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After the passing of her father Kidd Kraddick, Caroline assumed the leadership role at the charity created by her family, Kidd’s Kids. Fearful she would be born with a serious deformity, they vowed to devote their time and resources to helping families of kids with life altering conditions. When Caroline was born completely healthy, they kept their promise and formed the non-profit, Kidd’s Kids. Caroline spent the years after his death, devoting all of her energies to ensuring her dad’s legacy. Kidd’s Kids is celebrating over 30 years of creating beautiful memories for families of children with life altering and life-threatening conditions. To date, the charity has sent over 1,000 kids ages 5-12 and over 3,500 family members on an all-expenses paid dream trip to Disney World. Caroline is currently a lifetime board member and serves as spokesperson and Chief Happiness Officer of Kidd’s Kids.
Not only did Caroline continue everything her dad started but she worked to do even more. In 2015, she began working with Dr. J Mack Slaughter of Music Meets Medicine and they performed together at the “K2M3 Benefit Concert featuring Andy Grammer” at the House of Blues in Dallas. This concert raised $50,000 for Kidd’s Kids. That year she and J Mack, along with the Kidd Kraddick Morning Show started work on raising the support needed for sponsorship of the therapeutic arts room at Children’s Medical Center in Dallas. In this dedicated room, hospitalized children have music and art therapy, something close to Caroline’s heart. In 2017, $150,000 was raised for the naming of the Therapeutic Arts Room in Memory of Kidd Kraddick.
In 2017, Caroline was chosen to be on the DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids) Style Council. Each year the board chooses people in the community who are well-known and committed to volunteering and raising awareness in addition to fundraising. She took to the runway for their annual ball and personally raised over $15k. She ventured into public speaking and hosted the first Kidd’s Kids breakfast where she eloquently spoke to a crowd of 500 people, about the loss of her dad and how much Kidd’s Kids meant to her. She also performed one of the special Kidd’s Kids songs written for the charity by Tim Halperin.
She raised additional funds to start Caroline’s Teen Trip and in 2017 sent over 10 families to Give Kids the World (GKTW) Village in Orlando, Florida. She invited actress and recording artist, Laura Marano, to join her on the trip and the kids and their families said it was the highlight of their trip. In 2018, she created Krewe de Kidds, and raised the funds through her personal “Court” and hosted the Mardi Gras Ball at The Ritz in Dallas. Over $175,000 was raised to send 24 teen families to GKTW. Ryan Cabrera joined her on this trip and they performed for all of the kids at GKTW.
The pandemic hit in 2020 and working with the Communities Foundation of Dallas and The United Way, Caroline used her musical talents and contacts and organized a live Zoom concert featuring local Texas artists. “The Ones for Texas, A Concert for North Texas Giving Tuesday Now.” The concert was broadcast on the local Dallas CBS affiliate KTVT to help raise awareness and donations for a special North Texas Giving Day. The week long giving campaign raised over $20.7M
When my mom was pregnant with me, the doctor told my parents there was a high probability I’d be born with a twisted femur and to prepare for a child that would never walk. That night, my dad prayed that I be born healthy and promised God that if He answered his prayer, he would spend the rest of his life giving back to children who weren’t as fortunate. That’s how Kidd’s Kids was born.
When my father, Kidd Kraddick, founded Kidd’s Kids in 1991, the trip was a bus ride to Sea World in San Antonio, Texas. His goal was to bring hope and happiness to kids with life-threatening and life altering conditions and help them make memories that would last a lifetime. Over the years, the trip has evolved into a 5 day all expense trip to Walt Disney World and we’ve taken over 100 children and their families. Justin Beiber, Austin Mahone, Laura Morano, Rachel Platten, and Ryan Cabrera have all been on the trip. Kidd’s Kids has continued to grow in ways I could have never imagined.
2 years ago, I started the Kidd’s Kids Teen Trip, an idea that came from my first trip to Disney World after losing my dad. I was 23 years old, grieving over the loss of my dad and still living life in a complete blur. But the second I walked into Magic Kingdom, the magic took over.
For years, I’d witnessed the joy Disney World brought to countless children, but for the first time, I experienced it firsthand. For a few days, I was able to let go of all the hurt and pain and if Disney could do that for me, why couldn’t it do that for older kids not only dealing with a serious medical diagnosis but all the other things that go along with being a teenager? That’s when I came up with the idea of the Teen Trip.
Even though I’m the original Kidd’s Kid, I’m not sure I ever saw myself in this place. I always knew I would be involved with Kidd’s Kids in some capacity, I just didn’t know how. It’s almost surreal to now be running the charity I’ve literally been involved with since birth. Kidd’s Kids has always been a part of my life and I always knew it would be. My dad founded the charity in honor of his baby and now it’s my baby. And I see it differently now.
I think my dad would be really proud of the way we’ve grown the charity. Kidd’s Kids was the best part of my dad and it’s an honor to carry on his legacy.
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