Monday, December 5, 2011

The Amaya Papaya Play Zone @ the Zora Festival of the Arts and Humanities

Amaya Papaya is sponsoring the PLAY ZONE for children 0-4 years old at the Zora Festival of the Arts and Humanities in Eatonville, FL, on Friday January 27, 2012 - Sunday January 29, 2012. The Zora Festival honors the life and achievements of Zora Neal Hurston, renowned 20th century writer, folklorist and anthologist. The Zora Festival is entering its 23nd year and the expected three-day attendance is 75,000 attendees. About forty percent of the visitors to the festival will come from outside the Orlando metro area.

This past January, Amaya Papaya - Play Lounge was honored to be one of the Zora Festival’s collaborative sponsors. As a sponsor, we provided the festival with it’s first Play Zone especially designed for kids 0-4 years old. We had the opportunity to meet a multitude children and families, serve our community by giving back and have tons of fun!! The Amaya Papaya- Play Zone was such a huge success that we have been asked to come back again next year!

I would like to invite you and your company to join Amaya Papaya for this awesome event by sponsoring an activity or an interactive booth for children and their families to play and explore. Your partnership would be an added bonus to the event and would provide great exposure for your business as well. The Amaya Papaya Play Zone will be located in the Hungerford Prepartory School gymnasium on Kennedy Blvd. The Amaya Papaya Play zone will be especially designed for kids 0-4 years old. The PLAY Zone will be divided into different stations for children to explore and play with their parents assistance.

I am requesting the assistance of local vendors and volunteers in the community to come out and be a part of this special event by volunteering your time at the various stations or for you to do a workshop, performance or interactive showcase at your own table provided by your business.
Examples of activities would be:
music performances(interactive musical performances with the kids)
entertainment (character greetings, magic shows, provide music, circle time leaders etc.)
craft/game tables
story time readers
mini workshops (computer, crafts, etiquette, etc.)

This festival is a great opportunity for your business or organization to give back to the community and market yourself as a community partner of an established event that has been happening in our backyard for 22 years! Your businesses is projected to be seen by 75,000 people over the 3 day event. You will have access to an audience of educated professionals who have an earned income of $50,000 or more; who are family-oriented and who are brand-loyal to ZORA! Festival sponsors.

If you would like to be a part of this opportunity by either volunteering at one of our play areas or by sponsoring your own play area/table please contact Yolonda at Amaya Papaya!


Thank you for your support of the Amaya Papaya Play Zone and the Zora Festival of the Arts and Humanities (ZORA! Festival)


Sincerely,

Yolonda Tyler
President - Amaya Papaya
Amaya Papaya - Play Zone

Saturday, May 14, 2011

A dream come to life

It's been over a year and a half since I opened Amaya Papaya in August of 2009 (and almost a year since I've written a blog post!). It has truly been a blessing watching your children grow up and getting to know you. People often ask me why I opened Amaya Papaya and how I came up with the concept. It was really a simple thought when I first envisioned this place back in 2007 when Amaya was only 1.

We would frequent the local parks, malls and other indoor play establishments and I thought, “HEY, there should be a place where I can take my 1 year old where she could play without having to worry about the outdoor elements, big kids playing in an area clearly marked for her or the distraction of video games or electronics.” I had been to other indoor play places and researched other infant/toddler and preschool friendly places in other areas but I could not find a place like this in my local area.


Back then, I was working as a counselor at an awesome school for girls where I would tell the girls to follow their dreams yet, here I was with the dream of opening an awesome family enrichment center and I was not acting on that dream. So began the exploration and planning of
Amaya Papaya.

It was a long process of business planning and saving money but finally Amaya Papaya was born!

It has not been an easy road. Opening
Amaya Papaya at the beginning of a recession was a great challenge. I have seen many business owners small and large close their doors. Here at Amaya Papaya we have been blessed to stay open in these unsteady, inconsistent times. Some months are harder than others but it is with your support that we continue to move forward.

Being a momma AND a momma entrepreneur is more difficult than people imagine. I often wonder if the time commitment that it takes to run a successful business is worth the strain that it puts on my family and body.


Over the past few months of thinking about and planning for the future of
Amaya Papaya I have wondered about the necessity of a place such as this. In my opinion there are few places that cater to the 0-5yr age group and where parents can relax and know their children are safe. So though it may be tough at times I want to show my daughter that she can do ANYTHING she puts her mind too! Amaya Papaya is a dream come to life and I am proud to share it with all of you!

Peace and blessings

Yolonda

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

I have so much to say!!

It's been a while....new blog post coming soon!