Spring is officially here, so that means Specially Gifted Foundation’s biggest community event is just around the corner! SGF’s FIFTH Annual Spring in the Valley Festival will be held April 26th at Coosa Valley Fairgrounds in Rome, Georgia, and we are so excited to share some event related updates with you.
What is Spring in the Valley?
Spring in the Valley (SIV) is SGF’s annual family festival that serves as a community event, while also raising crucial funds to benefit SGF’s mission.
This event hosts a diverse set of festivities and attractions. The best part about SIV is that, like SGF’s mission, IT SERVES EVERYONE!
SIV is for all ages and all abilities.
Our team and fundraising committee strive to have every aspect of our mission reflected in this annual community event.
We partner with vendors to provide activities for kids of all ages, nonprofits to provide resources for families from our communities that care for children with disabilities, and even host a car and bike show to add some shiny appeal while still supporting a good cause.
Who Benefits From Spring in the Valley?
SIV benefits SGF’s mission: SGF provides families caring for children with disabilities with a special gift or opportunity up to $5,000, beneficial resources, and a sense of community.
What does this look like at this event specifically?
SGF sets a goal to gift 2 families from the NWGA area from SIV each year, but the impact extends far beyond these direct giftings.
Spring in the Valley supports all three pillars of our mission throughout Georgia:
- Providing special gifts/opportunities: The event directly funds our ability to provide life-changing giftings to families across the entire state, not just those highlighted at SIV.
- Offering beneficial resources: Proceeds help maintain our resource network, enabling families from Albany to Savannah to access the support systems they need.
- Creating community: SIV itself serves as a vital community space where families caring for children with disabilities can connect, share experiences, and build relationships that last well beyond the event.
That means your sponsorships, donations, vendor fees, and ticket purchases have a ripple effect – starting with the NWGA families directly gifted from this event, but extending to support dozens of families throughout Georgia all year long.
Watch Parker’s gifting below and see the impact Spring in the Valley has on SGF’s mission and the families we serve:
Of the SIV family giftings, this annual event has made it possible to benefit families in many different ways – each of them serving the whole family and in the way the families choose.
SIV has provided family trips to Disney and the mountains, financial assistance with handicap vehicles and accessible home renovations, therapy equipment, and much more.
SIV 2025 Theme: Come One, Come All
Each year, we ask a family gifted from the previous year’s SIV to design our event t-shirt. This helps us build a theme around the event – and who doesn’t love a fun theme?
This year’s artist is Serenity. With the help of her teacher, she created the perfect missing piece to our event. Our team and fundraising committee had already voted for a circus theme, but we still needed a slogan.
Serenity’s design was just what this year’s SIV needed!
Check out our event t-shirt design below:
We have some very fun circus-themed entertainment in the line-up, ensuring everyone has a great time as they explore all the festivities SIV has to offer.
What to Expect This Year at SIV
F U N ! ! !
No, but really. Since this event is for everyone, we hand-select the best vendors and attractions to bring to SIV to create a great experience for the whole family.
Below are some of the things we have in store for you:
→ Food trucks
→ KONA Ice
→ Petting zoo
→ SGF Kids Game Booth
→ Trackless train
→ Inflatable archery game
→ Rock climbing wall
→ Live music
→ Vendor shopping
→ Car and bike show
→ & SO MUCH MORE!
What is the SGF Kids Game Booth?
Our SGF Kids Game Booth is run by Emily, SGF Board Member and SLP-CCC, and Ashley, Occupational Therapist Assistant and blog contributor. This space was created to ensure that children of all abilities can live their best lives at SIV.
We recognize that many typical children do not get exposure to children with disabilities in a school setting most of the time. It’s our hope that we help to bridge that gap at this event, but more specifically with this attraction.
This booth grows more and more each year. Some of the activities include painting stations, sensory play, a giant parachute, a water table, and more.
We also have a quiet space for parents and children to have an “escape” in the event they become overwhelmed or overstimulated.
The therapists that run this portion of the event along with their volunteers are dedicated to helping children find ways to get creative and enjoy the festival fun without feeling isolated or left out. We could not provide this accessible and inclusive space without them!
SIV Car and Bike Show
This will be our fourth year hosting a SIV Car and Bike Show, and we could not possibly do any of this without Sherald Salmon Auto Superstore and Blake Alvey. As a family business, they have supported SGF and the families we serve in countless ways ever since the beginning.
Do you have a car or bike you want to show off? Register here and then come join us April 26th to let the judges decide.
Don’t forget to share this with your fellow car and bike enthusiasts to add to the competition and make it interesting! It will make the bragging rights that much sweeter.
SIV 2025 Presenting Sponsor: Relentless Chiropractic
Relentless Chiropractic is another long-time supporter of SGF and SIV. This will be the THIRD year in a row we’ve had the pleasure of having Dr. Sean and his Relentless Chiropractic team as a presenting sponsor.
Dr. Sean, his wife Dr. Kendall, and their team take pride in their “hands on” adjustments by using an effective approach in evaluating patients using the Gonstead system. It brings them joy to serve the Rome/Floyd community, and we are grateful they also choose to serve SGF’s mission!
Be a Part of Spring in the Valley 2025
We would love to see you and your families at SIV this year!
Most importantly, we would love for you to be a part of our mission, because at the end of the day, that is what SGF’s exists to do – serve the mission.
You never know whose life you could impact just by buying an event ticket or donating to the event. The really cool thing is you don’t have to wait too long to find out because we announce our SIV families to be gifted in the months following the event.
So, even your $5 ticket fee is helping SGF to have an impact through SIV.
Spring in the Valley 2025
April 26, 2025
10 AM – 3 PM
Coosa Valley Fairgrounds in Rome, Georgia
Want to go ahead and secure your ticket now? We’ve got you covered.
*You can also get your tickets at the event the day of*
Want to Play a Bigger Role in SIV 2025?
Just as we have attractions and activities for everyone at SIV, we also have sponsorship opportunities that make it possible for individuals and businesses to partner with SGF and create a bigger impact.
As a community event, it’s only fitting that our first level of sponsorship is our Community Partners! These levels of sponsorship range from a $250 Community Partner to a $5,000 NWGA Gifting Sponsor.
We would love to partner with more local businesses and members of the community in support of SGF’s mission. SIV means the world to our team, board members, fundraising committee, and the families we serve, but it also means a lot to our community.
This event fosters connections between families and children of all ages and abilities, which is something that our mission strongly advocates.
Explore these options below and find what works best for you and/or your business!
Don’t Forget to…
Follow our Spring in the Valley social accounts so you don’t miss out on event-related updates:
