I have looked forward to this night every summer since becoming involved with Aaron's Acres. Aaron’s Acres is a non-profit organization that serves children between the ages of 5 and 21 with special needs.
Tonight was their annual carnival! Kids and their families come out for food, drinks, games, and of course the moon bounce! This year Hartz Physical Therapy really did a nice job organizing the games and bringing out a ton of volunteers! Kudos for Hartz!
In this picture is my buddy Chris. Chris was full of smiles and laughter all night! He and the other kids inspire me in so many ways! The games and activities were not easy for Chris but no one would have known. He played every game with a smile! I might add he is a competitive little bugger too!
A highlight of my night was when a kid was coming toward me in a wheelchair yelling, Hey! Hey! I know you! I realized it was a former student of mine I had in 6th grade. He was there with his family who own the Rita's on Manheim Pike (by the Subway and Isaac's) handing out water ice and coupons. It took him a second to remember where he knew me from. All he could get out at first was John Beck and Social Studies. He said, "I LOVED your social studies class! You made us watch the movie about that Bridges girl and write a paper. It was the best paper I ever wrote! It wasn't fair to treat her mean because she was black!" If that is all I taught him then I did my job! I can't believe he is a senior now!
A little history on how Aaron's Acres got started...
Aaron's Acres was established in 1998. At that time, Risa Paskoff, a well-respected clinical (child) social worker in the Lancaster community, read an article from a group of parents who wanted to provide a summer camp experience for their children who had developmental disabilities.
Their request was to have a camp that provided experiences similar to what most parents throughout the United States want for their children. Risa immediately offered her assistance. With Risa's help and the financial support of a small grant, a one-week summer camp program was established serving 11 children in Lancaster County, ages 4-9 in 1998. Risa became the executive director of Aaron's Acres, and has been the executive director ever since.
Since then , Aaron's Acres has expanded its programs tremendously. In 2003, as a result of receiving feedback from the parents, Risa added a monthly school year program in Lancaster. In 2004, both camps and school year programs were established in Berks County. Beginning in 2006, Aaron's Acres established programs in Dapuhin County as well. The program continues to provide year round recreational and therapeutic services to children in 3 counties - Lancaster, Berks and Dauphin.
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