The Childhood League’s annual Merry Go Round is one of the longest-running charity events in the country. But after almost 75 years of hosting the traditional gala event, the League is ready to try something new.
At Kemba Live on Friday, April 26 at 7 p.m., The Childhood League will host a Battle of the Bands fundraising event where three local acts compete for attendees' votes and a $5,000 cash prize. Money raised during the show allows The Childhood League to continue to serve children with developmental delays in our community.
Battle of the Bands' lineup is diverse and includes Saylor Twift, a Taylor Swift tribute band, as well as local cover bands Zero Hour, Zack Attack and New Standard Soul Jam playing all the hits from the '70s to the 2000s. Attendees will listen and vote online for who they think is most deserving of the prize.
Click here for more information on this event.
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New Standard Soul Jam
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Saylor Twift
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Zack Attack
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Zero Hour
The Childhood League: More than 75 Years of Support for Central Ohio Families
“I think that our goal is to get kids set so they can have the best opportunity for success in life and that starts the day they're born,” Ginger Young, CEO of The Childhood League says.
Founded in 1945, The Childhood League opened its first childcare location in 1951. The League’s currently operating state-of-the-art facility, The Childhood League Center, serves children, both at their homes and at the center, who have developmental delays such as Down syndrome, autism and speech delays. The center also enrolls normally developing children in their classroom settings, promoting inclusivity.
The local Battle of the Bands was developed as a way for the League to shake things up while still adhering to its values. The League often uses music and art as tools for teaching, making a concert the perfect event for the organization.
“I think the world of philanthropy has changed a lot in the last 5-10 years and we just wanted to do something that really was unique and different,” Lauren Colantoni, lead producer of the upcoming show and member of The Childhood League, says.
Because the League stresses the importance of early childhood intervention, many of the children who graduate from the Center leave with less severe delays or difficulties, and some no longer qualify as having special needs at all. Through its work, the League changes the lives of families and children, setting them up for success.
“The brain is 90 percent developed by the time a child is five,” Ginger Young, CEO of The Childhood League Center says. “During that timeframe where their brain is developing, you can mitigate an awful lot of delays and that's an urgent piece of what we do. It is not unusual for our kids to overcome the delays completely.”
The center’s model of including both children with developmental delays and without them in the same learning space has proven to be mutually beneficial. Children without developmental disabilities learn tolerance and empathy for those different from them, and the children with developmental delays are motivated to learn and achieve at the same level as their peers regardless of any unique challenges they face.
Young’s grandson is a graduate of the Center. Now in elementary school, his family has seen the difference in the way he perceives and interacts with his peers that have special needs. Young says when telling her about his friend at his elementary school, her grandson didn’t even mention to her that that friend had special needs.
“Apparently his best friend has autism and to him, it's not a thing, right?” Young says. “He's learning and discovering it slowly but it doesn't make a difference. He doesn't see the difference first, he sees a friend, and I mean, if that isn't a great return on investment, I don't know what is. That's critical for us, right for our world.”
Learn how to get involved in The Childhood League here.
Maisie Fitzmaurice is an editor at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at mfitzmaurice@cityscenemediagroup.com
