CCC’s Children’s Cultural Carnival/Fund-raising events are designed to teach children about world cultures in entertaining and experiential ways, while raising money to improve the lives of children in need. Held in schools, businesses, and community centers, each event spotlights several country "destinations" and features food, music, photo exhibits, displays, and cultural representatives from those countries, along with activities children can participate in to help raise money for charities in those areas. Participating kids also can make personal connections by signing autograph books that will be sent to children served by the charities

Events feature six countries/charities represented at different stations around the auditorium. Each country station features:

·        Photo/fact board of people, landscapes, festivals, sports, and information about the country

·        Geography lesson (globe, flags, maps)

·        Language lesson

-tape so students may hear spoken language

-notecards with samples of country’s language written alongside English version

·        Cultural Artifacts (currency, dress, baskets, textiles, crafts) 

·        Cultural representative from each country

·        Music

·        Food/snacks

·        Autograph book for students to sign/draw pictures, etc.

·        Polaroid cameras so students can send their pictures to kids overseas

    

 

 

 

 

 

Fund-raising Activity:

           

Each fund-raising activity involves a demonstration of some unique aspect of the culture (ie. Guatemalan backstrap loom weaving, Kenyan basket carrying on head, Chinese calligraphy, etc.). For $1 a child can try the activity, and, upon completion will receive a puzzle piece that has a country ‘fact’ on the back. As puzzle pieces are earned, they are placed on a giant board by matching the country facts. Pieces come together to ultimately form a photograph of a child in that country served by the charity funds are raised for.

 

Each puzzle has 60 pieces, which will raise $60 for a specific need for children in the program (ie. yearly tuition, bicycle for transportation to attend school, books, school uniform, etc.). 

 

 

-First Cultural Carnival a Big Success-

 

More than a hundred kids and dozens of their parents and grandparents had a great time at Children’s Culture Connection’s first cultural carnival, held Sept. 12 in a suburb of St. Paul.

 

Kids and parents alike enjoyed taking on the cultural challenges at each booth—walking with a basket balanced on the head at the Nigeria booth; writing their name in Cyrillic characters in the Afghanistan booth; and practicing calligraphy at the China booth.

 

Those challenges, each of which cost $1 to try, raised money for the educational needs of children served by six CCC international charities represented there: China AIDS Orphans, Orphan Sponsorship International (Bulgaria), life of Hope (Guatemala), Children of Vietnam, and Partnership for Education of Children in Afghanistan.

 

The carnival also featured reasonably priced foods from all the countries, including baklava, eggrolls, and benachin (an African rice dish), as well as a colorful store where kids could buy Afghani caps, Chinese purses, Guatemalan T-shirts, and much more.

 

Said 12-year-old Grace Gerloff, who was adopted from China as a toddler, “It was really fun to see all the things and do the stuff in the different booths. Plus, all the food was great!”

 

 

--Testimonials-

 

“Thank you so much for inviting me to be a part of the cultural carnival. It was so much fun to see CCC in person and experience one of your events. What a great group of people you have working with you. You are lucky to have such a dynamic group serving on your board. I was really impressed. You had a great turnout and obviously put a lot of thought into the details. You definitely get rave reviews from everyone I speak with. Kudos to you!”

–Jodi N.

 

"It was really fun to visit all the different culture's booths and especially to eat the great food!

-Grace Gerloff, Minneapolis, age 12

 

"It was a huge success and my girls gave it 2 thumbs up.  Thank you." 

- Kathy B.

 

"Just want to say thanks for all the work you did to put this
event together.  It was fantastic.  I think everyone that came enjoyed it."  

-Connie B.

 

"Everyone commented on the wonderful decorations, great food and great information!!

-Joanne C.