Health & Fitness
ESP Raises $42,000 at 3rd Annual Jump, Fly Festival- sending kids with disabilities to camp this summer
ESP raised $42,000 during the 3rd Annual Jump, Festival to send kids with disabilities to camp this summer!
On June 1st, over 450 people came together at the Walton-Monroe airport for this year's 3rd Annual Jump Fly Festival benefiting Extra Special People, Inc. (ESP). The community participated in skydiving, music and games to raise a grand total of $42,000 thousand for the kids.
42 jumpers dove for dollars raising the minimum of $600 to help send kids with various abilities to ESP Camp this summer.
This year, three generations of Dooley’s jumped together- Coach Vince Dooley, his son Daniel and his grandson who has cerebral palsy, Matthew. "I can't wait to see the look on my Dad's face," Matthew said before his jump. Matthew convinced his dad and “pop” to jump by playing them against each other. Well, it worked-- together they raised over $10,000 alone. The Dooley family were among the first jumpers to take flight and were all smiles upon their successful landing.
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Other highlights of the event included a dunking booth. Walton County Sheriff Joe Chapman was a great sport and survived many dunks from the kids. The ESP staff even volunteered. The most kids lined up when Executive Director, Laura Whitaker, took her turn in the booth. Whitaker was dunked over 30 times but said "I could sit here all day if it means raising money for ESP." She also participated in the skydiving earlier in the day.
Entertainment from local bands proved to be an exciting and interactive activity for the ESP children, their families and the volunteers. Keith Hill, Lyric Rogers, the Curl and Adnan Curry gave performances. Adnan, a participant at ESP, was dressed up like Elvis and sang his heart out to cheering fans.
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Overall, the third annual Jump Fly Festival was a diving success. And just at the right time. ESP Camp, the favorite program for participants, begins Monday June 3rd. While the organization is running it’s capital campaign for a new facility, it needs all the help it can get in current operational funds. “We are so thankful to live in a community that believes and understands the magic of ESP” Whitaker says, “We have people jumping out of planes to send kids to camp- a leap of courage for kids who inspire in return.”