Freedom
There are a lot of things about the 4th of July that people look forward to: time with family, grilling out, fireworks, and other traditions. We try to make all holidays special at Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries, but there’s just something extra special about July 4 each year.
Some of our traditions include America face paint, Water Wars, and a rare chance for all of the homes to get together. That’s a lot of kids! But it’s also a perfect picture of the care-free joys of being a kid.
If you were a fly on the wall during Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries’s Fourth of July celebration in Harrisburg, MO, you would see kids jumping off the water trampoline and into the water over and over again, smiling bigger each time. You would see huge bites taken out of hamburgers and hot dogs; big eyes as they watch fireworks with their families. We work hard to make it a fun day for the kids, but it ends up being just as fun for the adults.
“The 4th of July is our version of home for the holidays. Normally, our former kids and families come together and enjoy the water, BBQ, and fireworks. This year we kept it smaller because of COVID-19. However, the memories made will still last a life time. The 4th of July tends to be one of the kids’ favorite memories across the board when they come back to visit. This year was no exception. Watching the smiles, laughter, and pure joy from our kids is worth every single second of prep work it requires. It really is a day full of adventure and love, new experiences, and hugs.”
~~Merri Heberlein, Home Parent Mom in The Wright Home
The day begins with each home getting their face paint ready. They walk down to the beach front ready for Water Wars. The National Anthem is sung, rules are explained, and kids take their places on either side. It’s sort of like dodge ball, but with water balloons and water guns… plus no one is out, so you can hit a person with a balloon as many times as you wish.
If that sounds sort of intense, it is! It’s two homes vs. the other two and there is no mercy, especially from the older kids and adults. It truly is all in good fun, though.
This year, we happened to have more younger kids than older. They still had fun splashing around with the balloons and water guns. An 8-year-old boy said “That was awesome!” more than once about the whole experience.
After picking up all the little balloon pieces, it’s time to swim! Our kids go swimming a lot during the summer, but they don’t always get to go with kids from other homes. There were lots of sky-high blob launches, continued water gun fights, and groups of girls pretending to be mermaids.
Dinner is a cookout with delicious side dishes. After all that water warring and swimming everyone is HUNGRY. It’s a time for things to slow down as all of the homes enjoy a meal.
Many kids show up to fireworks in their pajamas since it gets darker later in the summer. All of the House Dads work together to put on a great show. The families gather in front of Overton Arena, ready to watch the sky light up.
“For me, in years past, a 4th of July fireworks celebration was a time to ponder the freedom we have in America,” concludes Development and Marketing Manager, Megan Gillispie. “With this being my first year at Coyote Hill Foster Care Ministries, I couldn’t help reflecting on the difference here. As I thought about the freedom we are so blessed to have in America, I couldn’t help but think about the situations these children have been freed from. Yes, the trauma they have experienced certainly comes with them. It’s not gone simply because they’ve been removed from a hard situation. But as they watch the fireworks in awe, in that moment, their pasts weren’t important. They were safe, loved and cared for, while experiencing a 4th of July like I and so many of us did as kids. In that moment, they were totally free from worry about what comes next.”
