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Dawson County news.
October 24, 2018
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Dawson County news., October 24, 2018, Image 7
About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 2018)
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Newspaper Page Text
Wednesday, October 24,2018
dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 7A
Avita centers combine to host fall festival
Jessie Parson dances with Bill at the Avita fall festival at Rock Creek Park
Oct. 18.
Intellectual and Developmental
Disability department typically
organizes outings every day
By Jessica Brown
jbrown@dawsonnews.com
The Dawsonville-
Dahlonega Avita center
for adults with develop
mental disabilities hosted
a fall festival at Rock
Creek Park Oct. 18 where
several centers from
northeast Georgia came
together for a day of fun
and games.
Avita Community
Partners is a resource for
individuals and families
in northeast Georgia
experiencing the effects
of mental illness, devel
opmental disabilities and
addictive diseases with
the goal of assisting in the
development of safe, sta
ble and meaningful lives
for all.
Last week’s fall festival
was an opportunity for
several Avita centers to
come together to social
ize, play a competitive
game of kickball, dance
to classic rock tunes and
eat treats from food
trucks in what was the
biggest festival Avita has
ever planned.
Clients came from
Avita centers serving the
Dawsonville, Dahlonega,
Gainesville, Toccoa,
Demorest and Blairsville
communities.
“We’ve never done
something like this before
and the clients seem to
really enjoy it,” said
Residential Coordinator
Michelle Brown. “They
love stuff like this. I mean
we’ve never had it this
big but we always have
like parties with music
and food and they love
it.”
Avita’s Intellectual and
Developmental Disability
department typically has
outings every day with
their clients who volun
teer in the community to
help get them involved
with their local and
regional communities.
“We’re real big on
community interactions
and just getting those
day-to-day interactions
that people don’t really
Photos by Jessica Brown Dawson County News
Clients with developmental disabilities from Avita locations across north Georgia gathered at Rock
Creek Park Oct. 18 for a fall festival filled with games, music, kickball and food trucks.
think about,” said Jessie
Parson, program coordi
nator in Dawsonville and
Dahlonega. “They go out
every day in the commu
nity. They volunteer a lot.
We just help them with
those daily living skills
that we all take for grant
ed.”
Takoz, Kona Ice and
Samples Farm were there
to provide delicious food
and treats for all as Eddy
Collis rocked the house
with his electric guitar.
“We love to do stuff
like this,” said Collis’
wife, Janice.
Certified Rehabilitation
Counselor Felicita
Herrington organized the
festival and happened to
spot Collis playing his
guitar in his store in
Cumming and asked the
couple if they would play
at the fall festival. They
happily volunteered their
time.
“All these people
together, supporting each
other is incredible,”
Herrington said. “To par
ticipate in the community,
to interact in the society -
it’s very important and
it’s what Avita is based on
it. We’re trying to give the
clients the opportunity to
participate, to be active.”
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