Bocce Ball at Arrowhead
With this weekend’s 40 degree rainy weather it is hard to believe that just last week we were enjoying a fantastic day of Bocce Ball with highs near 80 and the sun shining brightly. It was a great day with over 100 athletes, coaches and volunteers on nine courts, for the annual Special Olympics Bocce Ball Tournament here at Arrowhead.
Many of athletes are also our campers. It was a blessing to hear their excitement about the upcoming Shepherds Fall Retreat, just a week away. We also had the opportunity to meet some new friends from the Special Olympics Area P, who coordinate athletes across five counties in northeast PA.
What a day! We had a great time at the 14th annual Buddy Walk. Everyone enjoyed Brotherhood on the main stage and Rich Birdsall as our event MC. Local organizations like The Magic Paintbrush Project and Maple Glen Farms: Endless Possibilities provided great fun. The food was rolling off the line as fast as they could serve it and the basket raffles proved to be a returning favorite. The walk extended through the zoo with all the animals to see along the way and a squad of excited cheerleaders waiting at the end, congratulating the walkers with smiling faces and shining medals. One of our new special guests was caricature artist Jon Bonfed who was a huge hit with a line that never slowed down.
On the heals of such devastating flooding, it was a privilege to offer The Buddy Walk as a fun opportunity to take a break from the labor of clean up and to strive forward with our mission to raise awareness for Down Syndrome and support our community.
In the midst of a very rainy week we had an amazing evening for the Bocce Bash. The fantastic weather this past Tuesday evening was matched by the wonderful turn out. We had over 100 athletes, parents and care providers from the Special Olympics here at Arrowhead for evening of Bocce Ball games. We had six courts running in addition to our two new handicap accessible courts. Parents, care providers and our campers enjoyed watching all the games from our brand new bleachers. It was like having the B-Mets stadium right in our own backyard!
We love partnering with the local Special Olympics teams to create such a tremendous event that is a camper highlight during one our two weeks sessions of Shepherds Camp. We are absolutely excited for the big Special Olympics Tournament scheduled for this fall here at Arrowhead.
