FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 20, 2021
On Angels’ Wings
Michelle Cramer, Executive Director
[email protected]
417-834-3670
After two years of limited access, the annual carnival is open to the public again!
Springfield, Missouri: On Angels’ Wings (OAW), a Missouri non-profit, is excited to host its 9th annual Making Memories Day carnival event next Saturday, June 4th at New Covenant Academy’s Warrior Campus, located at 3304 South Cox in Springfield. The carnival is open to the public from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. OAW recipient families with medically fragile children get exclusive early access at 2:00 p.m.
For $5 at the door for ages 3+, attendees get an all-access pass to event activities. Princesses of 417 will be there! Activities include bounce houses provided by Jumping Jacks Events, a live DJ from Elevate Entertainment, a cakewalk with cupcakes provided by The Urban Cup, and face painting by Rochelle Collette. Carnival game booths include a puppy petting booth by C.A.R.E. Animal Rescue, plinko, giant pong, cornhole, balloon darts, hole-in-one golf, scooter races, and much more!
the Springfield Chamber of Commerce in attendance to serve as witness.
The Making Memories Day carnival is sponsored by Junior League of Springfield, Mercy, Compassus, Summit Media, Lamar Advertising, Kids Directory, CHC Home Center, and Sam’s Club on East Sunshine.
On Angels’ Wings founder and executive director, Michelle Cramer, says that the longstanding tradition of the carnival is one of her favorite services OAW provides. “It’s one of my greatest joys to see our recipient families who have gone through unimaginable loss, or who must help their child fight a life-threatening diagnosis every day, come to this event and find joy and build memories together,” she says. “And we relish the opportunity to give the entire community the chance to also create memories with their families in a fun way.”
OAW recipient families find comfort in the event. “The annual carnival gives our family an opportunity to celebrate [our daughter] Kaylyn every year. It has become a tradition that means a lot to us ,” says OAW recipient Nichole Hyde, whose story can be found on the organization’s blog. Recipient Jessica Pitts concurs: “We are allowed to celebrate and feel around other families that understand our pain. We celebrate our babies together and bring happiness to a tragedy,” she says. Her story can be found on the blog as well.
“At Making Memories Day, we feel like we can celebrate Freya’s memory with our sons, as opposed to only sharing the sadness that she is gone,” says OAW recipient CJ Woolf. “Nolan has enjoyed it the past two years, and it is one of the traditions we look forward to continuing every year, honoring our baby girl.”
Every year before the carnival, OAW recipients get the opportunity to release live butterflies as a symbol of hope in honor of their children lost and still fighting. This year, the butterfly release will be at 2:45 p.m. in the NCA north parking lot.
“The butterfly release is truly a heart-warming event that allows our family to remember our sweet daughter in Heaven,” says OAW recipient Krista Thompson (read her story). “We get to see the beauty of life with the butterfly and reflect on our precious child. It’s a reminder life is precious and allows us to take a moment to appreciate the life that was given to us, even if it was short amount of time.”
To learn more about the Making Memories Day carnival event hosted by On Angels’ Wings, visit our website oawphoto.org or RSVP and share the Facebook event page.
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On Angels’ Wings is a Missouri non-profit organization that seeks to improve the mental health and wellness of families with medically fragile children (regardless of race, ethnicity, class status or orientation) through therapeutic photography and grief recovery services, free of charge.
