Board of DD hosting spring festival May 12-13
Dozens of girls volleyball teams will take to the grass courts on Friday, May 12 as part of the 45th annual Spring Festival & Auction at the Holmes County Board of Development Disabilities.
The 45th annual Spring Festival & Auction will take place at the Holmes County Board of Development Disabilities Friday and Saturday, May 12-13 with an eye on benefiting children and adults who receive services from the Holmes County BDD and the organizations that aid the adult services connected to the BDD.
The Spring Festival is hosted by the Holmes County Association for Handicapped Citizens, and while the event has aided the Holmes County Board of Developmental Disabilities, it has expanded its reach and will touch many more organizations this year in its ability to give.
According to Marianne Mader, superintendent at the HCBDD, this event is a reunion, a homecoming and a feast all wrapped into one auction.
“I always tell people bring your appetite, bring your money and bring a truck,” Mader said.
With support from the community businesses and families who recognize the value of the HCBDD and its fellow organizations, this event continues to be a celebrated time of fellowship and support created by the HCAHC members who have worked for many years to support the efforts of the many programs and educational experiences supplied by the BDD.
“Our parents’ group is amazing,” Mader said. “They have always been there to support us in every way imaginable, and they work so hard behind the scenes to make sure we have everything we need to give our clients the best in care. They are the ones doing all of the leg work that makes this event possible.”
Mader said the event this year is even more countywide because the HCAHC board now includes the adult care provider agencies that have joined the BDD including GentleBrook, Midwest and Sacred Ground. Mader said representatives from both GentleBrook and Sacred Ground will volunteer time at this year’s festival.
The HCAHC has built these agencies into its budget, and grants are now available that can aid their efforts and the BDD.
“If an organization in Holmes County that supports individuals with disabilities needs funding for a project or something special, there is a grant application they can complete for approval,” Mader said. “Historically, the parent organization (HCAHC) would simply come to us, but now any of the participating organizations can submit requests.”
Mader said the parents’ association also created a new category of funding called individual grants that will allow families in search of purchasing equipment or needed materials or even transportation to and from medical visits to apply for a grant.
“Those changes have added a level of flexibility to the program,” Mader said, adding they still fund some of the usual activities like Special Olympics registration fees, respite care, overnight competitions, the New Leaf Clinic and more.
With the HCAHC’s effort to support more of these organizations, Mader said the Spring Festival has grown into more than just a weekend of support for the BDD.
Mader said while the festival is a fundraiser and a lot of fun, educating the public on how the county has blossomed into several organizations and how the funds raised at this event will have a wide-reaching effect is important.
“None of these funds raised go toward our general fund at the BDD,” Mader said. “These funds are all under the leadership of the parents’ association and right back to our community’s families. This isn’t the BDD’s event; it’s the parents’ association, and while we work closely with them, those dollars are available to them to share as they see fit.”
She said the festival was created to financially support organizations benefiting people with special needs. With the advent in bringing the adult services into the equation, it makes for a time for families to reconnect who might not see each other as often.
“With the ripple effect of privatization, our families who were once under one roof don’t always get together as easily or often as they used to, so it’s a time to reconnect,” Mader said. “That emotional support is so helpful.”
Friday, May 12 will feature the evening volleyball tournament, where currently nearly three dozen women’s teams have signed up to participate. The games will begin at 6:30 p.m. and could run past midnight.
This evening also is a chance for prospective buyers to view quilts and furniture, and there will be plenty of food to eat including soup and sandwiches, chili, salads, a bake sale and a variety of other food.
There also will be a slate of live musical entertainment. Beginning at 6:30 p.m., The Hostetler Family will take the stage under the large pavilion. At 7:30 p.m. Echoes of Hope will perform, and at 8:30 p.m. Broadway will play.
The action on Saturday, May 13 will start at the crack of dawn with a breakfast available for a donation starting at 7 a.m. Mader said the breakfast alone makes it well worth anyone’s time to get up and get to the facility.
The bake sale will continue all day, with the craft and furniture auction starting at 9 a.m. There also will be a silent auction beginning at 9 a.m. that will end promptly at 1 p.m. The special auction featuring plenty of tools and more will start at 1 p.m. while the quilt auction will kick off at 2 p.m. with close to 100 Amish handcrafted quilts, comforters and wall hangings designed in a bevy of colors and patterns.
There also will be plenty of activities for children, with children’s games hosted from 10 a.m. to noon and again from 2-4 p.m. Mader said there is always the opportunity for kids to take advantage of the huge playground area at the center.
The barbecue chicken lunch meals will begin at 11:30 a.m., with a huge array of home-cooked food. It also is by donation.
There also will be a raffle with tickets for sale Friday and Saturday. There are six major prizes in the raffle including a Hustler riding mower valued at around $7,000, a bus trip for two to Florida, a $1,500 gift card for merchandise from the Charm Merchants, a sewing machine, a mixer and an e-bike.
Tickets are $20 each, six for $100 or 40 for $500 with the raffle drawing set for 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.
There will be a delivery service available for a cost for those unable to haul larger items.
For more information visit Facebook and search HCAHC annual Spring Festival.