Therapy dog Bella and her handler are joined by costumed characters during the Rotary-sponsored Super Kids Day Feb. 8 at the Westfield Activities Center, 2700 Westfield Road in Trenton.
A young attendee gets a boost to reach a game during the Rotary-sponsored Super Kids Day Feb. 8 at the Westfield Activities Center, 2700 Westfield Road in Trenton.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
TRENTON – Therapy dogs, costumed characters, games, face painting and snacks were among the activities on tap Feb. 8 during a Trenton Rotary Club-sponsored Super Kids Day at the Westfield Center, 2700 Westfield Road.
A voluntary cereal collection for the food pantry at St. Philip Lutheran Church took place near the entrance of the hall, where tables lined the perimeter with crafts, information, free food and fun activities.
Trenton Rotary President-elect Ronnie Ruelle said the Super Kids Day is a first-time event, designed to include children and the community at large.
She said their community partners included the Flat Rock Meijer, local churches, the fire and police departments, the Downriver Youth Performing Arts Center, Jackson Snider Parker Dental, the Trenton Educational Foundation, the Trenton Veterans Memorial Library, Trenton Parks and Recreation, Colors by Kim Hair Salon and Day Spa, Carey Ann’s Clown Caravan with princesses and superheroes, and five therapy dogs.
The local Rotarians also included the Trenton Interact Club, which they sponsor, which is made up of students age 12 to 18, who participate in community and international service projects.
Ruelle said the event distributed information to parents while providing coloring, activities and fun foods for the children.
Clown Carey Ann (aka Carol Ann Owens) shows attendee Sam Buffa, 5, of Flat Rock the results of his face painting during the Rotary-sponsored Super Kids Day Feb. 8 at the Westfield Activities Center, 2700 Westfield Road in Trenton.
She said that while admission was free, they held a cereal drive for the St. Philip Lutheran Church food pantry to engage the attendees, especially the children.
“So, we really tried to involve a lot of partners here,” Ruelle said. “It’s just exciting, and it’s wintertime, people are cooped up in the house, especially after the last couple of days.”
She said she hopes they continue the event annually and find ways to publicize it better to reach more potential attendees.
“The first year is always the toughest, but we’ll be back next year,” Ruelle said.
Carol Ann Owens of Carey Ann’s clown caravan was offering face and arm painting, along with costumed superheroes, who offered children balloon swords.
“Everybody loves face painting,” she said. “I don’t believe there is an age limit on it anymore.”
St. Philip Lutheran Church food pantry volunteers Pola and Coy Coon, who were on hand to collect donated cereal, said any donations collected during the event were greatly appreciated.
The pantry, which was founded in 2007, serves residents of Trenton, Riverview, Woodhaven, Grosse Ile Township and Brownstown Township. Open Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., it allows clients to choose the foods they need, except for the second Wednesday of each month, when it provides government-supplied packaged commodities. The pantry also has basic toiletries, and fresh produce in season.
Coy Coon said they were pleased to partner with the Rotarians at a great family-oriented event.
“It does your heart good to see the kids and the adults all getting together and enjoying, broadening their horizons and having fun,” he said.
Pola Coon said it is a wonderful ministry to help the community through the food pantry.
“It’s just a joy, and we have great volunteers to help us out,” she said.
Therapy dog Fetch attends the Trenton Rotary-sponsored Super Kids Day Feb. 8 with Police Officers J. Field (left) and S. Coye, and handler Jim Taylor at the Westfield Activities Center, 2700 Westfield Road in Trenton.
Another volunteer at the Super Kids Day, Jim Taylor of Taylor, was there with his certified therapy dog Fetch, a golden retriever, which often visits with him at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital.
He, Fetch and Digger, another golden retriever therapy dog, often volunteer at Rotary events throughout southeast Michigan as well.
Taylor said people, especially children, enjoy receiving the dogs’ trading cards when they meet them.
He said he and his wife have been raising pairs of golden retrievers for 47 years, and Fetch and Digger are their eighth and ninth dogs, respectively.
Taylor said the pair are their first therapy dogs, but the training is an extension of the obedience training they’ve always done with their dogs, with an added socialization component.
“In a hospital environment, they have to be accustomed to automatic doors, elevators, gurneys, hustle and bustle, people on crutches, with masks on or bandages,” he said. “So, they’ve been through churches, schools, hospitals, nursing homes and many types of events, so this is fairly routine for them.”
Taylor said it’s heartwarming to see children interact with Fetch and Digger at events like the Super Kids Day.
For more information on the Trenton Rotary Club, go to the group’s Facebook page, or go to TrentonRotary.net.
For more information on the St. Philip Lutheran Church food pantry, 1790 Fort St., go to StPhilipELCA.com.
Costumed volunteers work at a face painting and temporary tattoo station during the Rotary-sponsored Super Kids Day Feb. 8 at the Westfield Activities Center, 2700 Westfield Road in Trenton.
Attendees enjoy treats during the Rotary-sponsored Super Kids Day Feb. 8 at the Westfield Activities Center, 2700 Westfield Road in Trenton.
A young attendee plays Bingo during the Rotary-sponsored Super Kids Day Feb. 8 at the Westfield Activities Center, 2700 Westfield Road in Trenton.
A boy tries on a souvenir fire hat during the Rotary-sponsored Super Kids Day Feb. 8 at the Westfield Activities Center, 2700 Westfield Road in Trenton.