Volunteers from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints joined with others in the community to serve children and youth with special needs on 6 October at Auckland’s North Shore Events Centre.
Mums, dads and friends came together to put on a free carnival with food, activities, music and dancing.
Around 1,000 people attended the event.
Local Member of Parliament, Dan Bidois, dropped in to say hello.
Groups supporting the day included: The Interfaith Friendship Group; Sathya Sai; St Mark’s Catholic Church Pakuranga; Sikh faith; Tzu Chi Foundation; NZ Muslim Association; PHAB; Auckland Council; and North Shore congregations of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The “Fun Day Out for Special Kids” was emceed by local Latter-day Saints Derek Good and Christina Stinson.
One of the hits of the day was a temporary ice skating rink that volunteers assembled and then packed away at the close of the event.
Children and teenagers also made the most of face-painting, dressing up, and plenty of delicious food.
One mother who took her children to the carnival, Talia Fa, wrote on Instagram afterwards: "Had the privilege to take my kids to the special needs fun day out, first time I have attended an event like this & I got to say it was awesome!"
Another mum, Celestine Kaumavae, agreed it was "awesome seeing people from all walks of life and faiths join together to bring joy to our special kiddies' lives."
Photos: Matthew Krull.