BY KRISTIN CATES
PALS Marketing & Development Coordinator
Just a few months into last year, the PALS family was faced with the sad news that camp wouldn’t happen that summer. While we knew that 2020 wouldn’t be the same, we remained determined to make the year as memorable as possible through virtual events, remote engagement opportunities, and continuing to expand our reach via The Congratulations Project.
As the year drew to a close, we remained hopeful for PALS Holiday… but COVID continued to keep us away. Still, we persevered, and in November, PALS staff and a team of volunteers set out to create a one-of-a-kind online event: Escape from Polar Palace. The story would include an evil ice queen, who, driven mad with hunger and loneliness, captured four Sweets to keep her company. To help the Sweets escape, small teams of courageous participants had to face four challenges placed by the queen’s frozen minions: a holiday search & find, a wintry scavenger hunt, chilly charades, and tricky trivia. We created countless videos to guide us along our 90-minute virtual adventure to eventually help our Sweets escape the queen’s clutches. The winning team earned the reward of choosing how to defeat the queen, along with some fancy PALS swag. Click here to watch the adventure unfold!
After a month of planning, Escape from Polar Palace proved one of our most successful online events, involving two different sessions with more than 300 participants across the country. The event was also an opportunity for our PALS family to support the organization during our end-of-year fundraising efforts, and we are pleased to announce that we reached our goal of raising $10,000!
From the volunteers dressed in frozen minion costumes and candy cane makeup, to the participants signing up early and plotting the demise of the evil ice queen, to the generous donors who believe in the PALS mission as much as we do… we are grateful for all those who came together to contribute to the success of this event. We are continuously amazed by the support of our PALS family, and we look forward to continuing to build a world of belonging, with you by our side.
If you missed the event, there’s still time to support our mission by donating here. We’re all looking forward to the time when we can see each other again!
