Guests gathered at the Newport Beach Country Club for Pretend City Children’s Museum’s 8th Annual Start Smart Luncheon on April 25. The event raised over $210,000 with proceeds funding early childhood programming for Pretend City. ‘Start Smart’ brought together champions – corporate and community leaders, education experts, and donors – who understand that healthy child development, early intervention, and play are critical for school readiness and a thriving workforce and community.
PNC Bank was the presenting sponsor for the Pretend City’s Start Smart FUNdraising luncheon for the second year in a row. Other major sponsors included Capital Group, City Lights/Cornerstone Communications, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Lyon Air Museum, The McHenry Family Foundation, Shah Family, Snyder Langston and US Bank.
Expert panelists included Steve Brittan, President of Laguna College of Art + Design; Ken Cruse, CEO of Alpha Wave Investors & Soul Community Planet; Kyla Cruse, Business Associate at Soul Community Planet; Sanjib Sahoo, EVP & President of the Global Platform Group at Ingram Micro with Jamie Annunzio Myers, COO & SVP of PBS SoCal serving as the moderator. Their thought-provoking discussion highlighted how creativity and curiosity nurtured in childhood lay the foundation for problem-solving, innovation, and lifelong success. The insights they shared reinforced the importance of play-based learning experiences that equip children with the critical skills they need to thrive.
The success of the 8th Annual Start Smart FUNdraising Luncheon is a testament to the commitment of the Pretend City Children’s Museum to provide early childhood education and programming to children in the community.
Since opening, Pretend City has seen over 2.3 million guests, distributed developmental screenings, hosted monthly specialized family events for Neurodivergent children and their families and facilitated scholarship field trips for the young, underserved Orange County community.
About Pretend City Children’s Museum
Pretend City Children’s Museum is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, featuring an interconnected city designed to prepare children to meet milestones and prepare for school through imaginative play. Our 19 learning spaces, developmental screenings, and tools for caregivers, are designed to balance playful learning and engagement for the entire family. For more information about Pretend City Children’s Museum and our commitment to fostering children’s development through play, please visit www.pretendcity.org
