Families invited to ‘Costumes for Kids’ volunteer festival

Kids make cards for first responders at a Kids Give Back event.

Kids Give Back, a nonprofit that encourages elementary-age students to carry out community service projects, invites families to take part in the “Costumes for Kids” fall volunteer festival. 

The event is Saturday, Oct. 16, noon-3 p.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 8922 Little River Turnpike. Sign up here.

Kids will prepare 40 storybook costumes for students at Woodburn Elementary School, a Title I school in Mason District. The Woodburn students will also receive a storybook and tote bag.

In addition to the costume-making project, the outdoor volunteer festival will include pumpkin painting, face painting, a monster card project, a raffle for family-friendly baskets, and a fake wound makeup demonstration by students in the Frost Middle School drama department. 

Tickets are $10 a person. The event is free for kids age 5 and younger. Lost Dog Café will sell lunch, and Toby’s Ice Cream will sell dessert. 

All the funds raised will support future volunteer opportunities, says Kids Give Back founder Denise Gavilan. 

Related story: Kids Give Back hosts family volunteer activities

At a recent volunteer event, kids and their families made 100 baskets for teachers at Title I schools with personal care products, snacks, and school supplies. During the summer kids assembled 100 meals for distribution by FACETS, a nonprofit that serves lower-income households. 

Through these events, children learn about the importance of volunteering and how the projects they work on will benefit the community, Gavilan says. 

Kids Give Back also connects children with community leaders – including representatives from the military and nonprofits – who talk to them about food insecurity and why it’s important to support animal shelters, seniors, people with disabilities, and others who need assistance. 

This winter, the organization will host volunteer events during teacher workdays when schools are closed.