On September 8, 2013 over 50 New Beginnings families from Long Island and the greater New York City area gathered for our annual Family Fun Picnic and Fundraiser. The weather was gorgeous, the food was delicious, the entertainment was non-stop and even the teenagers had fun. This year’s picnic, hosted by the Allies in Adoption, was a huge success.
The picnic was Located in East Meadow, NY, the Benevolent Fire Hall. It is a fabulous place for the event. There are large seating areas, both inside and out, with a vast, enclosed grounds where the children could play and the parents could visit with old friends and make some new. This was our first year there and we look forward to returning again next year.
The schedule for the day included the much loved Mad Science performance which was entertaining for children of all ages – and the adults loved it too. This interactive show was fast paced, high energy and exciting. It combined a little bit of magic with a lot of science to generate an explosion or two and a bunch of fun for all. A highlight of the performance was the dry ice experiment which let the kids “swim around” in the fog.
The bounce house and slide are always great fun. There were also crafts and tattoos. Special thanks for Rosemary Firestein for putting together the Chinese Harvest Moon festival craft table. The girls especially enjoyed making lanterns, visors and getting their faces painted.
“Spin Around Sound” provided more than just music throughout the day. There were yo-yo contests, mummy contests – with toilet paper that is! The water balloon toss was a favorite along with the limbo and parachute.
The excitement continued with the raffle prizes which included an Apple Ipad, “Dinner on the Gold Coast” (gift certificates for Tom Schaudel Restaurants on the north shore), a Kindle Fire and 15 baskets filled with awesome gifts, jewelry, candy and more. Lucky winner Luke said “I love my Islander Hockey basket with a signed authentic Island Hockey puck.” Faith was the lucky winner of a girls Pandora bracelet.
Thanks to the gracious effort of Judy Flynn and Bruny Derby, whose families sold the most raffle tickets, we raised over $8,000 in donations. The money raised will support our post-adoption service program called “Beyond the Placement.” Beyond the Placement helps provide workshops and programs for families and young adult adoptees that need support and guidance long after the formal adoption is over. This program will help assure successful adoptions for years to come.
We would also like to thank our committee members Sherry Chin-Anderson, Kristina Holtzweiss, Claire Kabot, Maureen Reichardt, Judy and Bruni for the hours in meetings and planning that made the picnic so much fun. In addition, we would like to than Luke and Rachel Peace for their help in preparing for the picnic and the day of the event. Finally, thank you to the members of our Board of Directors: Don Peterson, Patty Hawxhurst and Joan Lazarus.
At the end of the picnic, with tired children in tow, our families were telling us how much fun they had and how well organized it was. Susan said, “This picnic is great, when is the next event that I can help with?” We are so glad Susan asked. The Holiday Party is coming up soon, Saturday Nov. 30.