The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Center holds community carnival
Community Carnival a hit at Metzenbaum Center
Families and community members filled the halls of the Metzenbaum Center in Chester Township to spread awareness and have some fun.
The Geauga County Board of Developmental Disabilities held a fifth annual Community Carnival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 7 at the center on 8200 Cedar Road in Chester Township.
The event was free of charge, and the community was welcomed to attend.
The event featured traditional carnival-type games such as balloon break, coin toss, and milk bottle knockdown. There were also other activities for children to enjoy, such as a bounce house and face painting.
A free hot dog lunch was available to children and families, along with carnival-style food, such as popcorn, snow cones, and cotton candy.
Kellie Tvergyak-Oznowich, who works with the administration department of the center, spoke about the significance of the event and how it has impacted the community for the better.
“This is our fifth year for the carnival, so it runs fairly smoothly now,” she said. “We do evaluate every year to see what we can improve on. We would not be able to run it without the 120 volunteers who help out every year, so we are very grateful to them.”
She talked about the purpose of the event.
“The purpose of the carnival is to celebrate Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, so we open our doors to the entire community,” she said. “We want the community to know who we are, what we do, and who we serve, and the carnival helps with that. It also helps integrate our clients into the community because so many community members do come.”
Tvergyak-Oznowich went on to note the ongoing support from families and children and how they plan to keep it the momentum coming for the future.
“Last year we had almost 800 people show up, and everyone seemed to have a very good time. This has become an annual event that occurs on the first Saturday of March, and we plan on it continuing.”