Goodwill’s CARE Program Hosts 1st-ever Summer Carnival!

Lois Kramer, CARE Coordinator with volunteer Kayla Agoston and sister Kristine

Sounds of laughter and people having fun could be overheard on Friday, July 25th as Goodwill’s Center for Advocacy, Recreation and Education (CARE) program hosted its 1st-ever summer carnival. Parents and families helped out as volunteers for the festive event which featured a roomful of carnival tents with  all of the traditional games like  ring toss, duck pond, a t-shirt decorating booth, photo booth and more. The CARE program participants tested their skill at the Pick-A-Pop game among many others and were thrilled at the prizes they won for their efforts. “We all came up with the idea together,” said Lois Kramer, CARE program Coordinator. “Everyone thought it would a new fun event to celebrate summer in an old-fashioned kind of way that everyone could enjoy.”

Ohio Valley Goodwill’s CARE program is an award-winning, life-enriching service option that provides personal development opportunities for individuals with disabilities that are sponsored through partnerships with both Hamilton and Butler County Boards of Developmental Disabilities. CARE currently serves more than 70 individuals who participate in the program in a choice-directed fashion which is personalized in terms of engagement. The program offers a range of life-enhancing activities which includes community integration opportunities as well as volunteer possibilities. “Our program is not only structured to provide a variety of exciting and entertaining community recreational options for our participants but also to allow them to give back in ways of their own choosing,” explained Kramer.

From the sounds of the participants, the 1st-ever CARE summer carnival was a tremendous success and will probably become an annual tradition. To find out more about the CARE program, visit www.cincinnatigoodwill.org/services.