Tiny Tim Holiday Fantasy is now Tinsel & Tidings!

JIM: Good evening.  I have been a proud AdventHealth Kansas City Foundation Board of Directors member for 45 years. I have served on the Tiny Tim Holiday Fantasy planning committee for most of those 45 years.  Heck, I’ve been on the board longer than Tiny Tim has existed, so I guess I can be considered one of the founding fathers of Tiny Tim. Our journey began in 1982 after the Foundation for Shawnee Mission Medical Center was established to help support the Lee Ann Britain Infant Development Center.

I remember Lee Ann Britain so well.  ……..(JIM TELLS ANECDOTE ABOUT LEE ANN BRITAIN HERE.)

Under Lee Ann Britain's visionary leadership, this program became a beacon of hope for children with special needs. Her belief in their potential, with the right teachers, therapists, and tools, laid the foundation for our fundraising efforts.

Tiny Tim Christmas Tree Fantasy, as it was first named, was created as a fun way to gather and raise funds to support the program. Tiny Tim, a child in Charles Dickens' classic story A Christmas Carol, inspired and symbolized the event name.  It was “borrowed” by Mark Gilman, with the Missouri Repertory Theatre’s blessing, as they produced the play annually, to be the name of our new event. That first year, we raised $13,000 selling Christmas trees in the cafeteria of the Shawnee Mission Hospital. We thought that was incredible.  Today, that barely covers the education costs of one  student without special needs in our public schools!!!  Now, 42 Tiny Tim celebrations later, we’re raising over $1.1 million a year!!  Now that’s some amazing change and progress. 

I’d like to ask all former Tiny Tim chairs in attendance this evening to join my wife Kathi and me to stand and be recognized for all you’ve done to lead us, and grow this dream of Lee Ann’s into more than she ever imagined.

(Urge them all to stand and lead thunderous applause)              

JEN: Hello all, I’m Jen Crable, chair-elect of the AdventHealth Kansas City Foundation Board of Directors. I learned about the Britain Development program when my daughter was born and needed the center's services. My experience and appreciation grew, and in 2014, my husband Doug and I served as chairs of Tiny Tim. 

Please know how much Jim and I, and all Foundation Board members, sincerely appreciate your loyalty in helping us grow this event into a tremendous fundraiser with hundreds of attendees, raising millions of dollars. Over the years, we have relied on your support through this event to provide scholarships for families so that no family is ever turned away based on the ability to pay. Thank you for supporting changing priorities such as new equipment, therapies, programs, and the new B.E. Smith Family Center that opened in 2019. Although there has been much change, our mission for this event remains the same… to raise the funds needed to grow and enhance the impact on children and families of the B.E. Smith Family Center.

Tonight, we ask you to join us in embarking on an exciting new chapter, celebrating the next 42 years of gathering and raising funds to support those who need our help the most.

It’s taken us nearly 18 months of conversation, ideation and creation, and now Jim and I are excited to be the spokespersons to announce that it is time for the name “Tiny Tim Holiday Fantasy” to transform. Tonight, we say farewell to our beloved friend, “Tiny Tim Holiday Fantasy” and usher in a new name to inspire a new era of fun, festivity, and, most importantly, impact. A name that reflects the magic of the holidays and the warmth felt when we gather for a purpose. It is a name that provides the feeling we get when we’re with family and friends, and evokes laughter, joy, and sparkle. We look forward to ringing in 2025 with this new name and new feel, but cherish that we will continue honoring and celebrating Christmas and all it means to all of us as we work together, supporting the healing ministry of Christ, to create a brighter future for others.