KOA Believes in Inclusion
Lisa Patrick
Ashland Beacon
The I Believe Foundation was looking for a place to host their Back to School Bash when a suggestion was made to have it at the Huntington-Ashland KOA. Doing so made this event go off without a hitch and it turned out to be very successful. Everyone had so much fun at the event that they plan on making this an annual event.
The I Believe Foundation of Ashland, known most for hosting the Our Night to Shine Special Needs Prom every May, serves both children and adults with special needs in the local area. The prom is only for teens and young adults from ages 15-21 but all other events are open to people with special needs of all ages.
The Back to School Bash was held on Sunday, August 11th, at the Huntington-Ashland KOA and featured all the activities that were available there. There was a jumping pillow, an inflatable pirate boat with a sprinkler, and putt-putt along with other entertainment. But the biggest attraction was the swimming pool. It was a beautiful day and the perfect weather for swimming. One of the events participants, Aiden Adkins was having so much fun playing with water guns in the pool, that his mother had a hard time getting him out to come eat.
After some fun, the I Believe Foundation members served grilled hot dogs, chips, and bottles of water before everyone went back to the pool and all the other fun activities. Cade Potter, one of the events participants, brought his own tent to put up by the picnic shelter and made sure to drag his mother to do every single activity at the KOA. He had so much fun that he immediately started planning to have his birthday party there next summer.
There were plenty of party favors for everyone to grab for free. There was a table full of different beanie babies, lots of different varieties of children’s sunglasses, water pistols, and an assortment of other stuff. The stuffed beanie babies were the favorite of the preteen and teen girls. The water pistols held the most attraction for all the boys except for James Osborne, who spent a lot of his time with big pieces of chalk in both hands, scribbling on the concrete floor of the shelter.
The best activity was saved for last as adults and kids alike headed for the fire pit to roast marshmallows for s’mores. The I Believe Foundation provided everything needed for everyone to have as many s’mores as they wanted. Almost everyone ate only one, but a couple went back for seconds, and a few kids went back for three and, in the case of Cameron Miller, even four.
B.J. Fraley and Brandi Dunn brought their five children to the event, and they all declared it the “best day ever.” They jumped, played putt-putt, swam, ate hot dogs, and made s’mores. When the party was coming to a close, they made sure that their fun didn’t end as they headed straight for the catch-and-release pond for some fishing.
Adella Hunt, who had come with her friend Kenzie Patrick, said that she had “the most fun ever.” As she was leaving with her arms loaded down with beanie babies, she kept telling everyone how much fun she had and thanking everyone for inviting her. She even made extra s’mores to take home to her siblings.
The event was small this year even though several families attended but the I Believe Foundation thinks that it will catch on more for next year.
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