By Michael C. Mack
Parents of children with special needs long for a break””just a few hours to do whatever they want. “At the same time,” says Bobbie Lynn Rider, “letting go of control and trusting someone else with your loved one can be difficult.”
Rider””a blogger at www.graceandfortitude.com, a site that encourages and blesses mothers and caregivers of special-needs individuals””along with her husband, took their daughter to a parent”™s-day-out event at Karns Church of Christ in Knoxville, Tennessee, hosted by the church”™s “Forever His” ministry. About 90 volunteers made the event a success for the 25 or so special-needs children and young adults between the ages of 3 and 23.
Volunteers welcomed the children by name, played games with them, and cared for them while the parents had four hours to go out to dinner, walk around the mall, or do whatever they wanted to do. The church even provided parents with dessert to take with them.
“It takes committed individuals to plan and execute such an event,” Rider said. “These people were serious about their love for others””all others.”
Author: Michael C. Mack
Michael C. Mack is editor of Christian Standard. He has served in churches in Ohio, Indiana, Idaho, and Kentucky. He has written more than 25 books and discussion guides as well as hundreds of magazine, newspaper, and web-based articles.
