Sunshine Gala shines for kids’ development, education

Joe Grady, Julie Barber and Chandra Holt, honorary chairmen, will help the Sunshine School and Development Center welcome supporters to the annual Sunshine Gala on April 7 at Horton Farms in Gravette.

The casual evening will feature food from K-MAC Catering, dance music by Brock Entertainment and live and silent auctions. The live auction includes a Dallas Cowboys experience that include four club seats, two rooms at the Gaylord Texan Resort, two Owners Club passes and pre-game field access.

The western-theme benefit also will include a photo booth and bourbon and whiskey pull.

The nonprofit organization, founded in 1958, offers a therapeutic preschool for children ages 18 months to 5 years old who have developmental delays or disabilities, with an enrollment of approximately 150 students.

The center also serves schoolage children with outpatient therapies and provides community support for adults with disabilities in Benton and Washington counties.

Offerings include independent supported living, case management and autism waiver. Six weekend retreats are planned for special needs clients at locations that include Roaring River State Park in Missouri, Eureka Springs, Arkansas Baptist Assembly in Siloam Springs and Mount Sequoyah Assembly in Fayetteville. The retreats offer the clients’ families respite for what is sometimes 24-hour care.

Tickets for the country-chic attire event are $150, and sponsorships are available.

NWA Democrat-Gazette/DAVID GOTTSCHALK Abbygail Gonzalez, 3, plays with her doll Monday in the Arkansas Better Chance toddler room at the Northwest Arkansas Sunshine School and Development Center in Little Flock. The school has been serving children with developmental delays or disabilities...