Events
Event Calendar
Looking for specific events? Use the categories to filter our event opportunities.
As the Featured Collector for our Gear Up for Baby initiative, presented by Cuties® by First Quality®, The Goddard School is hosting collection boxes at 20 of their locations! From May 4 through June 30, find one near you and bring your donations of baby items, like new diapers, clothing, and more.
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Join our Community Backpack-A-Thon!
Community Backpack-A-Thon brings together individuals, families, and community members to pack brand-new school supplies into backpacks for local children. This year, you can choose to participate in either a morning shift or an afternoon shift. This event supports our Ready for Learning initiative and the initiative’s goal to provide 80,000 stuffed backpacks to Chicagoland children for the upcoming school year.
Purchase your tickets below for either our Morning Shift (10:00am – 12:00pm) or Afternoon Shift (1:30pm – 3:30pm).
Ticket Pricing:
Adult ticket: $40
Child ticket: $20
Purchase Tickets
Morning Shift (10:00am – 12:00pm)
Afternoon Shift (1:30pm – 3:30pm)
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Join our Community Backpack-A-Thon!
Community Backpack-A-Thon brings together individuals, families, and community members to pack brand-new school supplies into backpacks for local children. This year, you can choose to participate in either a morning shift or an afternoon shift. This event supports our Ready for Learning initiative and the initiative’s goal to provide 80,000 stuffed backpacks to Chicagoland children for the upcoming school year.
Purchase your tickets below for either our Morning Shift (10:00am – 12:00pm) or Afternoon Shift (1:30pm – 3:30pm).
Purchase Tickets
Ticketing information coming soon!
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Get your company involved in Backpack-A-Thon!
Backpack-A-Thon is our signature Ready for Learning event, welcoming companies from across Chicagoland. Join over 700 volunteers for a high-energy, corporate teambuilding event this summer to help fill thousands of backpacks with school supplies alongside other volunteers, so that local kids are ready on the first day of school for a year of learning.
View our Partnership Opportunities and Benefits
Providing essential learning supplies to kids requires support. For more information on how your company can join our effort, please contact Allison Barker at abarker@cradlestocrayons.org.
Click here to learn more about our Ready for Learning initiative.
Our Signature Events
Un-Gala®
Our Gear Up for Winter signature event, Un-Gala®, brings families together to have fun and give back. Each winter, volunteers – of all ages – gather to sort and pack everyday essentials – like hats, gloves, scarves, and more – that bring warmth to thousands of Chicagoland children in need.
Backpack-A-Thon®
Un-like their peers, kids from low-income or homeless families may lack basic school supplies. Ready for Learning’s signature event, Backpack-A-Thon brings together 700+ volunteers to stuff 30,000 backpacks and to enable kids to arrive at school ready and excited to learn. Backpack-A-Thon is a high-energy corporate event fueled by great spirit and friendly competition and takes place every summer.