47th Spring Festival set to benefit individuals with special needs
The 47th annual Spring Benefit Auction & Festival at the Holmes County Training Center is set to take place May 9-10 and benefits individuals with special needs and their families. It is organized by the Holmes County Association for Handicapped Citizens.
Dave Mast
With the 47th annual Spring Benefit Auction & Festival at the Holmes County Training Center set to take place May 9-10, it should be much of the same thing that has driven the benefit auction to success for the past nearly five decades.
However, it may not be exactly what people think it is.
While the festival takes place at the Holmes County Board of Developmental Disabilities facility, it is not a fundraiser for the HCBDD.
The funds raised at the festival actually go to the Holmes County Association for Handicapped Citizens, who will in turn dole out funds throughout Holmes County to individuals with handicaps and their families.
That means they have a committee that evaluates all circumstances and dispenses funds as they see fit, and in doing so, the HCAHC makes sure many entities and families get a piece of the pie.
“We do receive a small portion of the funds raised, but they do such a much wider and greater body of work,” said Marianne Mader, superintendent of the HCBDD.
She said organizations like GentleBrook and Sacred Grounds, which do important work with individuals with handicaps and their families, and many families who have specific needs will receive funding through this festival.
In addition, the HCAHC supports activities like Special Olympics and the special needs library, provides respite care to give caregivers a chance to catch their breath, provides funds for mileage reimbursement for those who face ongoing medical treatments and must travel and more.
“That’s why this benefit auction fundraiser is so important,” Mader said. “It’s great for so many reasons.”
The festival will kick off Friday evening with a host of activities including plenty of food and the volleyball tournament that always draws a massive crowd of both players and spectators.
It also includes a lineup of live music groups. At 6 p.m. High Rise Gospel will take the stage under the pavilion, followed by Rhinestone at 7 p.m. and New Sound at 8 p.m.
On Saturday things will continue with a new event working its way into the lineup.
The day will begin with a complete breakfast at 7 a.m., and at 8 a.m. the new 5k Race and DD Fun Run, designed for individuals with special needs, will start.
Registration for the 5k is $30 through May 9 and $35 on race day and includes a T-shirt, finisher’s medal, electronic chip timing, post-race refreshments and race awards for top placers.
To enter the race, visit the HCAHC Facebook page and look for the QR code or email millerflostar@gmail.com for more information.
