A very special day

LANETT — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers kicked off its 39th annual Special Day for Special People Thursday morning with music, games and food.

The event took place at Rocky Point Recreation Area and spanned across the picnic area and boat docks, providing a wide variety of activities for disabled people from the local area.

“One of my favorite things about this event is some of these participants don’t ever get the opportunity to go outside, and I’m all giddy about the whole thing because of all the smiles that people have,” said Park Ranger Rebecca Fink, who has managed the event for the last three years. “It’s one of my favorite activities. I really enjoy seeing everyone enjoy the day.”

Buses from local schools and nursing homes, as well as other groups and individuals, came out to enjoy the event and take part in the picnic lunch provided by Special Day’s corporate sponsor, Publix. CocaCola provided drinks.

“This is something we’ve done… 21 years,” said Randy Burt of Publix. “It’s part of our culture at Publix to give back to our community. It’s in our mission statement — the hearts of our people.”

The event has grown to include everything from live music to pontoon boat rides, but it all started out with a simple picnic sponsored by some rangers.

According to Chief Park Ranger David Barr, when West Point Lake opened for public access in 1975, its staff members wanted to do something for people who are disabled.

“At that time, this lake had a lot of handicapped facilities that met the requirements for handicapped accessibility back in the day, so they decided to pull together and just have a little picnic lunch and some fun activities,” Barr said. “They relied a lot on donations from the community, local businesses, entertainment, and every year, it’s been a little bit different.”

The event has grown significantly since then. This year, it featured Officer George Cotton as a DJ, singer Donica Knight, and the Springwood cheerleaders as entertainment. Organizers emphasized the importance of the event to the community, especially in light of how few events focus on disabled people.

“They don’t get to do anything like this anywhere else in the community. It’s important to them because this is a time to socialize in ways where they feel comfortable,” Fink said.

Besides numerous volunteers from the Army Corp of Engineers, local organizations such as Southern Harbor, Highland Marina and Wild Animal Safari, among others, provided resources to the event.

“It would be very difficult to be as successful as it is without the volunteers,” said Operations Manager Steve Logan, of the Army Corps of Engineers.

For more information regarding the event, call the local corps office at 706-645-2937.

Publix Assistant Store Manager Wayne Woodruff and Associate Kevin Sazama grill up burgers for the event. Publix has supported the event since the company moved to LaGrange in 1995 and has been the corporate sponsor since 1996.
http://lagrangenews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2016/10/web1_Special3525-1.jpgPublix Assistant Store Manager Wayne Woodruff and Associate Kevin Sazama grill up burgers for the event. Publix has supported the event since the company moved to LaGrange in 1995 and has been the corporate sponsor since 1996. Alicia B. Hill | For the Daily News

Donica Knight and Jonathan Stephens entertain the crowd at the 39th annual Special Day for Special People.
http://lagrangenews.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/37/2016/10/web1_Special3531-1.jpgDonica Knight and Jonathan Stephens entertain the crowd at the 39th annual Special Day for Special People. Alicia B. Hill | For the Daily News

By Alicia B. Hill

Daily News correspondent

Alicia B. Hill is a correspondent for the LaGrange Daily News. Reach her at 706-884-7311.

 

News

From LHS to the SEC Championship: Former Grangers to represent hometown in halftime performances

News

Preliminary report shows log truck at fault in school bus crash

News

Theta Zi Zeta Chaper hosting Christmas party

News

West Point opts out of 3M, Dupont lawsuit

News

West Point approves city budget

News

It’s Open! Ribbon cutting held for county’s new Oakfuskee Conservation Center

News

Tutoring and mentoring program AGCAO continues to help kids in need

News

PHOTOS: Hundreds of photos from the LaGrange Christmas Parade

News

‘The logs were bouncing everywhere:’ Victim describes what she saw in bus-log truck accident

News

School bus, log truck involved in accident on Pegasus Parkway

News

Hills & Dales Estate to host annual Children’s Christmas Celebration

News

Councilman honored for heroic actions to save young woman

News

Supply chain issues causes city to seek parts from China

News

LaGrange approves plan to lease police cars through Enterprise

News

Street Closures Planned for 2023 Christmas Parade

News

GDOT talks potential changes on Lafayette Parkway

News

LaGrange Academy holds ground breaking ceremony for new building

News

LaGrange considering new bar regulations

News

At the center of it: Jojo Shuman was the heartbeat of the Callaway offense

News

Troup student who brought gun, ammo to school Monday did not walk through metal detector

News

West Point family creates dinosaur themed Christmas light show

News

LaGrange resident named to Army shooting hall of fame

News

Handgun, ammunition found in student’s gym bag at Troup High School

News

Oakfuskee to cut ribbon on Friday