For summer 2019, Next Step is more than excited to help out with an event that Family Life Services (FLS) is putting on! This event will be a community fair at FLS called Family Life Fun Night.
Just some quick background about this – I first started this journey by simply asking and listening to our local partnerships describe an idea they would be passionate about. When I reached out to FLS, I already had a small idea about doing some type of family fun night during the summer, perhaps the idea of a fair. And to my surprise, Family Life Services was already thinking the same, just in the early stages of figuring out how to go about the event. Wow! Come on somebody, that’s always a good sign!
Anyways, here are some details about the event that we’re so excited about. This definitely was a collaborative effort and each of us can’t wait to get planning this event:
WHY
Family Life Fun Night will celebrate the mother’s and their kids in the program. We all agree that each family deserves to know that they are loved and should be celebrated. Through some previous experiences, I’ve learned that celebrating creates special memories and is a healthy thing to do throughout our lives.
FLS has been housing single mothers and their children since the 80’s, yet many are still unsure about what’s going on at Cascade Ave and Cheyenne Rd. An additional component is that this event will create community awareness and involvement. We will begin to reach out to local businesses around FLS asking for support through finances. We will reach out with a flyer and a face to face meeting- this flyer will educate the local not only about the event, but about what FLS is doing in their community year round. Along with the invitation to give financially, we welcome them to attend the event. At the event we plan to have different ways to learn about FLS and meet some of the staff and families that make up this community.
Local churches, organizations, and homeowners that Next Step is involved with will also be invited to the event.
WHAT
The event will look like a typical fair. We’ll have a bounce house, possibly a face painter or balloon twister, and games. The event will be prepared, decorated and games led by Next Step summer students and staff. I must give credit to FLS with the idea of having a dunk tank so they can dunk Next Step staff at some point during the night. Little do they know, we will surely be dunking them as well.
We will be reaching out to a couple local food trucks. FLS families will eat free but other attendees will need to pay their way for a meal. We also want to have a professional photographer that would set up inside of FLS’ main building. The photographer would take professional pictures of the families. These quality pictures would be framed and given to the families to cherish together forever.
HOW
None of this will be possible without everyone getting together to make this happen financially. Please follow the link below and select Colorado Springs to give financially to make this event happen. Thank you for your donation and prayers, let’s do this!
