Inspired by the Gift of Childhood

It started with a simple idea to feature children’s hand-drawn Front Covers for an issue of American Lifestyle magazine.

While the heart of this idea centered around seeing the magazine’s cover through the eyes of a child, the hard work and imagination that followed lead to an inspiring event called Winter Summerland and the second special edition of American Lifestyle magazine, The Children’s Edition.

The story of how this project came to life is sure to bring a tear to your eye, lend a sense of nostalgia, give you an opportunity to share your values with your recipients, and will hopefully inspire a wave of giving to the gift of childhood.

“A Child’s Mind Is Always Open, Exploring Worlds Anew.”

Planning and Discovery

What if the Front Cover of American Lifestyle magazine was drawn by children?

That question was what initially sparked the idea for our second annual special edition. From there, our early discussions took us on a journey back to our own childhoods, sharing stories and memories, while brainstorming ideas. We decided that this special edition should be delivered around the holidays, and knew that we wanted the end result to benefit children in some way.

Through an internal and local connection, we were fortunate enough to form a partnership with the number one children’s hospital in America—The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia—and they shared our excitement about the project.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is the largest pediatric healthcare network in the US. CHOP’s Child Life Education and Arts Therapy program helps patients and families cope with the stress that a hospital visit can bring.

On our first meeting, we were introduced to the Child Life/Creative Arts Therapy program and staff who took us on a tour of the hospital. We were in awe over the magic and imagination that surrounded every corner. Everywhere we turned, there were reminders of the gift of childhood—exciting activities, like Dance Party Wednesdays, a child’s voice on the elevator saying, “Going up,” and creative murals featuring children’s artwork. A quote discovered on one mural in particular caught our attention: “A child’s mind is always open, exploring worlds anew.”

After that initial walk-through, we knew that every detail of this special edition needed to be a reflection of this imaginative and impactful environment.

The Fetal Reunion & Winter Summerland

These two events provided thousands of smiles and endless amounts of inspiration.

In order to gather drawings from patients, we collaborated with the Child Life team and eventually decided on a ReminderMedia-hosted event called Winter Summerland. The goal was to gather drawings for the cover and bring a few fun activities to children who may not otherwise be able to enjoy the warm summer weather or who missed out on the fun and excitement of the winter season.

While we were busy prepping for Winter Summerland, we were invited to host an activity at an annual CHOP event, The Fetal Family Reunion, as a way to help gather some initial drawings.

The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is home to the Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment, an internationally recognized leader in fetal diagnosis, surgery, and care. Every year, CHOP hosts a reunion for the families affected by fetal surgeries.

ReminderMedia employees volunteered their time to host an activity at the Fetal Reunion that gave the children an opportunity to design their own ALM cover. There were over 4,000 attendees, and the children (and parents) really enjoyed the competitive nature of the contest.


Delivery of Winter Summerland, July 8, 2014

After months of planning and preparation, our internal team of dedicated employees from ReminderMedia transformed the Colket Atrium at CHOP into a Winter Summerland.

The decorations combined winter wonderland backdrops with bright, sunny summer accents. Patients and families enjoyed different stations, including sand art, a gingerbread house decoration station, a collaborative craft called Project Snowflake, and the Design Your Own ALM Cover contest. There was also an Imagination Station photo booth, with a special photo magnet event favor, and an area to play Snowman Cornhole. Festive music, like the Frozen soundtrack, boomed throughout the atrium as patients and families began to make their way into Winter Summerland. To ensure every child was able to participate, 150 to-go activity boxes were assembled so that patients who couldn’t leave their rooms could still enjoy the festivities.

The atrium was buzzing with happiness all afternoon long.

To say the event was a success is an understatement

We gathered hundreds of drawings (making it tough to select just 12 finalists!) and had more than 3 times the amount expected of patients and families come down to the atrium to enjoy the event.

The children who attended Winter Summerland presented us with beautiful drawings, thousands of smiles, and many thank yous—but the greatest gift they gave us was their presence and inspiration. It was truly an experience we will never forget.


Thank You

Thank you to our partners at CHOP and to all of the families and children who allowed us to fulfill our vision of seeing the cover of American Lifestyle magazine through the eyes of a child.

The Children’s Edition is more than we ever could have imagined on that first day of planning, and we are thrilled to finally be able to share it with our customers, their recipients, and everyone else who will be touched by its impact.

Winter Summerland and The Children’s Edition wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the generosity and the wave of giving spirit that spread throughout this project.

The spirit of giving started way back in May, when we formed Team CHOP from a group of dedicated employees who selflessly gave their time and skills to brainstorm, prepare, and create. That spirit extended outside our office walls with community partners like Scentos, who donated over 400 of their scented markers for use and as favors for the event, and was backed by the overlying support and funding from our ReminderMedia Executive Team.

Now we have the opportunity to pass the torch to all of you, offering our customers/prospects two ways to give, that require nothing more than spreading the spirit of giving by either sharing our message or signing up during The Children’s Edition.

We are proud to announce that our fundraising efforts will be donated to Pediatric Cancer Research at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

We hope that you’re as inspired as we are by this opportunity. Help us spread the love and spirit of giving by choosing to support The Children’s Edition and helping us make more happy childhood moments possible. Choose. Share. Give.