Every year after our Ice Cream Social wraps up, I find myself thinking the same thing:
How in the world did our community do that…again?
Once the last donation box is counted, the T-shirts are washed, and I’ve had a chance to catch my breath (and maybe eat one more scoop of ice cream!), I’m always overwhelmed by the incredible support surrounding Kate’s Kart.
Our Ice Cream Social has become so much more than a fundraiser. It’s a weekend where our entire community comes together to celebrate, remember, give back, and make sure hospitalized children continue receiving the comfort of a brand-new book.
I love our model because…
- We can be in all 16 counties we serve during one amazing weekend.
- Kids—the very people we serve—get to volunteer alongside their families and be a part of the fundraiser.
- Supporting Kate’s Kart is as easy as stopping for a 30 minute ice cream treat.
- We hear stories from families whose lives have been touched by the Kart.
- We introduce new people to our mission who simply came for a cone.
- We’ve built friendships with dozens of generous, locally owned ice cream shop owners.
- And perhaps my favorite…we honor Kate’s love of ice cream while raising the funds needed to keep books rolling to hospitalized children.
So what stood out this year? Here are my Top Five.
1. The Volunteers Who Make the Magic Happen
It takes more than 150 volunteers to pull off this event.
Some gave up their entire Saturday or Sunday. Others drove to counties well outside their hometowns. Our point people hauled supplies before the event and returned everything afterward without ever asking for recognition.
One story especially touched me.
A couple who first became involved after their daughter spent time in the NICU now lives nearly two hours away. Yet every year, they still make the drive back just to volunteer for the entire day, and make the drive to pick up and drop off supplies.
That kind of commitment reminds me why we do what we do.
2. The Incredible Ice Cream Shop Owners
Partnering with an ice cream shop is a big ask.
We’re asking them to promote our event, dress their employees in Kate’s Kart shirts, collect donations, answer questions, and donate a portion of their sales—all while trying to operate a small business.
Yet year after year, they say “yes.”
Over the last seven years, many of these shop owners have become friends. Their generosity goes far beyond serving ice cream. They genuinely believe in our mission, and we’re so grateful they invite us into their businesses each summer.
3. The Stories We Rarely Get to Hear
Because of HIPAA, we usually don’t know the children or families who receive our books.
But during Ice Cream Social weekend…
They find us.
Parents tell us about long hospital stays. Some get emotional remembering difficult days. They thank us for giving their child something that made a scary hospital room feel just a little more normal.
Instead of seeing kids connected to tubes and monitors, we see them with ice cream-covered smiles.
Those conversations fill my heart every single year.
4. Watching Kate’s Kart Grow Up
This might be my favorite part.
This year we got a father/son photo, holding our “I’m a Kate’s Kart Kid” photo op.
Fifteen years ago, Dylan received a Kate’s Kart book as a hospitalized teenager.
As a young child, his son picked out a Kate’s Kart book.
Second generation.
I also met adults who remembered receiving one of our books years ago when they were children.
They may not remember every detail about their hospital stay…
But they remember the book.
That’s incredible.
5. The Generosity That Still Leaves Me Speechless
Our sponsors absolutely knocked it out of the park this year, jumpstarting the event with $125,000 before the first scoop of ice cream was even served. Many of them have faithfully supported Kate’s Kart for years, and their continued belief in our mission means everything.
Then came the weekend itself.
Donation boxes filled faster than we could empty them.
People handed us $20s, $50s, and even $100 bills through drive-thrus.
One donation box held a bank envelope with $1,000 in cash.
I spent hours at the bank counting dollar bills, loose change, and checks. Each donation represented someone choosing to brighten the day of a hospitalized child, just by dropping some money in one of our boxes.
The final numbers are still coming in, but so far…
YOU have helped raise more than $160,000.
For perspective, seven years ago our Ice Cream Social raised $47,263.
What an incredible journey.
Every dollar represents someone who believes that a simple book can comfort a frightened child, encourage a family, and create a lifelong memory.
To every volunteer, sponsor, ice cream shop owner, donor, and family who stopped for a cone this weekend…
Thank you.
You didn’t just buy ice cream.
You helped write the next chapter of Kate’s Kart, ensuring thousands more hospitalized children will receive a brand-new book, a reason to smile, and a reminder that someone cares.
And for that…I am simply in awe.
Krista
