Festival Alert: Silver Sparkles Family Fun Day March 19, 2016

​Kristina Schnack Kotlus is a mom of three and known throughout the Northern Virginia community as the publisher behind PWC Moms, a long-standing, popular blog dedicated to family-friendly events and activities in Prince William County and beyond. The blog boasts an active social media following, and Kristina has received accolades such as the “40 Under 40 Marketing and PR Winner” in Prince William County and “Best Blog” in the Best of NoVA by Northern Virginia Magazine.
 
In 2013, shortly before her 29th birthday, Kristina was diagnosed with a brain tumor and began many months of treatment that included surgery and radiation. She leaned heavily on her faith and always believed there was a plan. After surviving the illness, Kristina decided to dedicate her life to helping other people and raising money to further brain cancer research.  
 
“I'm very thankful every day that I get to be here and that I get to keep raising my kids and working in the community.  I'm even more thankful I got to experience the love of the people around me- it was so humbling to have so many people step in and help with our kids, our dinners, even our laundry,” says Kotlus. 

Kristina during her treatment with her daughter.

The Kotlus family at a brain tumor walk.

​Kristina started hosting the annual Silver Sparkles Family Fun Day event, now in its third year, to give back to the community and provide a fun-filled day for families. This year’s event is on Saturday, March 19, 2016 at the giant Freedom Aquatic and Fitness Center in Manassas.
 
Throughout the day, families can experience free classes, such as ballet and Minecraft in the community rooms, and the gym will be filled with family-friendly booths and games sponsored by local organizations. From hands-on activities, art projects, model trains, a photo booth, indoor bounces to putt-putt golf and much more, every vendor table at the festival has something fun for kids to do. Plus, there will be food and raffle tickets for sale. It’s a chance for families to discover local businesses and kid-friendly venues while the children have a great time playing.
 
Tickets to the event are by family and available for advance purchase online. All profits from the event go to brain cancer research.
 
Kristina adds, “Ironically, the presentation of my brain tumor is more common in children.  That really made me think about how awful it would be to have to watch one of my own kids survive what I had to deal with.  It makes me really passionate about research and donating as much as I can because while I was lucky it was me and not one of my children. Other people aren't as lucky and they are fighting this alongside babies or toddlers who can't even understand why they're being subjected to so much pain.”
 
To see the current list of vendors, find out more about Silver Sparkles Family Fun Day, and to purchase tickets, please visit the official website here.