Kids Fun Day set for Saturday at Galleria

By TOM LAVIS

TLAVIS@TRIBDEM.COM

Activities for children will be the focus of the third annual Kids Fun Day sponsored by Pitt-Johnstown’s Circle K club.

The festivities will feature a variety of activities and interactive fun from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at The Galleria in Richland Township.

Proceeds benefit the American Liver Foundation.

Circle K is a coeducational service organization that promotes leadership and friendship. The organization is sponsored by the East Hills Chapter of the Kiwanis Club.

Junior Stacy Varmecky and Stacey Bumbernick, another Pitt-Johnstown student, serve as co-presidents of Circle K.

“This event is a fundraiser, and our members will be designated to a certain area to assist kids in the activities they choose,” Varmecky said.

“Parents are responsible for their own children, and we strongly encourage them to join in the fun.”

The event will be held in the concourse area known as the fifth anchor across from Bon-Ton on the lower level.

Organizers say the location offers the club an extensive amount of open space and provides easy access for the public.

“For a nominal donation, participants will be welcome to take part in crafts, face painting, a bake sale and games, for which they have the opportunity to win prizes,” Varmecky said.

Games include a duck pond, ball toss, tic-tac-toe, dice roll and klinko.

“Instructions on how to play them will be explained on an individual basis as kids choose to play them,” Varmecky said.

Crafts will include handprint daffodil flowers, stained-glass decorations, paper caterpillars, crazy animal hats and coloring pages.

Circle K members will be on hand to assist children with each project.

Previous events were aimed at children ranging from ages 2 through middle school, but it’s not unusual to find a parent or older sibling participating in the activities.

“Everyone loves playing and having fun, and therefore, everyone is welcome to participate,” Varmecky said.

“Adults tend to spend time practicing our games while their children are making crafts or getting their face painted.”

Previous project fundraisers benefited juvenile diabetes research and the Promote Literacy Amongst Youth (PLAY) program.

“We chose the American Liver Foundation because it is not an organization that is well-known, but the need for awareness is growing rapidly as cases of liver disease have been increasing over the past several years,” Varmecky said.

The Pitt-Johnstown assembly is the oldest Circle K group in Pennsylvania, dating to 1957.

“While we are one of the smaller groups in terms of membership, our involvement in various activities certainly keeps up with district trends,” Varmecky said.

She said one of the club’s goals is to show other individuals that one person can make a difference while having fun.

“It’s important for us to give back to the community that has strongly supported our school and all of its organizations,” she said.

Admission is $3 per child, which allows for participation in making crafts and face painting.

For a $5 admission, a child may make crafts, have their face painted and play games.

“If additional prizes are desired, an additional $5 would provide the child with another game card,” Varmecky said.



Fundraiser

Who: Pitt-Johnstown’s Circle K organization.

What: Kids Fun Day.

When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Where: The Galleria in Richland Township.

Admission: $3 to $5 per child depending on level of participation.