Remember field day?  That one day near the end of the school year when your sole focus was becoming champion at tug-of-war?  Last Friday, the Young Professionals of Osceola County traveled back in time to field day – though this time in service of a greater goal – with their Barnyard Olympics & Non-Profit Fair.  Now in its fourth year, the Barnyard Olympics remains Osceola County’s only opportunity to learn about the great work being done by non-profits in our area while also trying not to make a fool of yourself at Dizzy Bat. 
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Teams of four progressed around the arena at the KVLS Pavilion to hear from local non-profits and learn how they might get involved with those organizations.  Each non-profit then facilitated a game and allowed the teams to get competitive for a chance to win raffle prizes donated by the non-profit participants and sponsors.  The evening included dinner from Big John’s Rockin’ BBQ and a bar manned by the Osceola Cattlemen’s Association and Silver Spurs Club.  The final match of the night was an epic tug-of-war battle involving the whole crowd.

This year’s participating non-profits were CAAIRE, Community Vision, The Education Foundation, The Florida Native Plant Society – Pine Lily Chapter, Guardian Ad Litem, Help Now, I Rise, The Opportunity Center, Osceola Arts, Osceola Healthy Families, New Beginnings, Relay for Life, The Sunshine Foundation Dream Village, and United Way.
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Sponsorship from Edward Jones – Joel Ferguson, Kissimmee Utility Authority, Wild Florida, Street Outdoor, Headquarters Coworking, the Osceola Cattlemen’s Association, and the Silver Spurs Club made the event possible.

If you missed out, start getting your team together for next year’s event; you have afull year to practice your cornhole skills. Or, check out the participating non-profits, and other non-profits in our area, and learn how you can get involved as a volunteer or serve on their boards of directors.  See you next year!

For more fun shots of the event, check out RTW Photography’s gallery.