For one decade, Daniel “The Lion” Day has ushered in family fun, community and connection to Broomfield. The day of service returns this weekend from 1 p.m.
to 5 p.m. Sunday at Midway Park, located at Midway Boulevard and Kohl Street.
The event includes face painting, bouncy castles, food and drinks and a dedication to fostering community. Ten years ago when Daniel and Jacquenette Jaramillo’s son passed away at 14 months old from complications of premature birth, they had to make a choice — succumb to their grief, or use their experience for good. Over 10 years later, it’s safe to say that their son, Daniel “The Lion,” has made a positive impact in the community beyond his death.
The Jaramillos started the nonprofit named after their son, which supports families with terminally and critically ill children. In addition to helping with medical expenses, sending a cast of mascot characters to appear at birthday parties and many other support systems, the Jaramillos host an annual celebration at Midway Park. The original Daniel “The Lion” Day festival was held as a birthday party for Daniel, but Jacquenette Jaramillo said that it’s gone far beyond a celebration of her late son’s life.
“Planning the first event before his second birthday was just tortuous, it was such a grief-stricken time — looking forward to the birthday we should have had,” Jacquenette Jaramillo said. “But we wanted to not be sad, we wanted to celebrate with all the people that love Daniel.” No donations to the nonprofit are accepted during the event, instead, Jaramillo said the only agenda is genuine service.
“We really do this to help build community and show that serving others can lead to genuine feelings, and we have to be authentic,” she said. Dan Pelem has known the Jaramillos since middle school and has volunteered at the event for eight years. “Daniel ‘The Lion’ Day is my favorite day of the year, hands down,” he said.
Pelem serves as one of the organization’s mascot characters, attending events such as birthday parties and other celebrations to lift the spirits of children. “Some kids just hug you differently, they hold on tighter. It’s hard to explain, but it’s real — you can tell they really needed that,” he said.
For all the events he attends, the annual celebration holds a special place in his heart. “You see people show up to this thing, and everybody is having a good day,” Pelem said. “But you really understand the premise .
.. you take in that people are here celebrating bigger things than what matters every day to most of us.
” Ann Schimschal, another long-time volunteer at the event, said that the day also holds a special place for her. “I love the fact that in a very tragic, horrible situation, (the Jaramillos) found a ray of sunshine and made it the most beautiful birthday celebration you can imagine,” she said. With the theme of giving back, Schimschal said that the event has a way of restoring hope, and fueling further work.
“It’s a great day for giving back, every year when I go to help I leave feeling recharged for the good things left in our world,” she said. “Things are not optimal for a lot of people right now, but Daniel ‘The Lion’ Day feels like it literally recharges my soul.”.
