To the editor:

Our 12th Annual Children’s Day was celebrated on a beautiful September day, in a lovely park, in a great island community. More than 1,000 children and their families came from all over the Northwest (even from Belgium!) to participate in a day-long celebration for children.

Children rode ponies, bounced and slid in giant inflatables, enjoyed lunch and all kinds of entertainment — all for free. Thank you for being a part of such an important and fun community-wide event.

This celebration event happened because of the willingness of many people who care about kids.

Our generous sponsors are: Island County Public Health, Sno-Isle Regional Libraries, South Whidbey Kiwanis Club, South Whidbey Parks & Recreation, United Way of Island County, South Whidbey Children’s Center and Partners for Young Children.

We’d also like to thank members of 30 organizations who care about children, for providing entertaining activities from a giant box maze, to drumming circles, roasting marshmallows and many more creative activities. Volunteers from the

Oak Harbor Explorers, South Whidbey High School and our neighbors helped to create a day that was just right.

We would also like to extend a big thank you to Karin Watson, former chair of Children’s Day, for keeping in motion this important event, even during lean times.

If you have interest in working with this great group of people who plan this annual gathering, please contact Bess Windecker-Nelson at 360-360-0595 or besswn@whidbey.com.

Bess Windecker-Nelson and the 2009 Children’s Day Steering Committee