Where are the best playgrounds to take your kids in Northern Virginia? We have the answers! Here are the top 10 playgrounds in Northern Virginia: 1. Lubber Run Park Address: 200 N Columbus St Arlington, Virginia Parking: Free parking garage under park and street parking Restrooms: Nice restrooms located at the park Park Features: Slides […]

The Bay Area is a great place to be a kid if you know where to look. You’re in luck because we have a list of the best playgrounds in the Bay Area for you. Whether you’re in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose or a surrounding city, these parks are a great option for your […]

Looking for more ways to help kids in your community? Here is an ultimate guide to organizations that help children: 1. Wheel For Wishes From San Diego to NYC, Wheels For Wishes is a vehicle donation charity that benefits the kids of Make-A-Wish across the U.S. Just one car donation can change the life of […]

By the time August rolls around, the back-to-school frenzy is in full swing at every department store. It's fun to stock up on brand new supplies, but now is a good time to remember that stores want you to buy everything you need, along with things you didn't even know you wanted until you got there. This time of year can be especially hard for first year college students who can't wait to buy everything they need to live independently.

John Cena is best known for one thing: Throwing his fellow World Wrestling Entertainment competitors around a wrestling ring. Cena has been the face of WWE for almost 10 years and is a multiple-time world champion. But he has two pursuits outside of the ring that also consume a lot of time: his cars and helping Make-A-Wish.

Cena's Garage

Cena's car collection features a lot of American muscle cars. He regularly drives a 1971 AMC Hornet SC/360, reportedly due to the rarity of the vehicle – AMC went out of business in 1988. However, Cena is a collector of current muscle cars as well as the classics. Here's a list of what Cena has in his ample collection:

• 1966 Dodge Hemi Charger
• 1969 AMC AMX
• 1969 COPO Chevrolet Camaro
• 1969 Dodge Daytona
• 1970 AMC Rebel Machine
• 1970 Buick GSX
• 1970 Buick GSX
• 1970 Mercury Cougar Eliminator
• 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass Rallye 350
• 1970 Plymouth Superbird
• 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge
• 1971 Ford Torino GT
• 1971 Pontiac GTO Judge
• 1971 Plymouth Road Runner
• 2006 Dodge Viper
• 2006 Ford GT
• 2007 Dodge Charger SRT-8
• 2007 Ford Mustang Saleen Parnelli Jones Limited Edition
• 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

Cena was featured on the SyFy Network television show "Dream Machines," where a Corvette C7 was stripped down to the frame. Parker Brothers Concepts built him the Incenarator, a futuristic, custom-designed vehicle complete with a flamethrower, limited-edition 24-inch rims and a three-piece canopy that opens up for Cena to exit out of. The car was featured in the Gumball 3000 rally that went from Copenhagen to Monaco.

Make-A-Wish Record-Holder

In his wrestling career, Cena takes a backseat to no one. It's no different than in his work for Make-A-Wish. Cena is the all-time record-holder for most wishes granted through Make-A-Wish - he grants wish No. 500 on Aug. 24, 2015. He was awarded the Chris Greicius Award in 2009 for his efforts on behalf of Wish Kids. The award is named for the child whose wish was the foundation Make-A-Wish was built upon.

WWE and WWE Superstars have been granting wishes with Make-A-Wish for more than 30 years and have donated a significant amount of funds to help cover costs associated with many of those wishes. Cena continues to be one of the most-frequently requested celebrity wishes. Make-A-Wish honored WWE Superstar John Cena and WWE for their contributions to wish kids by dedicating a WWE-themed conference room in the charity’s global headquarters in Phoenix.

"WWE wishes have been popular since early in the Foundation’s history and we are proud to count the WWE and its Superstars as longtime supporters,” said David Williams, President and Chief Executive Officer for Make-A-Wish, when the room was dedicated in 2012. “John Cena’s commitment to our mission and his connection with our wish kids make him one of our best wish ambassadors. We are grateful for everything John and WWE have done, and we look forward to them granting many more wishes in the future."

Use Your Car To Help Make-A-Wish

You don't have to be a celebrity to help Wish Kids have their wish granted. If you have an unwanted vehicle, you can make a vehicle donation to Wheels For Wishes benefiting Make-A-Wish. Make-A-Wish chapters around the country are dedicated to helping children with life-threating medical conditions. If you want to help their goal of granting wishes, please consider making a car donation to Wheels For Wishes, the car donation program benefiting Make-A-Wish. We offer you a great tax deduction, free towing and an easy way to support an important cause. To donate your car, boat, RV, motorcycle or other vehicle, please call [chapter_phone] or fill out our online car donation form. 

In 2016, Parents’ Day is celebrated on July 24. Like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, Parents’ Day recognizes, uplifts and supports the important role of parents with a national day of celebration. With both Mother’s Day and Father’s Day occurring in the previous months, it might be difficult to plan a new and unique day with your parents. Don’t worry—if you do these 11 practical things for your parents, they will really feel appreciated. You don’t have to spend much to have a special day with your parents.

Since March is Women's History Month, we thought it would be the perfect time to highlight how influential women have changed the car industry throughout history. When it comes to the history of cars, people tend to think of Henry Ford, Karl Benz, Walter P. Chrysler, Horace Dodge, or other men whose names are behind the most recognizable car brands on the market today.

Winter break is right around the corner. Here are some ideas to keep the kids busy so you can relax.

Fall holidays can take a toll on healthy eating, and cooler weather makes us want to stay indoors more often. Keeping your family healthy and active through the fall and winter is often a challenge. Luckily there are countless ways to get kids off the couch and have fun moving around at home. 

As we’re getting closer to the start of the school year, you just can’t wait for the kids to start school. Here are some fun activities to keep the kids busy the last few weeks before school starts.

February is American Heart Month, a time dedicated to learning more about heart disease. Heart disease includes conditions such as stroke, high blood pressure, angina, rheumatic heart disease and coronary heart disease, which can cause heart attacks. These conditions would be rare in children since they normally affect adults as they age; however, it's never too soon to adopt heart-healthy habits that the whole family can benefit from! 

Even if you don't live in a cold climate with snow, winter weather can seem endless and get you down. With the holidays far behind us, most people are ready for winter to be over. However, with a little creativity, winter can still be a blast even if you are stuck inside!

Parents work hard to make sure their kids are eating healthy by cooking meals at home when possible, reading labels and limiting the unhealthy snacks they eat. Unfortunately, labels don't always give you a good picture of what's in your kids' food and it's sometimes necessary to dig a little deeper. 

Breast cancer does not affect children and it rarely affects teens, but breast cancer is something that may be possible to be prevent early on. Plus, treatments for many childhood cancers or critical illnesses can put children at risk for developing cancer in adulthood. This is why it is so important to raise awareness about breast cancer, regardless of age. It is important for men and women of all ages to be aware of the risk factors for breast cancer, especially during their teenage years. Breast Cancer Awareness Month is the perfect time to spread awareness and educate others.

Cancer in children is rare – which is obviously a positive – yet it is the leading cause of death by disease past infancy among children in the United States. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital estimates that 16,000 children and adolescents ages 0 to 19 years will be diagnosed with cancer and 1,960 will die of the disease in the United States.

Every September, we observe Childhood Cancer Awareness month to help bring attention to the impact this disease has on children and adolescents. According to St. Baldrick's, almost all kids diagnosed with cancer in the 1950s died. Thanks to advances in research, about 90 percent of kids with the most common type of cancer – acute lymphoblastic leukemia – will live.

Types Of Cancer In Children

According to the National Cancer Institute, environmental causes of childhood cancer have been difficult to identify, partly because cancer in children is rare and because it is difficult to determine what children could have been exposed to early in their development.

Childhood cancer is different from cancer in adults. Typically, the cancers that occur in children are:

• Leukemia
• Brain and spinal cord tumors
• Neuroblastoma
• Wilms Tumor
• Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
• Hodgkin disease
• Rhabdomyocarcoma
• Retinoblastoma
• Osteosarcoma
• Ewing family of tumors

Symptoms To Look For

It can be difficult to recognize cancers in children. The American Cancer Society says that if any of the following symptoms or signs are present, you should seek medical advice as soon as possible.

• An unusual lump or swelling
• Sudden unexplained weight loss
• Unexplained paleness and loss of energy
• Easy bruising
• Limping
• An ongoing pain in one area of the body
• Unexplained fever or illness that doesn’t go away
• Frequent headaches, often with vomiting
• Sudden eye or vision changes

Support Childhood Cancer Awareness Month by wearing a gold ribbon and learn about which color is associated with each cancer awareness month ribbon. By spreading awareness during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, other people can also be made aware of the signs and symptoms associated with childhood cancer. Have you or your family been affected by childhood cancer? Please share your story with us on our Facebook, Twitter or Google+ pages.

Help Kids With Life-Threatening Medical Conditions Find Hope

Make-A-Wish is an amazing organization that helps to grant the wishes of kids between the ages of 2 ½ and 18 who are battling critical illnesses. When you donate a car, truck, boat, or motorcycle to Wheels For Wishes, your vehicle donation will be picked up at no charge to you, nearly anywhere in the United States. Your vehicle will be recycled or auctioned off and the earned proceeds will be donated to your local Make-A-Wish.

When you donate a car, you can help a child with cancer or another medical condition in receiving their greatest wish. Simply call [chapter_phone] or fill out an online car donation form.

You may have heard about the leukemia-beating 5-year-old, dubbed Batkid, who inspired hundreds of thousands of Twitter and Instagram users to cheer him on back in November 2013. Now's your chance to see the new film starring the Batkid himself! June 26 is the opening weekend of Batkid Begins in select theatres.

With summer vacation coming up quickly, it's time to start planning for family trips and hopefully more free time. If you have a road trip coming up, a good stack of books might be the best thing you pack to keep the kids busy. Tablets and e-readers can be great, but there's nothing like a real book. You don't have to worry about keeping batteries charged. Plus for camping, beach trips or days on the boat you don't want to risk the sand or water ruining your electronics.

Reading over the summer will keep your kids' reading skills sharp, all while keeping them entertained. That's why we've put together a great list of fun books your kids will love this summer.

E readers and downloadable audio books each offer something special, but in an increasingly digital world, there's something extra special about sitting down with your kids to read a story from a real book. If you could use more family reading time, March 2 might be a great time to get started. In honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday, March 2 is Read Across America Day, a day that's all about getting kids excited about reading. 

If giving back to the community is on your list of New Year’s resolutions, Make-A-Wish might be the perfect charity for you to support. Make-A-Wish grants the wishes of local children between the ages of 2 ½ and 18 who are battling critical illnesses. If you are still not convinced that Make-A-Wish is the charity for you, a recent Wish Nation blog post published by a Make-A-Wish blogger might be all the persuasion you need.  

The holidays may be behind us, but we wanted to share these uplifting stories from the holiday season to help start 2015 off with inspiration and positivity. Here at Wheels For Wishes we love sharing positive stories with our supporters and we love helping Make-A-Wish with our car donation program. If you would like to help create a positive story for a child in your community, consider donating a vehicle to benefit your local Make-A-Wish and help a wish come true for a child battling a critical illness. Just call [chapter_phone] or take a moment to fill out our donation form.