Children’s Respite Concludes Summer with Carnival Celebration

A man in a dark gray shirt painting the face of a child in red. Another young man is visible behind the face painter, wearing a white shirt.

The Arc of Essex County’s Children’s Respite Program concluded their last summer Saturday at Camp Hope with a carnival themed celebration. Those in attendance enjoyed carnival games and prizes and face painting by one of the attendees, who did an excellent job decorating the faces of his peers.

During their July and August programming, the Children’s Respite participants met at Camp Hope, where they gathered for three Saturdays each month. To beat the heat all summer, the 14 participants cooled off on the splash pad and enjoyed water gun battles with each other.

As the Children’s Respite group looks ahead to fall, they will resume meeting at the Opportunity Zone in Maplewood, where a variety of fun events are planned, including an aquarium trip in September.

The Children’s Saturday Respite Program is a community-based program for children ages 5 to 21. The program participates in both community-based and in-center activities including visits to parks, festivals, cooking, arts and crafts, and more. The in-center location is based out of Maplewood. To learn more, click here or contact Children & Family Services Assistant Director Erica Zupkus at 973-535-1181 ext. 1275 or [email protected].

The Arc of Essex County thanks our participants and sponsors at this 2nd annual fundraising event.