Picnic 2023

Saturday, September 9th, 2023, marked the return of the CHIRS Client and Family picnic! Welcomed back after a 3-year COVID-imposed hiatus, it was a great success, with over 100 clients/family and board members in attendance plus many staff who brought their families too. We had the three magic ingredients: good food, good weather and, most of all, good company; talk about a perfect trifecta! There was music, dancing, contests and even a pie in the face. The overall vibe was one of gratitude and celebration. Everyone said the same thing - it felt so good to be able to return to a cherished CHIRS tradition of celebrating the CHIRS community. Thanks to the ADS and ACSS staff teams, the volunteers and to all of the other staff who made the day so special.

To get the perspective of a picnic attendee, I had asked Lorraine M. to write me a blurb on her day. With some help from Denise B., this is what she had to say:

"I try not to miss any CHIRS events because I enjoy them alot. It’s been several years since our last picnic, so I was so excited to attend and volunteer at the picnic. I helped to set up, serve the lunch, I performed as a member of the dance team, and I helped with the cleanup. I took pictures at the picnic and made sure to send them to the BBN editor. I noticed everybody was enjoying all of the events . We welcomed back Nick the Juggler and his son James. We also welcomed back James the Caricature Artist. I’d like to thank the leaders, staff, students and volunteers as they worked so hard to make this picnic a great success. I’m looking forward to next year's picnic!"

Enjoy some pictures from the day below: