SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) - Lions Clubs from across the Sacramento region gathered at Depot Park (16 Business Park Way) on May 16 for the annual Special Kids Day, an event designed to provide youth with special needs a safe and inclusive space to enjoy a carnival-style celebration with their families.

Organized by members of District 4-C5 Lions Clubs, which includes Yolo and El Dorado counties and cities such as Placerville and Elk Grove, the free event featured games, arts and crafts, motorcycle rides, entertainment and booths tabled by local organizations offering resources.

Special Kids Day Co-Chair Kitty Kramer said the event intends to create a welcoming environment for children or teens with a range of disabilities, such as autism and cerebral palsy, while also providing a fun experience for their parents and siblings.

Kramer told Messenger Publishing Group that she and her husband, fellow Lion Dennis Kramer, helped launch the effort locally about a decade ago after visiting a similar event in the Bay Area.

“It’s a day that they can bring the whole family, including siblings out, and just have fun,” she said. “If they don’t have any resources that they aren’t aware of, they might be able to find some help here.”

As part of Lions Clubs International’s broader humanitarian mission of supporting accessible vision and health screenings worldwide, the event also included a mobile vision center in partnership with the Northern California Lions Sight Association (NCLSA) to offer free eye exams for all attendees.

 

The Christian Motorcyclists Association had members present at Special Kids Day to give motorcycle rides to youth at Depot Park. Photo by Deanna Dyson, Pride of Laguna Creek Lions Club

 

Now in its 10th year, Kramer said Special Kids Day continues to be an important and widely supported event in the Sacramento region because it provides local youth and their families with a place where they feel welcomed and accepted.

“A lot of times when we take a kid with special needs out into the general population…there’s a tendency for people to stare at them, or other kids to ask, ‘What’s wrong with them?’” she said.

“When they come out here, everybody’s kind of the same. Somebody’s got something going on, whether it’s visible or not,” Kramer added.

She noted that the event is made possible through its volunteers and donations from the local Lions Club groups as well as its community partners, who help provide the food, activities, prizes and entertainment.

This year’s attractions included fire truck tours, a photo booth, several cosplay characters to take pictures with and bounce houses.

Kramer also highlighted a program through the Folsom Lake Lions Club called “Hooks and Needles,” in which incarcerated individuals at Folsom Prison create stuffed animals for children attending the event.

 

Standing in front of the mobile vision center offering free eye screenings at Special Kids Day on May 16 are, from left, Lions Rob Stoermer of the Yolo Sunset Lions Club, Leo the Lion, Jeff Burnett of the Pride of Laguna Creek Lions, Helene Smith of the Higgins Diggins Lions, and Cindy Burnett of the Pride of Laguna Creek. Photo by Deanna Dyson, Pride of Laguna Creek Lions Club

“They love doing that because they’re giving back,” Kramer said.

Among the booths participating at the May 16 event was A Touch of Understanding Inc., a nonprofit focused on building disability awareness through facilitating hands-on workshops in schools that promote empathy and inclusion.

Shanna Lowder of A Touch of Understanding said the nonprofit’s mission is supported by volunteers with disabilities who speak to students at school sites. Volunteers were also at the Special Kids Day booth open to sharing their personal experiences with attendees.

“The idea is by providing a hands-on experience for students to have a better understanding of a variety of disabilities and be more empathetic towards their classmates,” Lowder said.

Lowder added that participating in Special Kids Day aligns with their organization’s values as it highlights the importance of embracing inclusivity. She explained that her own perspective shifted after attending the event herself for the first time a few years back.

 

Among the vendors offering resources at Special Kids Day May 16 was nonprofit A Touch of Understanding, informing attendees about their mission to build disability awareness through hands-on workshops in schools. Photo by Idaly Valencia

“It really opened my eyes up to it’s OK to ask questions; It’s OK to engage, rather than to bring stigma on it,” she said. “Understanding that we might need different tools to get to the same spot.”

To learn more about Special Kids Day, the Lions Club or how to get involved, visit sacarealionsclubs.com.