Free Arts recently partnered with Arizonans for Children to bring joy and imagination to the children of Arizona. On February 22nd, 2025, the Arizonans for Children Foster Festival featured fun activities for hundreds of foster children and their families. The festival is a one-day event, held at Encanto Park, allowing foster children to be innocent and have a great time in a carnival setting. This year, the event drew its largest crowd ever, with over 1,000 in attendance.
Tragically, there are over 7,000 kids in the foster care system, with 58% of those children displaced because of neglect. They shouldn’t have to worry about having a roof over their heads, food to eat, and clothes to wear. At the festival, participants enjoyed a host of fun activities, including hamster balls, rock climbing, amusement rides, carnival games, live music, a petting zoo, as well as nourishing food and tasty treats. The event connected families to an array of resources, including colleges, military, job services, and places they can go for everyday items that they might need.
Our staff got to see a family who we met about two years ago through our Free Arts Family Program. They had just become foster caregivers and had their hands full!
Last year at the festival they had a newborn baby in their stroller who they had opened their home and hearts to. This year we got to see them again and they shared they are in the process of adopting the baby! They were so excited.
Festivals like these are also an opportunity to join our partner agencies and collectively be present for children in the foster care system. We interacted with families who have attended the Family Program, and children for foster group homes who have attended many of our Free Arts Programs such as camp. They smile when they see a familiar face or simply make the connect to the last time they saw the blue “Art Heals” t-shirt.
