The Rotary Club of Lima hosted their Annual Special Needs Christmas party at the Shawnee Methodist Church. There were many things to do from face painting and ornament decorating, and even some superheroes showed up. Many of the volunteers of this event were high school students part of the Bath Interact Club, a partner of the Lima Rotary Club.
"I love helping these kids because they’re all just so sweet and you can tell that they all really enjoy it," says Kalie Kitchen, part of the Interact Club. "I think that they all just get a chance to celebrate Christmas and hopefully it’s just something fun that they can remember when they're older."
This party is a tradition for the Lima Rotary Club that dates almost 100 years back. This is a great chance for all children with special needs to feel the Christmas spirit and express it themselves.
Joe Kitchen, Rotarian, and adviser of the Interact Club says he hopes that the children know that the community is there for them. "These are kids that need a little extra love and attention and we’re happy to give it to them. Everybody should have a wonderful holiday and a great Christmas and we’re going to try to make that happen for them. We hope that they get a chance to see that people in the community care about them and that as Rotarians, that they can see the service to the community and we just want them to leave happy and have a great holiday."
Entertainment from the event included a performance from the Lima High Octane drumline, where the kids were even invited to pound on the drums. The finale of the event was a surprise visit from Santa, who gave the children each a gift from the top of their wish list. The gifts were provided by members of the rotary club who individually sponsored each child.
