Our Highlights
Appreciating AMC
At enCourage Kids, we’re no stranger to fun. Through our Escapes, we encourage laughter and cheer for children and families facing health challenges. We believe each child deserves the same opportunities to laugh, to play, and to have fun through carefree, stress-free activities.
We are so thankful for our generous corporate sponsors and individual donors who enable us to keep the smiles coming. Along with our community partners and foundations, these supporters are essential to continue our programming, as their funding and services go directly to the children and families we serve.
AMC Theatres has joined us in changing lives one smile at a time. Through the AMC Cares Charitable Fund, AMC awarded our organization with generous grants that supported several Escapes outings in the past two years.
One of the many Escapes AMC helped make possible was our pumpkin-picking outing at Alstede Farms last October. 140 enCourage kids and their families welcomed fall as they picked out the perfect pumpkin and enjoyed hay rides through the field. The afternoon concluded with crafts, pizza and warm cider.
A month later, AMC enabled us to take 125 enCourage kids and their family members to see Disney on Ice. For enCourage kid Josh, singing and dancing was a big part of the night. After months full of surgeries and medical scares, Josh and his family were able to have a fun, carefree night thanks to AMC.
“Joshua was filled with pure joy seeing Disney on Ice,” mom Erica shared. “These outings have allowed us to have a “do over” for all the fun that we have missed. Thank you not only for bringing joy to Joshua but also to my husband and me. Seeing our boy have happiness rather than pain is the greatest gift!”
AMC continued to spread joy to our enCourage kids and families by funding raffle prizes for our Annual NYC Winter Holiday Party during the month of December. Prizes included Toys R’ Us gift cards, Disney’s Frozen story sets, a Barbie dream house, and a Play Station 4.
This year, our Annual Six Flags outing will take place on July 13th. The event was funded by many individual donors, which allow numerous enCourage kids and their family members admission to the park and a picnic lunch. With the popularity of the event and this year’s high demand, the AMC grant funds enabled us to accommodate 112 more kids and family members for an exciting day in the New Jersey amusement park.
The AMC Cares Charitable Fund aims to strengthen AMC communities through investments in programs that positively impact the areas of arts, culture, health and human services, education and employment for children and youth.
“Nothing brightens our day more at AMC than to bring happiness to a young person who has been facing a challenge in life,” said Therese O’Donnell, Manager of Community Relations at AMC. “That’s why we supported enCourage Kids and the Escapes program. We want to spread the smiles from ear to ear and from one face to the next.”
Our partnership with AMC has truly strengthened our tri-state communities, making it possible for families to attend outings that they may not be able to afford on their own.
“It is really important because a lot of families with low income can’t afford these types of events, so it would be difficult to do alone,” said Martha, mom of enCourage kid Andres. “At the same time, when you are here you realize you are not alone. You are part of a new family with enCourage Kids.”
Family outings such as the Big Apple Circus and a Father’s Day Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game have allowed families to leave their struggles behind for the evening and focus on nothing but fun.
Along with these Escape outings, AMC also provides our kids with a number of in-kind movie passes. With these tickets we were able to treat our families to see Padington, The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, Avengers, Minions, and Home last year.
In rain or shine, enCourage kids and families enter the 42nd Street AMC Theater, grab some popcorn and soda, and leave their worries at the door as they escape reality and venture into the movie. This summer we have several upcoming movie days planned for our families, who truly enjoy and appreciate these small outings.
Each member of our enCourage team, including the children and families we serve, are beyond thankful for AMC’s generosity. The joy that fills our families at these events would not be possible without the support provided by the AMC Cares Charitable Fund.
