Joyful Child Foundation sets Oct. 24 gala in Irvine with Ed Smart, Kayden Tokarski

The Joyful Child Foundation will host The Joyful Gala 2026 on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Strawberry Farms Golf Club in Irvine, with Ed Smart as guest speaker, Kayden Tokarski as emcee and Zack Krone leading the auction. The fundraiser will support the group’s child-safety programs, including its BRAVE education effort and expanded BRAVE Online access.

Why it matters: - The Joyful Gala is a key fundraising event for The Joyful Child Foundation’s prevention and empowerment programs. - Proceeds will support efforts aimed at reducing abuse, abduction, exploitation and trafficking risks for children. - The event also helps expand access to child-safety education through BRAVE Online.

What happened: - The Joyful Child Foundation announced The Joyful Gala 2026 – An Evening for Champions for Children for Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026. - The gala will take place at Strawberry Farms Golf Club in Irvine, California. - Ed Smart, father of Elizabeth Smart and a child-safety advocate, will serve as guest speaker. - Orange County actress Kayden Tokarski, who appears on ABC’s General Hospital, will return as emcee. - Zack Krone of CA Coast Auctions will return as auctioneer.

The details: - The evening will include fundraising games, a silent auction and a live auction. - Tokarski recently joined General Hospital as Scout Cain. - Tokarski’s connection to The Joyful Child Foundation began with the organization’s original Be Brave pilot. - The Foundation said that experience helped inspire Tokarski’s acting career and taught her personal safety skills. - Erin Runnion, founder and executive director of The Joyful Child Foundation, said she and Ed Smart share a history of advocacy after their daughters, Samantha Runnion and Elizabeth Smart, were abducted in 2002. - The families’ cases drew national attention during what the media called the “Summer of Abductions.” - Their advocacy helped advance the national AMBER Alert system, the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act and the PROTECT Act. - The PROTECT Act provided funding for Internet Crimes Against Children Task Forces. - The Joyful Child Foundation’s BRAVE program teaches children to recognize unsafe situations, trust their instincts, set boundaries, speak up, seek help and advocate for their own safety. - The Foundation is expanding prevention education through BRAVE Online. - The Joyful Child Foundation is a California nonprofit public benefit corporation established in September 2002.

Between the lines: - The gala is as much about community-building as fundraising, tying together advocates, families, donors and local supporters around child-safety prevention. - Smart and Runnion’s shared history gives the event a personal and advocacy-driven focus that extends beyond a standard charity dinner. - The Foundation is positioning education and early intervention as the core response, not just crisis response after harm has already occurred.

What’s next: - The Joyful Child Foundation is inviting the community to attend, support the auction and back its prevention programs. - The organization will use the gala to raise funds and awareness for child-protection efforts. - More information is available through the Foundation’s social channels, including the organization’s LinkedIn page, Instagram account, Facebook page, YouTube channel, TikTok account and link hub.

The bottom line: - The Joyful Gala 2026 blends celebrity participation, personal advocacy and fundraising to support child-safety education and prevention.