08/12/2026
💙💛❤️
26 youth. 4 staff. 1 unforgettable day at Valleyfair. 🎢
From the waterpark to the amusement park rides, the trip was about letting kids be kids. Beyond the rides, it was a chance to practice patience, build relationships with peers and trusted adult staff, and experience joy.
It takes a massive community effort to make a trip like this happen and without financial barriers for our families:
💰 Funding support: Huge thanks to Women In Northfield Giving Support (WINGS) and Rice County United Way plus a very generous donor who stepped up to fill the gap.
🚌 Transportation & Logistics: Thank you to St. John's Lutheran Church - Northfield, MN (shoutout to Jonathan!), Tyler from Northfield Area Family YMCA for helping me problem solve transportation, Witt Bros. for stepping in when we needed a new battery, and Enterprise in Apple Valley for getting a second van ready for us on short notice.
🎟 Buying group tickets, setting up meal plans, permission slips, sorting out logistics... it takes so many hands and so much collaboration. But hearing quotes like these from our youth makes every bit of work worth it:
> "I am the first one in my family that has ever been to Valleyfair."
> "Thank you for doing this for us!"
It was a hot day 🌞. Maybe a little chaotic. Definitely exhausting. But it was so fun and deeply meaningful. Thank you to everyone who helped make this happen for our kids. 💛
Check out our story for more pictures!
