Wal-Mart yields support to Cornelius Children’s Day

The Forest Grove News-Times, Apr 29, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Chase Allgood / News-Times

Nearly 3,000 kids and their family members crowded into Harleman Park in Cornelius last Saturday to celebrate Children’s Day 2009. The annual festival got a financial hand up from Wal-Mart, which donated $2,000 to fund activities for this year’s event.

ADVERTISEMENTS

For the second consecutive year, Wal-Mart provided significant support for the ninth annual Children’s Day event in Cornelius, held last Saturday in Harleman Park.

In 2008, the retail giant contributed $2,000 to the event, which attracted over 3,000 families from the area. This year, Wal-Mart donated $5,000 to boost the event over the next two years.

Attendance was pegged at 2,800 this year.

“Wal-Mart’s check brought tears to my eyes!” said Cornelius Library Director Karen Hill. “We spend a lot of time asking for donations for every little thing that’s necessary to pull off the event.

“I couldn’t wait to call the committee and tell them the great news. Wal-Mart’s support during these economic times is just so wonderful.”

The event is organized by Centro Cultural and the Cornelius Public Library to celebrate children in the community. This year’s theme was “My Home is Your Home,” raising awareness about homeless youth in Washington County.

A children’s parade and many free activities punctuated the daylong festival.

Children’s Day, also known as “El Día de los Niños,” is a celebration of children and families, held annually in April nationwide to emphasize the importance of literacy and basic human rights for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds.