Hundreds of kids facing life-threatening conditions are with their families Friday at Valleyfair in Shakopee as part of the A Kid Again Rides and Slides experience.
In total, Valleyfair is donating 800 tickets for The Adventure Day along with catered meal at Picnic Point and drink wristbands for guests.
"For Valleyfair Cares and Cedar Fair Cares, our number one giving priority is children and families in need," said Melissa Ferlaak, Valleyfair's PR and Communications Manager. "We're really looking forward to welcoming in these families. They can have a day where they really aren't thinking, they're just having fun together and creating wonderful memories."
A Kid Again is a non-profit that focuses on giving "normal moments" to families caring for a child living with a life-threatening condition.
Those moments happen through what A Kid Again calls "Adventures" including the Slides and Rides adventure.
"These happen at places closer to home for families to go to together, strengthen that family bond, and also it's a sense of community and sense of belonging," said A Kid Again co-founder, Kathy Derr. "It's also a sense of community and belonging because they're there with families going through the exact same thing."
Cedar Fair Parks, which owns Valleyfair, has been a partner with and A Kid Again since the organization was founded in 1995. Valleyfair welcomed the organization which entered Minnesota just a couple of years ago.
Derr says Rides and Slides is truly a heartwarming adventure for families and everyone involved.
"We get so many kind remarks afterwards from parents who haven't seen their child smile in years is laughing, giggling, and smiling," Derr said. "The siblings feel so included and such an important part of what's going on."
A Kid Again continues to build its Minnesota chapter with adventures including baseball games, Valleyfair, holiday lights, and they're also looking into zoo adventures.
The organization helps individuals up to 20-years-old.
"That can get a little challenging," added Derr. "Teenagers can be typical teenagers and don't want to hang out with their annoying little siblings sometimes, but we seem to do a pretty good job of coming up with some different things for the families to do."
For the Valleyfair experience, Ferlaak says the park takes pride in the fact a number of their rides and experiences are accessible regardless of the condition a child or teen may be facing.
"For us, it honestly makes our hearts burst to see kids that maybe life has handed them a bad deck and being able to just come here kind of forget about that," added Ferlaak. "It inspires us."
A Kid Again is looking for more families to help in Minnesota, volunteers to help make adventures possible, and monetary donations to keep moving forward with their mission of making kids feel like kids again.