On February 11th Team Kids held 2011's first Team Kids Carnival at Brywood Elementary School making it the start of celebratory carnivals for students involved in the Team Kids Leadership Program.

Every school year, local students involved in the Team Kids Leadership Program are encouraged to form teams with their schoolmates and select a charity of their choice that they will raise funds for during the school year.

Once teams and charities are selected, the organization celebrates each team by hosting a carnival. This year Team Kids’ first kick off carnival was held at Brywood Elementary School with the Make-A-Wish Foundation being the team’s selected charity.

“We are so proud to be able to help sponsor Team Kids, especially when children involved are so willing to contribute their time and effort in helping others,” said Steven Rudkin, Irvine BMW General Manager. “It is an honor to be able to work with an organization that gives so much,” he said.

The carnival at Brywood Elementary helped raised $703.75 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Students raised funds through face painting, trivia, ring toss and other interactive games.

Last year students involved in the program raised almost $20,000 for local charities. This year, the organization is excited to help motivate the students to continue to be leaders in their community by helping those around them.

"I learned that kids have equal power to adults and that helping others can be fun while changing someone’s life," said a participating Team Kids student.

The Team Kid’s Leadership Program is a 4-week program in where the students learn topics about hunger, homelessness, and the environment. To learn more about Team Kids visit teamkids.org.