Oakland County is proud to be welcoming Amal to Ferndale during the Funky Ferndale Art Fair from 3:30 to 4:45 p.m. on Sept. 24. Little Amal - whose name means 'hope' in Arabic - is a 12 foot puppet of a refugee Syrian child who has traveled to 13 countries. 

She began her journey from the Syrian border and carries a message of hope for displaced people everywhere, especially children who have been separated from their families. Her urgent message is simple – “don’t forget us.”

Little Amal will lead a car parade that starts at 3:30 p.m. at Ferndale High School and head north to the art fair.

You can help Oakland County, the City of Ferndale and the Funky Ferndale Art Fair welcome Amal and create some buzz about her visit. We are looking for volunteers to man our Little Amal tent at the art fair on Saturday and Sunday. We’d love some enthusiastic individuals to talk about Amal and her journey and to engage art fair patrons to visit her tent and sign her blanket that she will take with her on her journey to keep her warm as she continues to search. Please contact Melanie Grund for questions or to volunteer, grundm@oakgov.com.