancer 3 months ago. Drew charged only 25 cents per cup of lemonade when he opened last Saturday, and by the end of the day he raised $10,000!

Read more about Drew’s lemonade stand and how you can donate money toward his dad’s treatment, click here.

P.S. This story reminds us of one of our very first Random Act of Kid-ness highlights (and one of our biggest blog supporters on Facebook!). Just wanted to give another shout out to Jack and Eric’s Pirate Lemonade Stand!

Random Act of Kid-ness: Good Deeds All Year Long

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Montclair, NJ, where 3rd grader Julia Diamond-Rotman has been raising money for the American Red Cross for almost a year. After Julia heard about all the natural disasters, from floods to tornadoes, occurring around the world last summer, she decided she had to help those in need. She raised over $100 and just presented the money to the Red Cross last week.

Julia also cut and donated her hair to Locks of Love last year, when she found out one of her close family members was diagnosed with cancer.

We think that Julia is just an all-around kind kid who would do anything for those in need. Read more about her and her efforts here. And as always, let us know if you have a suggestion for our next Random Act of Kid-ness.

Random Act of Kid-ness: Cancer Buzz-Off

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Canton, MA, where 4th grader Griffin Lincoln has a goal of raising $3,000 to help kids beat cancer at Children’s Hospital Boston. Griffin is also going to participate in One Mission Kid’s Cancer Buzz-Off in June, when he will have his head shaved to raise even more money for children with cancer. Griffin said:

“I have never buzzed my hair off before, but I’m more excited than nervous. It’s just hair. If I can raise a lot of money that helps just one kid, it’s all worth it.”

In the past, Griffin has done walks with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and donated Halloween candy to cancer patients at a hospital. Soon he plans to raise more money with an Easter Egg hunt, a bake sale after the Canton Little League Baseball parade in April, and a street hockey tournament.

We think Griffin Lincoln is one seriously incredible kid doing wonderful things for those in need. Read more about him and his fundraising efforts here.

Random Act of Kid-ness: A Whole Bunch of Kind Kids!

For this week’s Random Act of Kid-ness, we are not just highlighting one good deed, but a whole list of them. Earlier this week, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital announced the winners of its annual campaign, Kids are Heroes, for kids ages 5-18.

This year’s winners include children who have: sold gum to raise money for a family whose house had burned down, rescued another child from drowning, and donated books to underprivileged students.

Click here to learn more about these and other winners of the Kids are Heroes campaign!

Random Act of Kid-ness: Helping Hands Project

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from Rhode Island, where second graders at Sowams School are saving up dimes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For two weeks, the students offered to do chores at home for $1.00 each, that their parents would pay them in dimes. All of the dimes collected were put into plastic water bottles that are being sent to the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Kids for Wish program  that grants wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions.

What a great way to get kids involved in charity. Read more about the Helping Hands Project here.

Have You Seen It?!: Race to Naptime

If you’ve walked into the museum lately, you’ve probably noticed something big taking over the main lobby wall. And you might have been wondering why our staff has been wandering around the museum in their sweatbands.

Well, the Zimmer Children’s Museum is an official charity of the 2012 Honda LA Marathon, and to get in the spirit, the Zimmer staff is on a RACE TO NAPTIME! Help your favorite staff member win the race to the crib by donating to his or her LA Marathon team! We’ll even put your name on a little baby foot on the chart!

Want to run… or walk… or jog… or even stroll with us in the 5K on March 17th? Learn more here.

Random Act of Kid-ness: Euan’s Bracelets

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us all the way from Scotland, where 5 year old Euan is making and selling bracelets for charity. When Euan and his family lost their home in a chimney fire in 2010, the Davie Cooper Centre- a charity for special needs kids, young adults, and families- helped out. So now, Euan is giving back to the Davie Cooper Centre by selling bracelets to raise funds for the organization.

Celebrities like Gordon Ramsay have heard about Euan and his good deeds, and they have begun to rally for him on Twitter. So far, Euan has raised over £5,000 for the special needs charity, and he does not plan on stopping anytime soon.

He has a great website, so check it out and learn more about Euan, the Davie Cooper Centre, and how you can get involved!

At the Zimmer Children’s Museum, we are committed to making quality play and learning experiences available to all children. While the Zimmer works diligently to provide inclusive programs every day, on Open Door Days, the museum is open exclusively to families who have children with special needs. Open Door Days also combine special considerations regarding cost and “busy-ness” of the museum and allow families who prefer to enjoy the museum as part of an understanding community. Our hope is that visiting the museum is enjoyable for all families, and Open Door Days serves as another option so that all families in the city may play and learn together at the Zimmer.

For more information about Open Door Days, click here.

Random Act of Kid-ness: 8 Year Old Donates Life Savings To Family That Lost Home

This week’s Random Act of Kid-ness comes to us from South Carolina, where 8 year old Fischer Cook did something very selfless to help those in need. When he heard that a family of five lost their home in a fire, Fischer decided to give the family all $300 in his bank account. Once people found out about Fischer’s generosity, community members helped to match his gift, bringing the total donations to about $1,000.

To read (and watch) more about Fischer and his good deed, click here.

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“Once you begin to acknowledge random acts of kindness – both the ones you have received and the ones you have given – you can no longer believe that what you do does not matter.” -Dawna Markova