We are Razorback football fans, as are most people in Arkansas. It’s just the way it is when there are no professional teams in the state to cheer for and only one NCAA conference university. So, we enjoy doing anything that combines family time and cheering on the Hogs. That explains why a beautiful Saturday that included the annual Razorback Red & White game and the Champions for Kids Razorfest event inspired us to get out of the house.

I don’t think we’ve attended this event before, even though I’d heard of it. I knew it was kid-centered, and there were autograph sessions with ball players other Razorback personalities and such, but I had no idea how much was going on at this event. We had heard that a local news station was taking donations of non-perishable food, so I loaded up a tote bag with some cans of beans that were never going to be eaten at my house (much to my chagrin…) and a couple of cans of tuna (same as the beans…) and we headed out.

We parked and started walking… and walking… and walking… uphill… to the stadium. Did I mention that the hubs picked the parking spot?? When we entered the south end of the facility we were immediately met with activities and booths and such. There were vendors galore who support the work done by Champions for Kids to serve and support kids’ health and active lifestyles. And lots of people! Seems we weren’t the only folks who thought it was a great day to get out of the house with the kids.

The boy and his dad were grabbing some cotton candy (not quite what I would have expected to find being sold at an event geared toward healthy kids… but whatever) and I checked out a kiosk that looked interesting. Turns out, Champions for Kids promotes these things called Simple Service projects that people take on in their communities. Everything from packing snacks for kids, to helping them learn to read, or teaching the importance of good oral health… all with major corporate partners like Colgate and Disney. According to their website, Champions for Kids has served 132,000 kids through 800 community service organizations that have received donations resulting from these projects. They each have four simple steps:

• GATHER your friends, family, and co-workers.
• LEARN about the needs of children in your community.
• GIVE items to help kids enjoy happier and healthier lives.
• SHARE your story with us to inspire others.

Pretty easy, right? I’m  looking forward to finding out more about these projects and getting my kids involved. My son has been having a hard time understanding the value of working for an allowance and we’ve had to cut back on impulse buys. Maybe spending some time showing him how important it is to give will help me drive the point home that life is not all about what we can get.

When we exited the concourse on the north side we were pretty blown away with all the activity in the parking lot affectionately known on campus as “The Pit”. HOLY MOLY. It was kids’ activities and information and music and people as far as the eye could see. I was starting to regret not getting there as soon as it opened. The boy-child had a ball game in a couple of hours, so I already knew we wouldn’t get to do much in this area. We dropped off our canned goods (which fulfilled this Simple Service project, it turns out), watched some of the kids singing on stage, and collected a few freebies here and there, but didn’t have time to stand in the SUPER long lines for the really exciting activities like that “giant rubber-band jumping thing” (I’m sure that’s the technical term).

The boy and I left the hubs with his buddies – they were going to the game – to head back down the hill to the car. It only took 20 minutes to get to it on the return trip. Next year, Razorfest will definitely be on our calendar again, but we’ll be sure to be at the gate as soon as it opens, and to not have anything else planned for the afternoon.

What kinds of projects have you taken on to support kids in your community? For a ton of great ideas, check out the Champions for Kids Pinterest board. You can also get great information year-round by following Champions for Kids on Facebook and Twitter.

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This content has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Champions For Kids. That said – all opinions and views are my own and I can say whatever I want. :) #cbias #SocialFabric