ACTIVE Network volunteers at Fair Park Olympics
“How did you spend your summer vacation?”This classic essay question gets a cool new answer, following a unique volunteer effort. Together with our client Kidventure, ACTIVE Network had the privilege of helping out at the second annual Fair Park Olympic Day Games for Kids this June. The event provided local kids with a way to get active, build confidence and have a whole lot of fun during their summer break–and did we mention they got to hang out with Olympians, too?This two-day sports extravaganza was sponsored by Friends of Fair Park, endorsed by the DFW Chapter of the U.S. Olympians and Paralympians Association, funded by the Fair Park Texas Foundation and conducted by the camp experts at Kidventure. Operating summer day camps in Houston, Austin and Dallas, as well as Safari Overnight Camp in Hunt, Texas, and Finale After School at multiple locations in Houston, the 24-year-old company focuses on a mission “to help build the lives of kids, provide them with opportunities to grow strong and demonstrate that they can make a real difference in the world.”
Partnering With Kidventure
Kidventure has been a client of ACTIVE Network for nearly two years, utilizing the ACTIVEWorks® Camp & Class Manager solution. For the Fair Park Olympic Day Games, its staffers facilitated events and activities, guided museum tours, served lunch and much more for nearly 200 attendees. When Kidventure invited ACTIVE Network to assist with these efforts, we happily donned our best “field day” attire and joined the team.The weather was hot, as is typical for a Texas summer, so games and sports were rotated both indoors and out at the P.C. Cobb Athletic Complex. Misting tents and ice-cold drinks also helped to beat the heat. Events represented a combination of traditional favorites, such as tug of war, football and track and field, as well as creative additions such as Gaga Ball and Change-a-roo. Participants ranged from pint-sized to grade school, all residents of neighborhoods around Fair Park.Surveying the scene, Dallas Camps Coordinator Ryan Isbrecht, an eight-year Kidventure veteran, summed up the spirit of the day. “This event gives the kids an opportunity to come out and be active and to know that people care about them and want them to succeed,” he says.
Meeting Real Life Olympians
Perhaps most exciting of all, participants were treated to appearances by real-life Olympians and Paralympians, including gold medalist Ryan Berube and bronze and silver medalist Gina Jenkins McWilliams. As ACTIVE Network volunteers arrived to help set the scene for the closing ceremony, world-class athletes mingled with kids, neighbors and parents, sharing lunch and laughs. Soon, floats and awards would mark the end of a summer vacation experience that will surely make back-to-school essay headlines in the fall.[caption id="attachment_4116" align="alignnone" width="900"]
“This event gives the kids an opportunity to come out and be active and to know that people care about them and want them to succeed.”[/caption]It was an honor for ACTIVE Network to be included this amazing event. Our sincerest thanks to Kidventure, and here’s to many more years of the Fair Park Olympic Day Games for Kids!
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