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| 100 Westridge Dr. Watsonville, CA 95077 Phone: 831-761-7300 -- Fax: 831-722-8386 |
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 Special needs children get lift during second Day in the Sky BY TRISHA LEONARD  “See those birds over there?” said pilot Hank Wempe. “You’re going to be like them.”“A bird?” answered Chloe Kulpa. “You’re going to be a bird in an airplane,” said Wempe. Kulpa, an 8-year-old girl with Down Syndrome, was one of nearly 150 disabled children that were given free airplane rides at the second annual Day in the Sky at Watsonville Airport on Saturday.  />
Day in the Sky, arranged by Shared Adventures and the Experimental
Aircraft Association, is an event geared toward mentally and physically
challenged children and their guests. In addition to free airplane
rides, children and their guests also enjoyed a barbecue lunch, bounce
house and activities at tents that were set up by nonprofits, such as
Make-a-Wish foundation and the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Activity
League.“We’re flying all sorts of kids today,” said Dean McCully, Day in the Sky manager. “Kids in wheelchairs, kids with mental disabilities, you name it, we’re flying them.” McCully used to work for Challenge Air, another organization that gives airplane rides to disabled children, as the Web site editor. Challenge Air was not available to branch out to the Central Coast, so McCully decided to find a way to organize the event on his own. “I just knew I had to find a way to bring it out here,” he said. With the help of Shared Adventures and EAA, McCully was able to make Day in the Sky a reality for Central Coast residents. One thing most people enjoy is that Day in the Sky is a family event. “It’s families — they get to go together. We develop community and try to break down the barriers between able-bodied and disabled children,” said Shared Adventure coordinator Lisa Bickford. “They all enjoy the same things.” Day in the Sky relies heavily on sponsors and volunteers. The event itself is planned from October to April. Some of the pilots are local, but others fly in from other cities to help out. Coordinators reach out to local businesses for donations. “The pilots donate their planes, time and fuel,” said Bickford. “We can’t pay for their fuel, so it’s up to them. Some of them even put some money in our donation jars.” This year the cloudy weather stopped some pilots from being able to attend, but there were still more than 30 pilots ready to fly and more than 100 volunteers ready to help. “People from all over the Bay Area come for this day,” said McCully. “It’s the only thing like it in the area that we know of.” According to coordinators, this year ran smoother than last year. More people donated and, because it was the second year of the event, people involved in the process knew what to expect. Welcome additions to the event this year included a hot air balloon and Dole’s private eight-seater jet. I can see the smiles and the joy in the faces of parents and kids,” said Antonio Rivas, mayor of Watsonville. “I’m proud they came to our city to provide this for the kids with special needs. They have our full support in this city.” At the end of the day, more than 400 people were flown. Shared Adventures is a nonprofit organization founded by Foster Andersen in 1994. Its activities include kayaking, surfing, scuba diving, canoeing, horseback riding, whale watching and surfing. Shared Adventures recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, said Andersen. “We now have an art studio where kids can learn about water colors, petroglyphs — all kinds of mediums.” The art studio is located in Santa Cruz and teaches classes on Wednesdays and Thursdays. There will be a reception showcasing some of the students’ work on May 13. “I want to focus on talents and ways for these kids to express themselves,” said Andersen. Shared Adventures also hosts Day on the Beach in July. For more information on Shared Adventures, visit www.sharedadventures.org. Send us your comments about this article. |
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