As we continue to celebrate our 25th anniversary, we want to highlight two major fundraising events that we have had for many years. It is because of events such as these that we are where we are today. In addition to making new connections and maintaining current relationships, the tremendous support from our community has grown awareness of our organization and what we do for children and young adults with disabilities, as well as increased the financial contributions we have received over time.

Volley for Kids began in 1999 as a non-competitive event, with teams of all ages (from middle school to senior citizens) playing games of volleyball on a Sunday afternoon. We first had this event at Universal Athletic Club but grew out of that space and had the event at Franklin & Marshall College’s Alumni Sports and Fitness Center. Volunteers from the community were responsible for keeping score, which allowed for additional people to be involved with this event. A number of sponsorships were secured from the community and teams were asked to raise funds for their playing time. A silent auction was introduced after several years which was enjoyed by players as well as those who came to watch and support the teams. This fundraiser continued through 2018. The number of teams that participated every year varied in number, beginning with 10 teams and reaching 60 teams at it highest! To this day, we still hear from staff or volunteers that someone in their family (or themselves) played in VFK years ago! Of course, we love hearing that! Our families were invited to attend, put together a team or just experience the feeling of having the larger community supporting them. Each year, VFK was an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to come together, have fun, increase awareness of our organization and raise funds for all of our programs.

Our Golf Outing at Bent Creek Country Club began in 2010. This past year, we were able to raise over $117,000 which was an all time high for us! Once again, we have had tremendous support from the community through sponsorships as well as having many golfers, volunteers and donors attend the event. Our Administrative Team and Board of Directors enjoy interacting with donors and volunteers who believe in what we are doing and have had such a positive impact on our organization. We also love meeting people who are new to Aaron’s Acres. Telling our story is one of our favorite things to do!

Aaron’s Acres has reached this 25-year milestone because of the ongoing support we have received from the community. Our existing programs continue to expand and new programs have been added as a result of this support. It is our dream to continue to grow in order to remain true to our mission and meet the needs of children and young adults with disabilities. We are most grateful to the community for all that they have provided over the years!