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DAYtoPLAY

DAYtoPLAY to Raise Funds, Awareness for Dallas Homeless Families

Family Gateway is one of the only shelters in the Dallas area that assists families experiencing homelessness, no matter what the definition of that family might be.  Whether it is two dads and their kids, a grandmother and a 13-year old grandson, or a single dad and daughter, Family Gateway is there to help them get back on their feet.  This shelter is also one of the only places in Dallas where a family can volunteer together to help those in need.  This resonated with our owner/principal Eddie Maestri.  Eddie and his husband, Adam Moore, are co-chairs for the first annual DAYtoPLAY, and Maestri Studio is a proud sponsor. 

 

Check out Eddie's Maestri's recent interview about Family Gateway here: https://candysdirt.com/2018/03/05/daytoplay-raise-funds-awareness-dallas-homeless-families/

 

This local event will take place on April 7th, 2018 from 1pm to 4pm at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, in the Annette Strauss Artist Square. Proceeds from the event will benefit Family Gateway’s mission of providing stability and life-changing support services to children and families affected by homelessness. In 2017, Family Gateway was able to serve 399 families including 897 children. The interventions the program provides gives children the chance to build the resiliency and competence they need to break the detrimental cycle of homelessness.

 

Maestri Studio is thrilled to host a booth at the event!  We will be getting kids excited about architecture with Casagami!  These fun little folded paper houses have a small solor panel in the roof that allows the finished product to become a nightlight!  They can be custom colored and detailed, teaching children about architecture and sustainability while they play and create.  

The Dallas Arts District Event page said it perfectly, “Play is children’s work; it is how kids learn about themselves and the world around them. For children affected by homelessness, play is a way of keeping their bodies and minds in the here and now rather than back in stressful and traumatic sensory memories. When children are fully and freely engaged in play, they learn new things, develop key social and emotional skills, feel part of a community, and take on new challenges.”

 

Families of all ages can enjoy an afternoon outdoors together benefitting a worthy cause while enjoying activities, including live music, hamster ball races, giant chess, Jenga, Connect Four, face painting, robo-surfing, group yoga and meditation, sidewalk chalk mural creation, bounce houses and inflatable slides, sandbox excavating, Top Pot Doughnut decorating, story time, lawn games, basketball, and more. Healthy kids’ concessions, food and beverages (including beer and wine) will be available for purchase through Wolfgang Puck Catering. 


We hope you can join us for this incredible day of fun and friendship benefiting our city’s most vulnerable!

https://www.familygateway.org/events/dtp/