Village of Searights community hosts end of summer event
On Aug. 19, the Village of Searights housing community hosted an End of Summer Celebration for its residents. It was a carnival-themed atmosphere, with a bounce house, dunk tank, slip-and-slide and many carnival game booths. There was food and fun for all.
The on-site staff at Village of Searights was inspired to organize and carry out the event after having participated in Uniontown Area School District’s Summer Food Program.
The Summer Food Program was designed to help feed district students over the summer, providing breakfast and lunch to district children seven days a week. There were five designated “Grab and Go” sites where children could pick up meals for the day Monday through Thursday and then on Fridays for that day and over the weekend.
Additionally, there were 12 designated community locations for children to visit and eat on-site Monday through Friday.
The program, which ran from June 8 through Aug. 14, served an estimated 21,000 meals for district children.
The Village of Searights was one of the district’s “Grab and Go” locations. Children residing within the Searights community could visit the office Monday through Friday, within a set timeframe, to pick up meals.
The Village of Searights staff involved in distributing those meals witnessed the appreciation of the children to have access to meals over the summer. The gratitude and joy these meals and interactions brought to both children and staff alike inspired the staff to do something special for the Searights community.
The on-site staff worked together to plan, organize and host the End of Summer Celebration. There were many local volunteers and vendors involved that helped to make the event a success.
The Village of Searights was appreciative that management company Westgate and owner Steve Friedman sponsored the event, as well as the local businesses that donated in various ways, contributing to its success. Those businesses are: Nan Chess and the First Presbyterian Church of Fairchance, which donated book bags filled with school supplies for the children; Route 40 McDonald’s; Taco Bell; Five Below; Head Start of Fayette County; DJ Faimz Aimz; and many patrons who donated school clothes, raffle gifts and their time.
The Village of Searights also acknowledges the Uniontown Area School District for the summer food program that fed children on their property and throughout the school district, including Director of Food Services Chuck Brown and the cafeteria staff who worked all summer to feed many children in the Uniontown district, making this program possible.