Donor Spotlight >> 

Keefer Family

I had been casually going to Pretend City since my oldest son (now 10) was 15 months old for playdates, birthday parties, etc. but I didn’t really get involved with donating to the organization until a little over five years ago when my best friend (and Pretend City board member) invited me to a Start Smart luncheon where I learned about the organization’s mission of Building Better Brains.  My boys were 4 and 2 at the time and I remember being blown away by the speaker and the topic.  As a CPA, I love numbers and I still remember the statistic that was given that over 50% of Orange County kindergartners were not ready for kindergarten based on a published report that year (and that was before the pandemic!).   I was a full-time working mom and was primarily focused on the learning they were receiving from the Montessori school and had totally clueless to all of the benefits of learning through play!  Luckily, the museum happened to be walking distance from their school so I started taking them more frequently and now watched them play with a different perspective than before; they weren’t just playing.. .they were learning new things and using their imaginations!   

I’ve attended that Start Smart luncheon every year since then and always feel like the topic is so on point with what parents are dealing with.  This year’s topic was all about kids and technology and was led by an amazing panel of experts; I definitely walked away with some great tips to implement at home!  As I continue to get more educated about early childhood development through play (primarily through my attendance and various events like the Summer Soiree, Poker night and more), I continue to be inspired to help the museum in its mission (and am SO excited for the new location to be complete!)  

 My boys still love going to the museum (I now have 3 of them!) and my favorite thing is to see how each boy (even at the same age) gravitated towards something different!   

I’m excited to see what the future has in store for Pretend City and for it to continue to enrich the lives (and brains!) of the children in our community!