Special Needs Night Offers Great Family Fun at Clementon Park and Splash World

By Debra Forman

A romp at a local water park is one of the best ways for children and adults to cool off during the steamy summer nights. This is exactly why families in the Tri-State area are looking forward to the Second Annual Special Needs Family Fun Night, at Clementon Park and Splash World.

The much-anticipated event is taking place on Tuesday, August 1, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Clementon Park and Splash World, 144 Berlin Road in Clementon, New Jersey. The park will be closed to the public and open only to families caring for a loved one with special needs.

The reduced price admission is $15 per person, and $5 from each ticket is being donated to the Bucks County-based Autism Cares Foundation. Parking is free.

Many families said they were thrilled with the opportunity to enjoy the theme park, without the long lines, massive crowds and other more “typical” theme park rules.

The magical night is sponsored by 95.7 BEN FM in order to reach out to a broader sector of the special needs community, and to benefit the Autism Cares Foundation, a non-profit that provides programs, events and life enrichment opportunities to children, teens, and adults with autism and other special needs, and their families. The Autism Cares Foundation was established in 2008.

The radio station, the theme park and Autism Cares Foundation instantly became a winning combination. “We are so appreciative of Clementon Park and Splash World and BEN FM for holding this second annual event for our families and the greater special needs community,” said Linda Kuepper, Co-Founder and CEO of the Autism Cares Foundation.

“Everyone involved last year -- the families, the volunteers, and the theme park staff -- was thrilled by the success of the first event,” said Kuepper, “and we can’t wait for everyone to cool off with us this year on Tuesday, August 1.”

More than 400 guests, and 25 volunteers, attended the well-organized event last year, and combined the ideals of a caring hearts and the importance of deep community involvement. The invitation to attend the 2017 event is going out to everyone in the Tri-County area who has a loved one with special needs and wants to enjoy Clementon Park and Splash World.

The guests can expect to splash around the water park, play carnival games, and take rides on the merry-go-round, the Giant Ferris Wheel, Ring of Fire, long flume, C.P. Huntingdon train and many others at the theme park.

“We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy Clementon Park and Splash World,” said Margie Ford, director of sales and marketing.” “We saw last year how much the children and their families enjoyed our park and wanted to open it to them again.”

The heart-felt comments from the families last year were music to her ears. “It meant everything to us to see the families watching their children having fun swimming, riding and playing games,” Ford said. “Clementon Park and Splash World is honored to hold this event. We knew last year at that time from the comments that were given to us from families leaving the park that we were going to hold this event again this summer.”

Ford said she is pleased that $5 of every ticket sold goes back to “the wonderful Autism Cares Foundation. Partnering with Autism Cares Foundation is wonderful because it has given us a chance to give back to our local communities.”

The Clementon Park staff also received sensitivity training last year from the Autism Cares Foundation, and were extremely helpful and supportive to the families who attended.

Elizabeth Podolski, of Egg Harbor, N.J., brought her five children and two nieces, ages 4 to 16, to the Clementon Park event last summer. The loving mother and aunt said they came because of her 10-year-old daughter, Kady, a non-verbal fifth-grader.

“The moment my daughter walked in and took a glimpse of the water park she was all smiles,” said her mother, a third grade teacher. “She saw the tubes and water slides and her smiles became bigger. It is so nice to have a night for families with special needs. It feels less crowded, and more welcoming, so we are thrilled that we decided to make the trip, and plan to come back in the summer of 2017.”

To order tickets please go to: https://www.clementonpark.com/?promocode=acf

For more information about the Autism Cares Foundation, go to: www.autismcaresfoundation.org

For information about Clementon Park and Splash World go to: www.clementonpark.com