12 UCW FEBRUARY 23 - MARCH 1, 2022
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM
EVENT
Rick's Place has planned an after-
noon away for the families dealing
with the stress of last-minute deploy-
ments, a way to connect with other
military families and to take a break.
e Rick Herrema Foundation fo-
cuses on strengthening relationships
and building community for military
families through fun, quality activi-
ties. ey host events and fun days at
Rick's Place, a 50-acre park, to offer
children a place to have fun and a
place to support military families, so
they know they aren't alone.
is weekend they are supporting
families by hosting a Meet Us at the
Park event specifically for families
dealing with the rapid deployments
occurring over the past three weeks.
"We wanted to do something ex-
tra," Vicky Jimenez, director of pro-
grams at RHF, said. "We wanted to
do an event that would be dedicated
for those families who have been
impacted by the recent deployment."
From 2 to 5 p.m., there will be
activities, inflatables, games for kids
and local organizations offering
resources to families. In addition,
the food truck, Hot Dog Central, will
be at the event feeding families in
attendance.
Jimenez told Up & Coming Weekly
that while families are at Rick's
Place, they can set aside the stressors
that deployment may have placed on
them, at least for a short time.
"e importance of having these
events is to connect people to these
other families that are going through
the same challenges as them,"
Jimenez said.
e Meet Us at the Park event will
be followed by the monthly sched-
uled event, Family Fun Day, which
is open to any military family. is
month, RHF will be hosting a drive-
in movie screening.
"is will be our first drive-in
movie. So we wanted to try and give
it a chance and give families differ-
ent activities here at Rick's Place,"
Jimenez said.
e 2000s family classic, "e
Chronicle of Narnia: e Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe," will be
playing on the big screen. Families
can enjoy the movie from the com-
fort of their warm vehicles or pull up
a chair with blankets to watch it out-
side. RHF will give out free popcorn
and hot cocoa to families. e movie
starts around 5:30 p.m.
e two events take place on Sat-
urday, Feb. 26. Registration to both
events is required. Jimenez said that
she is expecting 100 to 150 people to
be at the two events, but they know
there are countless more families
who are impacted.
If families find out about the
events after registration is closed,
they can contact RHF by calling 910-
444-1743 to see if space is available.
To pre-register for the event, visit
rhfnow.org/event/meet-us-at-the-
park-rapid-deployment-impacted-
families-event/. To register for the
movie night, visit rhfnow.org/event/
february-family-fun-day-evening-
drive-in-movie/.
e next Family Fun Day is sched-
uled for March 26 and is planned to
be a Physical Fitness Family Chal-
lenge.
Families will have a change to
compete against each other in
several activities and lunch will be
provided at no cost. Registration
for that event is open.
Rick's Place is located at 5572
Shenandoah Drive.
For more information, visit rh-
fnow.org/events or call the Rick's
Place team at 910-444-1743.
Rick's Place offers families break, connections
by HANNAH LEE
A poster for the Meet Us At The Park
event hosted by the Rick Herrema
Foundation. (Photo by RHF.)
HANNAH LEE, Assistant Editor.
COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomin-
gweekly.com. 910-484-6200.