The Arundel Mills Muvico Egyptian was once again the venue for the Casey Cares annual Holiday Party.   In the spirit of the season, bunches of kids, parents and grandparents came together to share a holiday lunch while getting to know each other.   

Group parties are a unique part of Casey Cares.  These parties provide support systems for the families we serve and encouragement to newly diagnosed children.  The group parties receive rave reviews from parents, social workers, and our special children.

There must have been a chimney somewhere in the movie theater, for, out of nowhere, Santa suddenly appeared, loaded with gifts and endless holiday cheer.  After lunch there were gingerbread cookies to be decorated and gobbled up.  And, finally, to top it all off, Muvico provided all of our families with tickets to the movie of their choice.  What a truly festive day it was!  Thanks to everybody who helped to make our Holiday Party such a memorable occasion:  Arundel Mills Muvico Egyptian for hosting us and providing our families with movie tickets, Pat & Ed Scheitlin for the delicious and plentiful holiday lunch, the Hero’s Lacrosse Team for providing beautiful holiday presents for our children and, of course, Santa.

What beautiful, crisp, autumn weather we had Saturday, October 13^th… a picture perfect day for the Casey Cares Fall Party at North Run Farm in Stevenson, MD.  Thanks to the generosity of our friends at North Run Farm, ten of our families enjoyed the many outdoor activities available at the farm and received a welcome respite from hospital visits and treatment schedules.

Some of us searched the pumpkin patch until we found just the right pumpkin for our Halloween jack-o-lantern.  Others concentrated on mastering the never-ending, twisting, turning corn maze.  Many of us delighted in being pulled by huge tractors on the bumpy, bustling hayrides. 

In the midst of pumpkin picking, corn mazing, and hayriding, guess who showed up to say hello to us and sign autographs?  None other than Baltimore Ravens’ Matt Stover!  What a thrill it was to talk to Matt, get our pictures taken with him, and have him sign an autograph for us! 

Our sincere thanks to everybody who helped to make our Fall Party such a blast: Brooke Rodgers and everybody at North Run Farm, Matt Stover, Sharon Redmond for taking great pictures, Debbie Pritchard and Sandie Miller for the goody bags and raffle items, and Pat and Ed Scheitlin for the delectable Halloween cupcakes.

Boom... Jib... Bow... What do these words have in common?  As many Casey Cares Families learned at our Downtown Sailing Center Group Party, these are all integral parts of a sailboat.

Group Parties are such a special part of Casey Cares programs, by proving support for the families we serve and encouragement to newly diagnosed children.  They are an uplifting time to share with new people, old friends, and supportive staff.

After a lesson in the morning, each family put their new vocabulary to the test.  They boarded their very own sailboat with an instructor and journeyed into the harbor.  The children marveled in the day's adventure, as they proudly acted as skippers.

A big thank you to Peter at the Downtown Sailing Center www.downtownsailing.org for making this day possible for our children.  Check out this link to see how the event was covered on WJZ13 http://wjz.com/local/local_story_229154412.html