Whew! It’s April! Can you believe it? I mentioned in my article last week that April is Autism Awareness Month. However, I want to take this week to re-cap the awesomeness that was March Disability Awareness Month. Next week, I’ll introduce you to some of my friends from Bona Vista who happen to have Autism, but you’ll just have to wait in suspense until then.
March was a whirlwind of amazing activity at Bona Vista Programs. If you’re friends with us on Facebook or follow us on any other social media, you were able to go along with us on our amazing journeys. From first-time events, to a magic show, special visitors and our annual basketball game. I’m sure there will be things I forget to mention, and I hope people don’t get offended. Know that we appreciated each and every single person who in one way or another advocated on our behalf and spread awareness not only of our organization, but of cultivating a community of inclusion!
THANK YOU to everyone who participated in any of our restaurant give back nights. If you came to the magic show or picked up froyo to go from Orange Leaf, if you ate some chips and salsa or had a margarita in our honor from Hacienda, if you watched a game and debated which sauce is best on your wings at Buffalo Wild Wings or if you smashed some peanuts on the floor while devouring some award-winning ribs at Texas Roadhouse, we appreciate you all!
THANK YOU to everyone who came out to Superior V on St. Patrick’s Day for our first-ever Viva Las Vista casino night event. The staff at Superior V deserves a huge round of applause for their efforts! Keeping up with unlimited appetizers is no small feat given the number of attendees! The Sertoma Club of Broadripple who brought the casino games, dealers and ambiance with their amazing outfits… bravo! Our media sponsor WWKI who had us on Male Call for weeks, who promoted the event on social media and who took a chance on a first-year event and represented the night of in grand fashion! And, last but not least, all of you who came out to have a little fun, we appreciate you all and hope you have the event marked on your calendar for next year!
THANK YOU to officer Kevin Summers who came and spoke to our Preschool about “stranger danger,” and how they should always “check first” with their guardian before talking to anyone they don’t know. To LeaderOne Financial who gifted us $1,000 through their #GIVE1000 program thanks to Kurt & Amanda Koetter. To the Howard County Kitten Rescue, Outdoorsman Bud Fields and all other amazing guest speakers in the Sky is the Limit program this month.
THANK YOU to everyone who sponsored, played, cheered, danced, volunteered or in any other way supported the Disability Awareness Basketball Game. The Bona Vista All-Star team (once again) defeated the celebrity team, but both teams were great sports and we appreciate all of them being willing to play. We were able to raise more than $17,000 with the help of sponsors, celebrity player donations, Coca-Cola’s pop-a-shot half time, concession stand purchases and the donations some of you dropped in the box at the door that night. It wouldn’t be possible without the support of Kokomo School Corporation’s donation of Memorial Gym & their amazing janitorial crew who keeps that place running flawlessly or our media sponsor Z92.5/Rock 98.5/WIOU1350 who worked tirelessly to make sure everyone within ear shot knew about the event whether on the radio or social media!
Like I mentioned before, I’m sure I’m missing someone or something that we did last month because it was a whirlwind of amazing activities. We definitely appreciate each and every person who played even the smallest role… although there are no small roles because they are all essential! We hope you were able to participate in one way or another or at least live vicariously through my articles. Your next opportunity to participate in one of our special events will come on Saturday, May 20 when we host The Greatest Spectacle in Tasting, sponsored by Soupley’s Wine & Spirits & Z92.5/Rock 98.5/WIOU1350, on the grounds of Bona Vista, 1220 E. Laguna St. I’ll have several articles about that wonderful event leading up to it, as it’s our largest fundraiser of the year and you will NOT want to miss it! You must be 21+ to participate, so get a babysitter & plan a date – you have plenty of notice!
If you have any questions about past or future events, if you’d like to take a tour of our organization to learn more or if you’re a business who would like to sponsor The Greatest Spectacle in Tasting, call me at 765-457-8273 or e-mail me at abrantley@bonavista.org. I’d love to hear from you!
Until next time… keep a good view on life!
-AB