This amazing event provides “a day away from cancer” free of charge to young cancer patients (children & teens) and their families from throughout the state of California. Courageous Kids was founded in 1989 by long time American Cancer Society volunteer and survivor Gay Crawford in partnership with California’s Great America.

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Courageous Kids Day takes place each year on Mother’s Day. It’s an extra-special, fun-packed day for the courageous kids and their families, allowing them to forget some of that stress and have fun together; a day of enjoying amusement rides, a picnic lunch, arts & crafts, family portraits, activities and photographs with local celebrities. 

 

Cancer doesn’t fight fair at any age, but perhaps no cancer is more emotionally devastating than those that occur in children. The fear, uncertainty, and stress these young patients and families face can hardly be measured, but the progress the American Cancer Society has made in seeking new cures for cancer can.  

 

The American Cancer Society actively funding groundbreaking research, with over $460 million in total for various types of cancer, including $39 million specifically for childhood cancer as of July 2024. This research is vital to finding new treatments and ultimately ending pediatric cancer as we know it.