Fall Fest Supports YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin Special Needs Programs

YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin will be hosting our annual Fall Festival Fundraiser scheduled for Saturday, October 19, from 12pm - 4pm. Funds raised from this event will provide support for our Special Needs programs including our fall and spring horseback riding and summer day camp programs. Funds raised through this event help us to fulfill Camp Manitou-Lin’s vision of providing an inclusive environment as well as never turning a child away due to their inability to pay. Now, more than ever, scholarships are needed for children with special needs to participate in these important programs. In 2024, over 125 children with Special Needs were able to participate in our programs because of generous contributions from sponsors like you.

Each year, this event draws over 1000 participants and volunteers. Fall Fest hosts a variety of family fun activities. Activities include our climbing wall, archery, pony rides, a haunted barn, wagon rides, face painting, Trick or Treating, s’mores, pumpkin painting, live music, and much more. Along with family fun activities, food trucks will be on-site and there will be a raffle for gift baskets inside our lodge. Trick or Treating will take on a unique twist at our Fall Festival! Individuals and small businesses are encouraged to sponsor a cabin. Cabin sponsors will have the opportunity to decorate their own cabin (we have over 20 cabins on the premises) and hand out candy to Trick or Treaters. Individuals and businesses who wish to sponsor, may prominently display their signage on the day of the event as well as gaining local publicity.

In the past, community participation in our Fall Fest fundraiser has allowed us to change the lives of children with special needs in our own community. Can we count on you this year? As always, any contribution you could make to this event would be greatly appreciated and is tax deductible as we are a non-profit, 501(c)3 organization. At YMCA Camp Manitou-Lin, we give care, attention, and encouragement to kids with special needs through our outdoor education programming. This strengthens the very foundation of the communities we serve. Please help us to continue our good work in 2024.

If you are interested in serving on the planning committee or volunteering on the day of the event, please reach out to Becky Missad by emailing bmissad@grymca.org or calling 269-795-9163.