According to Malyki Taylor, Christmastime really is the “most wonderful time of the year.”
That’s because it involves spending time with family and friends, and an opportunity to show off his dance moves, which he did at the fifth annual Special Spruces Christmas party hosted by the Dalton Parks and Recreation Department.
In the Mack Gaston Community Center, the three-hour event hosted students with special needs from Dalton Public Schools’ and Whitfield County Schools’ alternative education programs. On Thursday, middle school and high school students performed skits, danced to music provided by a deejay, had lunch and took pictures with Santa Claus before heading back to school.
On Friday, students from Dalton and Whitfield County elementary schools will enjoy a puppet show, catered lunch and a visit from Santa as well.
“My favorite thing about this kind of event is that it’s about Christmas,” said Taylor, who performed a breakdance routine to “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” with other students from Dalton High. “The most fun (thing) is having a great time with your friends and dancing. Everything here is fun.”
“It’s a really fun event and the kids absolutely love it,” said Britni Connell, the therapeutic program coordinator for the Dalton Parks and Recreation Department. “We have a ton of volunteers that come to help out, including policemen and firemen (from the Dalton Police Department and the Dalton and Whitfield County fire departments). The kids enjoy them coming.”
Students are given the opportunity to place handmade ornaments made in their classes on a Christmas tree outside the community center’s gymnasium. Once inside the gym, students performed skits and dance routines to Christmas songs.
Students from Hammond Creek Middle School performed to “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” while students from Dalton High performed to “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Students from Eastbrook Middle School danced to “Jingle Bells” as part of their skit.
John Derocher, a junior at Southeast Whitfield High School, said the party was an exciting time as he got the opportunity to “hang out and talk with friends.”
“I love Christmas and getting a lot of presents,” Derocher said.
Asked what his favorite part of the Christmas party was, Derocher said it was without a doubt “eating chicken nuggets.”
More than 300 boxes of chicken nuggets catered by Chick-fil-A were given out at the event.
“For both days, the total amount of people participating is 492,” said Connell. “That’s 308 kids and then the rest are bus drivers, paraprofessionals and volunteers. It’s something we’ll do every year because the kids, the teachers and the volunteers absolutely love it every time.”
Connell said along with the Dalton Parks and Recreation Department’s track and field event in the spring, the Special Spruces party is one of the biggest events they host throughout the year.
“It takes a lot to put something like this together, and we’re so thankful for all of the volunteers each year,” Connell said.
Some of the volunteers helping out at this year’s event included people from the Carpet City Rotary Club and the Cross Plains Community Partner leadership team.
“Cross Plains supports adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities to have fulfilled lives in the community,” said Cross Plains Executive Director Elizabeth Hunter. “Our mission is built around making sure everyone has an opportunity for choice leadership and employment, and we have partnerships with the school systems currently with (the Compass) Transition Academy to provide employment opportunities and training, as well as whatever else the community has to offer.”
Hunter, who is also a member of the Carpet City Rotary Club, said Cross Plains’ first year volunteering at the Special Spruces event was “a perfect opportunity to engage with students and volunteer to give back.”
“Our individuals volunteer every day in the community, so as a leadership team we wanted to take that opportunity to do the same,” Hunter said.
The Carpet City Rotary Club, one of two Rotary clubs in Dalton, has been involved with Georgia Special Olympics and other activities in the community that assist individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities for more than 20 years, said Rotary member Jackie Killings.
“We fundraise and donate time and money to efforts that Dalton Parks and Rec(reation) has for individuals in our communities with (those) disabilities; that’s sort of our mission,” said Killings. “For Rotary in general, our model is ‘Service above self,’ and each individual Rotary club has the autonomy to choose how they’re going to serve in their community. So, Carpet City Rotary Club has chosen the individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities as our area of service in Whitfield County. This is just one event that we volunteer with every year and we enjoy it and we love it.”