Byers Choice Offers $25,000 Matching Grant to Save Kids Castle

In an effort to save one of Buck’s County’s top attractions, the Friends’ of Kids’ Castle are reaching out to the local community and beyond asking for volunteers in any type of capacity to come forward and help save the castle. And The Byers Foundation has stepped up to take action and inspire the community to also give back with a $25,000 matching grant.  

The first plan of action is to raise awareness through the #Giving Tuesday™ campaign, a national day of giving designated this year on Tuesday, November 27.  Giving Tuesday™ celebrates and encourages charitable activities that support nonprofit organizations. 

Byers Choice, the local manufacturer of the famous Caroler Figurines, and their foundation is offering a challenge. If the local community can help the Kids’ Castle committee raise $25,000 by the December 31st, the Byers Foundation will match the $25,000 with a donation of their own. 

The public is encouraged to get involved by going directly to the Kids’ Castle Giving Tuesday™ web site, http://givingtuesday.org/partner-detail/save-kids-castle/, clicking on the savekidscastle.org link and making a donation to help with the repair and cost of the castle. A total of $750,000 is in need of being raised in order to make the much-needed repairs.

“The Byers Foundation and the Byers Family are proud to be part of this effort to Save Kids’ Castle because it brings the community together not only to fund-raise, but to give their time and involve the children in the process,” says Bob Byers, CEO of Byers Choice Ltd. “Our matching grant teaches the young generation what it means to give back and to get involved in the community. It’s just terrific when you see these young people and their families come together offering their time and effort for something they really believe in.” 

The public is also encouraged to visit the Save Kids’ Castle web site (savekidscastle.org) to set up a personal donor page. Donor software has been generously provided by SofterWare, a local company based in Horsham, Pennsylvania, who pioneered DonorPerfect Online, a web-hosted fund-raising solution used by thousands of nonprofit organizations. Jon Biedermann, vice president of fundraising products and services, and a father who frequents the castle with his four children, has graciously offered his time and expertise to help facilitate the fund-raising campaign. 

"We're humbled to be including in this tremendous local effort to save a cherished piece of community history.", Biedermann explained.  "Fundraising is made easier with today's technology, and with everyone's effort we will be able to serve our children for the current and next generation to come."

Kids’ Castle, an eight-story structure, nestled within Doylestown Township’s Central Park, has been a favorite family destination for the last fifteen years.  But Biedermann reminds us, "it will not be around 5 years from now unless the community comes together to raise much needed funds to repair and replace the various components."