Hearts and fun
By Kirsten Ballard
Published in News on February 15, 2015 1:50 AM
kballard@newsargus.com
Sandra Newsome was there to win.
She jumped from one cutout heart to the next during the Donut Walk. She threw her bean bags with skill during the beanbag toss. The 7-year-old even caught a candy bar at the fishing for love table.
Mom April Newsome followed her from game to game, collecting tickets that could be cashed in for prizes.
"She doesn't even know what she wants yet," April said. "She's enjoying herself, and that's what matters."
Sandra eventually cashed in her tickets at the Valentine's Day Extravaganza for a necklace, "Frozen" tattoos and colored hair extensions.
"Can I wear these to school?" she asked, as her mom helped her fasten a pastel pink braid into her hair.
"We'll see," April laughed.
The mom and daughter were two of many that showed up the Valentine's Day Extravaganza at Herman Park Center on Saturday.
"It is something to do as a family," April said. "It is a great thing to do for Valentine's day."
The event was catered to children with special needs.
Morgan Yelverton threw the extravaganza as part of her 10th-grade project at Wayne School of Engineering.
"I wanted to show that special needs kids are just like everyone else," Morgan said. "So I gave them an environment where they could be themselves."
The afternoon was full of food, dancing, crafts and games. Volunteers from Morgan's school, Key Clubs and the Mayor's Youth Council facilitated the games.
"I think the volunteers are having as much fun as the kids," April said.
Morgan was inspired by her childhood friend who had special needs. She said she learned that children with special needs are just regular children.
She designed simple, fun games where the participants could earn tickets to cash in at the prize table. An idea similar to Chuck E. Cheese.
Morgan was required to spend 20 hours on her project.
She bought the prizes from different stores in the area. Krispy Kreme donated donuts for the doughnut walk, and Little Caesars gave a discount on the pizza.
She decorated the auditorium of Herman Park Center with pink and red hearts, balloons and streamers.
Ubi, the Ubiquitous Clown, made an appearance at the event. He made bouquets of balloon flowers and air-filled dogs on leashes for the guests.
She will present her project to the sophomores and juniors at an expo on March 4. The students will talk about their project and lessons learned from it.
"I think it's going good," Morgan said. "As long as we made a kid smile, we did our job."