PASADENA, Calif.—Meow Meow Foundation (MMF) will produce a spirited outdoor event to thank the greater Pasadena community for its support, announce foundation initiatives and celebrate Roxie Forbes who drowned at Summerkids camp in Altadena this past June.

Foundation principals Doug Forbes and Elena Matyas are Roxie’s parents. They said that the outpouring of compassion in the wake of their six-year-old daughter’s death has been both remarkable and vital. From food deliveries to personal gifts to deeply moving cards and letters, Forbes and Matyas said that such gestures have helped mitigate their immense grief.

In response, the couple decided to produce Rally for Roxie as a means to recognize families, friends, government officials, business leaders and other community members who have lifted their spirits. They also decided to open the event to anyone who wishes to enjoy an afternoon of entertainment and collaboration.

“This is a day to shed tears and to share smiles,” said Matyas. “Doug and I want to create an experience that Roxie would have adored if she were still here. We don’t get to see her run around hugging other kids and adults at the rally, but hopefully we will see a lot of hugging and smiling in her absence.”

The event will begin at 11:00 a.m. with a 15-minute “soulful, sing-along walk” from Pasadena’s San Rafael Elementary School to San Rafael Park. The walk will be led by Roxie’s former music teacher from Pacific Oaks Children’s School.

At the park, The Kitchen for Exploring Foods will provide a generous offering of food and drink, and even an old-fashioned popcorn machine. Other tasty treats will also be available.

San Rafael Elementary teachers will direct an innovative, interactive art project. Founders of the Academy of Polynesian Arts will perform an extraordinary musical routine. DJ Jeffery Plansker is offering a broad range of inspirational jazz, funk, reggae and indie music.

To round out the day, Dinosaur Farm toy store and Meow Meow Foundation are providing some special surprises. And a performer from Bubblemania will engage attendees in a range of fun tricks.

Meow Meow Foundation is currently working with Senator Anthony Portantino, Assemblymembers Chris Holden and Brian Maienschein and an array of advocates to pass legislation that will license California day camps. The organization is also working closely with the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center to build an end-to-end water safety and drowning prevention model for public and private sectors. The Aquatics Center will have a booth at the Rally to discuss its range of world-class swim lesson programs.

“The fact that California licenses day care centers and not day camps is beyond comprehension,” said Forbes. “And now this gaping wide hole has a name attached to it, and it’s Roxie Mirabelle Forbes. Come this January, we will make sure children have the comprehensive protections they deserve, not just at camps but all recreational facilities and even backyards.”

Roxie was Forbes and Matyas’ only child. They said she adored her first year at San Rafael Elementary School, a Spanish immersion curriculum within the Pasadena Unified School District. She found her groove academically and socially. But the couple said it was Roxie’s desire to bring unbridled joy to other children and adults that makes her loss even harder. They aspire to spread that same joy at the Rally.

Meow Meow Foundation would like to offer immense thanks to all donated services provided by the aforementioned vendors. Additional thanks to Pasadena Weekly and What’s Up In Altadena. And very special thanks to Pasadena Mayor Tornek, Lisa Derderian and the City of Pasadena for its generous support and co-sponsorship.

ABOUT MEOW MEOW FOUNDATION

Meow Meow Foundation supports research, advocacy, products and services that prevent drowning-related tragedies among children and pediatric immunology and cardiology initiatives through Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Named after Roxie’s beloved feline comfort doll, Meow Meow Foundation now aims to bring comfort to parents, guardians and communities who deserve safe and healthy children. The organizational vision is to live in a state where not a single child dies or suffers from preventable drowning and where pediatric immunology and cardiology communities provide more cost-effective care to families with lesser means.