Dandelion Festival: A Community Celebration of Military Kids

37 Valley View Drive,Meriden CT 06450

16 April, 2022

Description

The Dandelion Festival is a FREE Community Event to celebrate our past and present military kids during the month of the military child. Join Soul Friends and Blue Star Families of the New York Tri-State Area for a fun-filled day of celebrating our military kids, both past and present. The dandelion is the flower of the military child because it puts roots down almost anywhere and is impossible to destroy. Come join us as we celebrate these resilient kids with exhibitors, games, giveaways, horses, food, our partners, Veteran Service Organizations, Military Service Organizations, and others! All are welcome! Why the Dandelion? Dandelions are made up of three main parts: The flower (seeds), the stem and the roots. They are tough, can survive almost anywhere and are constantly moving and starting over. Dandelion seeds don’t have any say on where the wind will take them when it is time to venture on. And just like military kids who are along for the ride, they go where their parents and the military take them and find a way to be resilient and start all over again. They put down roots, create new friends, find routines and then a strong wind blows and they get to do it all over again. We at Soul Friends support Blue Star Families mission, which focuses on empowering military families to thrive by connecting them with their civilian neighbors — both people and organizations — to create strong communities of support. As a guest at any Soul Friends event, I understand that I must wear appropriate PPE based on State and local requirements, as applicable for both indoor and outdoor events in my area. As guidance continues to evolve, Soul Friends, with the support of health and government officials—will be making more gradual adjustments. An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any place where multiple people are present. COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that can lead to severe illness and death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, senior citizens and Guests with underlying medical conditions are especially vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19. About us...Soul Friends’ mission to “heal the hearts of the children one wagging tail at a time” drives our daily work in serving children. We believe in the power of the love from an animal friend to help children cope with major life circumstances, to help change behavior and to try something new to bring about hope. As a nonprofit that stands strongly behind our mission, we also believe we need to consistently demonstrate our program effectiveness through research efforts. In our 19-year history we have served over 7,000 children across CT with demonstrated outcome measures including increased humane attitudes toward animals, increased empathy, a positive trend in peer relationships, an improved sense of body awareness and increased eye contact. With thanks from the Latham Foundation, Soul Friends Horses Inspire program is able to provide 6 free equine assisted psychotherapy family sessions to children of veteran parents. Our Horses Inspire program has improved a sense of hopefulness in a group of teenage girls - and has provided both individual and group psychotherapy to youth across Connecticut for 16 years