By Luke Voogt
Geelong’s Kids Plus Foundation is encouraging the young and young-at-heart to fill the sky with colour in its first-ever kite festival at Rippleside Park on Sunday.
“We are super excited to announce the first-ever Kids+Kites Festival,” said the foundation’s Shelley Wood.
“The Kids+Kites Festival is our colourful family event designed to bring people of all abilities together and celebrate inclusiveness and diversity for a fun day of kite flying.”
Kids Plus speech pathologist Jenna O’Brien and participants George Devine, Malu Hunt, Ruby Webb and Aveen Kaur, pictured, gave some of the brightly-coloured kites a test flight at the foundation’s headquarters in Waurn Ponds on Wednesday.
The festival runs from 11am to 2pm on Sunday featuring kite-making workshops by Kites 4 Kids and demonstrations by world champion flyer Jo Baker.
“Kids+Kites Festival is designed to promote a sense of belonging, and social and community connection, improved mental and physical health, confidence in participating in community, family cohesion and is for people of all ages and abilities,” Ms Wood said.
Kids Plus Foundation is a not-for-profit group founded in Geelong in 2003.
The foundation provides specialist physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, music therapy and social work services to babies, children and young adults with neurological physical disabilities.
“We have a team of passionate, dedicated, highly-skilled professionals with a commitment to furthering their specialist skills,” Ms Woods said.
“Our focus is to work in partnership with families to understand their individual needs, values and abilities.”
The festival will raise funds for Kids Plus Foundation through the sale of kites to fly, which can be purchased at kidspluskitesfestival.com.au.
