"A Day at the Beach!"

In my line of work, I spend a great deal of time and energy advancing causes to benefit the quality of care and life for seniors. Because I like balance in my life, I also volunteered 4 years ago to serve on the board of directors of the Mary Cariola Children's Center. MCCC is a great organization that is dedicated to helping kids realize their potential, despite whatever disability or challenges they must deal with. The agency supports the children and their families by providing specialized school programs, therapy programs, residential group homes, support groups, advocacy and much more.


This past weekend, the Agency and Families sponsored a "Day at the Beach" fun day in the middle of a frigid February. Over 150 people participated and I was amazed at how much fun and joy filled the room. The kids and their families swam, played games, danced to live music, ate pizza and loved the refreshing smoothies served up at "Brad & Jim's Tiki Bar".


Similar to my role at Seniorsfirst, the office and board room work is a critical component to ensuring the day to day success of the organization, but nothing compares to the benefits one gains from the face to face interaction with those you are serving. Whether it's a simple conversation with a lonely elderly lady or sharing a funny joke with a young child with multiple disabilities, the smile on their face is the ultimate reward for nothing more than your time.


Here are some pictures of just a small sample of the joy and love that was abound at our "Day at the Beach".........................

Eating, playing and socializing

Wheelchair Dancing

Making Smoothies at Brad & Jim's Tiki Bar

Swimming in the 92 degree pool

Swinging to the Music

For more information on this wonderful agency and how you can help support the kids, check us out on the web at Marycariola.org.