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Familes Who Know event hosted at Boardman Park
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Neighbors | Submitted.Brayden McCallum (left) of Boardman got some basketball tips from Youngstown State University basketball player Nikki Arbanas at Boardman Park.
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Neighbors | Submitted.Connor Cattaneo (left) of Canfield and Evan Williamson of North Carolina played Twister during the Families Who Know event at Boardman Park.
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Neighbors | Submitted.After playing in a bounce around, Mackenzie Cherne (left), Ali White, Kelsey McCallum, Kendel Williamson and Natalie White (right), all of Boardman, got new T-shirts during the Families Who Know event at Boardman Park.
By TIM CLEVELAND
Boardman Park and Meridian Community Care worked together to host a free event called Families Who Know at the park on July 26, designed to bring children and their parents together for an evening of family-friendly activities. Twister, wagon rides, bounce-arounds, rock climbing, face painting, live music, special appearances by Youngstown State University athletes and a showing of the movie “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” were among the activities. T-shirts were also distributed to the first 500 children.
“A partnership between Boardman Park and Meridian Community Care was established through Meridian Community Care’s PANDA program volunteers assisting the park through many recreational programs throughout the years, that a natural partnership arose,” Boardman Park recreation director Karen McCallum said. “Both groups are committed to providing various family services through our valley through a diversity of programming.”
Families Who Know is program developed by Meridian to help parents and children deal with life’s everyday challenges, and it encourages parents to talk to children and help them make healthy decisions.
McCallum said the event had inclement weather with approximately 150-200 people attending after the rain hit.
“The event was off to an impressive start with many families coming in to the event but due to the heavy scattered showers that accrued right as things were going into full swing many of the park guest left,” she said. “However, there were still many who stayed and enjoyed the Band and bounce-arounds, twister and face painting.”
McCallum said the event was a success despite the weather.
“Considering the weather I really do feel the event was a success and Boardman Park and Meridian Community Care look forward to a partnership together and providing more family programming in the future,” she said.
McCallum added that the event will definitely be returning to Boardman Park in the future.
“This was our first year doing the Families Who Know Night out at the park and we look forward to planning another night like it again soon,” she said. “Boardman Park continues to have family programming throughout the year and encourage those interested to learn more by going to our website www.boardmanpark.com, www.meridiancommunitycare.org and familieswhoknow.com.”