From joining in with a group of preschoolers in a giggle-filled potato sack race, to helping guide the children through a maze of other activities including a ping pong toss and face painting, DPR Tampa volunteers spent time recently to help at-risk youngsters enjoy a fun-filled afternoon at the Fall Festival for A Brighter Community (ABC) preschool in Tampa, Fla.

DPR’s participation in the annual festival is illustrative of the region’s new partnership with the preschool, which offers a safe haven and provides support to economically and environmentally at-risk children age 3 to 5 years old.

DPR Tampa employee Amye Bailey is the Tampa office liaison for the organization. “Our focus as volunteers is directly interacting with the children, assisting with building maintenance and providing donations for fundraising activities,” she explained.

In addition to volunteer time, DPR employees contributed pumpkins for each child to participate in a pumpkin drawing event during the festival that featured about 10 activities over the course of the afternoon. They included: the potato sack race, “can knock down” game, ping pong toss, face painting, bean bag toss, pumpkin drawing, apple netting, dancing and the grand finale piñata whacking. “It was a beautiful day and a whole lot of fun for everyone,” Bailey said.

On the horizon, the Tampa office has plans to help the preschool by providing contributions to their holiday tree and donating profits from their annual spring golf tournament.