Firm marks 100 by treating kids

Eight-year-old Makayla Siegert-Fowler, of Davenport, Wash., wore a white-over-black witch’s costume and added a pink tiara that she won in a carnival game Saturday.

Makayla suffers from a kidney disorder and was one of about 30 children with serious health conditions who were treated to Halloween carnival by the LeMaster Daniels accounting firm on national Make A Difference Day.

“I’ve been having fun with a lot of my friends,” she said as the three-hour Halloween carnival came to a close.

LeMaster Daniels, with 13 offices in Washington and Idaho, was founded in Spokane in 1908. Employees of the Spokane office found a way to celebrate the company’s centennial by giving back to the community. They put on the carnival for children and families affiliated with the Starlight Children’s Foundation, a support organization for families with children coping with the severe health problems.

The employees not only sponsored and volunteered to put on the fun, but they brought their families along. “We wanted it to be an interaction,” said Pam Pyrc, LeMaster Daniels marketing director. “This is about kids having fun.”

Games, a fish pond, cake walk, face painting, fortune telling, prizes, clowns and treats were provided in the lobby of the Bank of America Financial Center, 601 W. Riverside Ave., where LeMaster Daniels has its offices on the seventh floor. The bank donated use of the space; the Entertainment Warehouse donated carnival tents and games for the day.

Among the guests were Dirk and Violet Lincoln, of Cheney, who brought their children – Carter, 6, who has extensive physical disabilities, and Sydney, 2.

“It gives us a chance to get out and do things the whole family can enjoy,” Dirk Lincoln said.

In addition to the carnival, LeMaster Daniels employees in Spokane raised $6,000 for the foundation, which currently serves 73 families in the Inland Northwest.

“We really took a look at what makes us successful in our community, and we felt like we need to give back to our community, too,” Pyrc said. “Because without our community we wouldn’t be here today, and so this is our opportunity to say, ‘thank you.’ ”

Susan Faltermeyer, development director for the foundation, which has been in Spokane for five years, said Saturday’s event was part of the foundation’s ongoing “great escape” program for families with sick children. “It’s just overwhelming what LeMaster Daniels has done,” she said.