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Children’s Council To Celebrate 45th Anniversary, Saturday, Aug. 27 – Tickets for Fundraising Celebration Still Available

By Sherrie Norris 

This year marks 45 years that The Children’s Council of Watauga County has served local families and children. In fact, the agency served over 2,700 individuals last year, alone, through its programs and service. 

To honor the nonprofit organization’s incredible milestone, its Board of Directors and staff members are hosting a fundraising birthday celebration this weekend.

The event will be held 6 p.m.-9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 27, at Appalachian Ski Mountain. Tickets are $75 per person and will include a festive lawn party (weather permitting) with heavy hors d’ouevres, complimentary beer/wine, music, games for adults, including chairlift rides to the top of the slope, a flower bar at which guests can create their own bouquet, a bourbon walk, a photo booth to help capture the memories — and the kickoff to an amazing raffle. 

Guests will also be able to hear from families served by the agency.

The celebration raffle, sponsored by Magic Bound Travel, (Brad and Maggie Farrington), will offer a limited number of raffle tickets ($100 each) for many exciting trips and cash prizes, valued at over $30,000. 

They include: 

  • First prize, A trip for two with Adventures by Disney
  • Second prize, A trip for four to Walt Disney World 
  • Third prize, A trip for four on a Disney Cruise
  • Fourth prize, $5,000

Tickets will go on sale at Saturday’s event and will be sold until October 31, unless they sell out sooner. A live drawing to announce the winners will be held on November 2. 

“We are very excited about this event and appreciate all the support we are receiving.” said Tara Stollenmaier, Fundraising and Outreach Director.  “We are proud of our history of serving Watauga County children and we are celebrating all year.” 

In addition to this upcoming celebration, the agency has rolled out a number of events and informational opportunities for community members to enjoy and support, including a series of supper club events hosted by donors, board/staff members and friends. The agency will also be hosting Chamber After Hours on September 8 at The Cardinal in Boone. 

“The Children’s Council provides programs and services that benefit children, and their families, during their first years of life, through age 12, with a particular focus on early childhood,” said Elisha Childers, Executive Director of the Children’s Council. 

“These events will provide important unrestricted support for the organization.This type of support is critical for the health of any nonprofit organization, allowing us to use funds where they are most needed to support the services we offer and to support the families we serve.”   

Childers explained that a person’s brain grows at its most rapid rate during the first years of life and brain development occurs within the context of a child’s relationships with the adults who care for them.

 “Therefore, serving children in this age-range means you are working with the adults who are caring for them. For us, this means parents and other family members as well as early childhood educators who provide care for children while their parents work. It also means creating a community that supports the healthy growth and development of young children by making them a priority and by ensuring a continuum of services are available to support their needs.” 

More About The Children’s Council

The Children’s Council is a nonprofit organization that administers the state’s early childhood funds for Watauga County, serving as the county’s Smart Start partnership and as the administrator of North Carolina Pre-K funds. NC Pre-K is a top-quality early childhood education program for qualifying four-year-old children to help them be ready for school. The agency contracts with Watauga County Schools and Appalachian State University’s Lucy Brock Child Development Lab School to offer the NC Pre-K program in all eight of the county’s elementary schools, with the ability to serve up to 107 children in those classrooms.  

Outside of these funds, the agency writes grants and raises funds to provide an impressive lineup of programs and services for parents and caregivers of young children. Services range from parenting classes, individualized parent support, parent support groups, home visiting programs, early childhood literacy programs, a resource library, and a diaper bank. The agency also offers a half-day early childhood education program for three- and four-year-old children, with a focus on supporting English language learners while providing an enriching early education experience for all students.  

Additionally, the agency provides professional development support, technical assistance, coaching, and training to early childhood professionals to ensure high-quality early childhood programs for children in the county. 

Finally, the agency engages community partners and local government to build a local early childhood system that offers a continuum of support to children and families beginning at birth, even prenatally.  

Make plans now to show your support for this worthwhile organization and the families it services through this upcoming celebration.

Information about tickets/reservations for the event are available on the agency website, www.thechildrenscouncil.org, and social media (Facebook and Instagram) sites.   

You can also visit the office at 225 Birch Street, Suite 3, Boone NC 28607 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.