Featured Events

Ice Cream Social

June 27 & 28, 2026

The Annual Ice Cream Social, our largest fundraiser of the year, is a day to celebrate the mission of Kate's Kart at ice cream shops in each of the counties we serve. Supporters all across NE Indiana and NW Ohio stop in at one of our many partnering ice cream shops to support our mission, engage with Kate's Kart volunteers, and indulge in a sweet treat. Mark your calendar for this year as we're excited to celebrate our 18th Annual Ice Cream Social June 27th and 28th, 2026.

For more information visit:  https://kateskart.org/ice-cream-social/

Other Kate's Kart Events

Giving Tuesday

December 2, 2025

Every year on Giving Tuesday, we join with nonprofits around the world for a day of generous giving. Our goal this year was $25,000...raising an entire month's worth of books in just one amazing day. And this year our incredible donors helped us surpass our goal and raise $33,121!

Your gift = Their joy. It’s that simple—and that powerful. These funds will ensure hospital days are filled with smiles, comfort, and JOY!

See the impact our donors are making:  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/3X9Vrp3rHD4

 

Festival of Trees

November

Thanks to the generosity of our tree sponsor, The Law Office of Travis J. McConnell and our creative designers, Matt & Betsy Beers, Kate's Kart is represented with a tree at the Fort Wayne Embassy's Festival of Trees in November each year. This year our tree is "Golden Chapter 500,000 Books Shared". We loved getting to connect with our community in this festive way!

Barnes & Noble Holiday Book Drive

November - December

Each holiday season, we are honored to be chosen by Barnes & Noble as the recipient of their annual Holiday Book Drive. From November through December, customers of the two Fort Wayne locations are asked to purchase a book for Kate’s Kart.  This past year we received 277 brand new, high quality books from the annual Holiday Book Drive. We love seeing our community come together to generously donate NEW books for children in the hospital.

Crayon & Colored Pencil Drive…Our biggest ever!

July - August

One of the most popular types of books on the Kart are coloring books, meaning we are in constant need of 24 pack Crayola Crayons and 12 pack Crayola Colored Pencils to be given alongside activity books.

Thanks to the generosity of our amazing community, this year we’ve collected:
  • 12,197 boxes of crayons
  • 2,191 boxes of colored pencils
Your support makes a big difference in the lives of hospitalized children—thank you!
We welcome donations all year long, so if you spot them on sale again - specifically colored pencils, we’d love to add them to our count. And stay tuned … our final ace in the hole is coming soon!

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