Photo By Jennifer James | Natalee Bray, Miss Rodeo Junction City 2021, leads a rodeo participant around the...... read more read more
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On Saturday, July 16, Fort Riley’s Exceptional Family Member Program hosted the 2022 Special Needs Rodeo. For more than 24 years, the Fort Riley EFMP team has joined forces with the Junction City Rodeo Association and Junction City Optimist Club to host the annual EFMP Special Needs Rodeo. The event began when an Army spouse asked the Junction City Rodeo Association if they would be interested in hosting an interactive event for families who had members with special needs and they said yes. The spouse brought the news back to the Fort Riley Exceptional Family Member Program manager and thus began the tradition of the EFMP Special Needs Rodeo.
Families who have members with special needs head out to the Geary County Fairgrounds where they can cowboy up and learn to rope a steer, ride a bucking bull, tour the grounds in a horse drawn wagon, or take a ride on a horse led by rodeo queen royalty. Upon check in, guests are offered cowboy hats, bandanas and t-shirts so they can look and dress the part.
Children four years and older who are registered with EFMP or members of the JC Pacesetters, a local Special Olympics team which serves the Junction City and Fort Riley area, along with their families, are invited to participate. If interactive cowboying does not interest the child, there are other, less-active events such as the photo booth with western-themed props, a western-themed bean bag toss, bouncing on hopper balls, making your own horse sticker kits, or grabbing a cut-and-paste horse make and take.
The event is designed to be more than something fun.
“These events are a collaborative effort which allow families to network with other families and get out and meet other parents who are going through similar situations,” said Laurie McCauley, Installation Exceptional Family Member Program Manager. “Families can see that the staff are here as a great resource and always ready to help.”
“We want families to know that we are here to help you and we’ll do what we can to help families navigate through programs once a diagnosis is received,” McCauley said. “They do not need to be fearful of the program.”
Though families who have members with special needs could use support throughout the Soldier’s career, the EFMP staff recognized that during deployment, the stress is greater.
“I feel like with newer families there is a much larger need for support while the Soldier is away,” said Amy Sommer, EFMP systems navigator. “The better support system in place before the service member deploys, the better it will be for the family and the entire mission as a whole.”
For more information the EFMP and activities for registered families, call 785-239-9435.
| Date Taken: | 07.16.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 12.30.2022 12:11 |
| Story ID: | 436102 |
| Location: | FORT RILEY, KANSAS, US |
| Web Views: | 83 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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