HCBDD Fall Fun Day joins students, community
Fall Fun Day at Holmes County Board of Developmental Disabilities was highlighted by a special touch-a-truck event on Thursday, Sept. 26, which offered everyone an opportunity to explore plenty of big rigs and emergency vehicles.
Holmes County Board of Developmental Disabilities enjoyed a perfect autumn day for its annual Fall Fun Day event, which was highlighted by a special touch-a-truck event on Thursday, Sept. 26.
In addition to the touch-a-truck event, there were games, GentleBrook staff featured an arts and crafts station, and there was some karaoke featuring Sacred Grounds members.
Allyson Crider, HCBDD teacher’s aide, said getting together for the day produced a ton of fun and was enjoyed by all in attendance.
“We had a wonderful turnout, and we are so appreciative of everyone who took the time to bring in vehicles for the touch-a-truck event and volunteered their time,” Crider said. “We had such incredible support from throughout the entire community that it made for a very special day.”
Participants in the touch-a-truck portion of the day included community members from the Holmes County Sheriff’s Office, Holmes-Wayne Electric Cooperative, a local race car driver, Rigz Towing & Recovery with a tow truck, the Millersburg Police Department, and Prairie Township and Holmes Fire District #1 fire trucks and more.
It gave the individuals with special needs and the students in the HCBDD school a chance to explore plenty of vehicles, but it also provided something else HCBDD’s Kim Miller said was worthwhile.
“We were all looking forward to this for so long,” Miller said. “One of the neat things is that it brought us all together with the folks from GentleBrook and Sacred Grounds for a day of fun and fellowship.”
She said the group from Sacred Grounds expressed gratitude over and over and said they are already looking forward to coming back to reconnect in the future.
“It was a great day to bring us all together because we all had a lot of fun, and the students and clients had a blast seeing each other. It was a terrific mix that proved to be a perfect outing,” Miller said.
Crider said it also was fun to reconnect with former HCBDD students who came back to attend the special event, making for a fun reunion for both the staff and current individuals attending HCBDD.
“We always get excited to see all of our former students, and they are so eager to come back and say hello and enjoy time with us,” Miller said. “I think that is one of the most meaningful parts of events like this because we do develop some lasting relationships with each of the students because we spend several years with them in our classrooms, so we tend to develop some really wonderful relationships with them.”
Miller said each moment was precious and said students like Cedric used the time to shake the hands of pretty much every single person who ventured onto the property during the day.
“I think it was special for each person in their own unique way,” Miller said. “The interaction was incredible, and people may not realize how important these connections are to our students.”
Whether it was reconnecting with old friends, making new ones or enjoying the touch-a-truck experience, the day proved to be special in many ways as the HCBDD continues to create opportunities to make every day special for its students.