Taking special kids to new heights

WATSONVILLE -- From taking to the skies to performing in their own rock bands, youth with special needs did not have any boundaries on Saturday during the fifth annual Day in the Sky event at Watsonville Municipal Airport.

Throughout the day, Shared Adventures, a Santa Cruz nonprofit that offers disabled people opportunities for social interaction and recreation, and the Experimental Aircraft Association of Watsonville gave an estimated 200 airplane and helicopter rides to nearly 750 kids with disabilities.

After attending a brief pre-flight school session to learn basic aviation principles before flying, each special-needs child was encouraged to take the aircraft controls for a short time during the flight.

Ellen Hovey of Santa Clara said for her 9-year-old son, Jeremy, who has Down syndrome, taking controls of an airplane was something that he will never forget.

"This is his second Day in the Sky now. But the first time he went up, he just beamed after," Hovey said. "It's an opportunity for him to do something that he might never otherwise get to do. Last, time we took photos of him flying to his school and his friends just said 'whoa dude!' It was great."

Erica Diaz of Capitola said she has taken flight two times now.

"The view was beautiful today," said Diaz, an 18-year-old student in Shared Adventures' Young Artists Studio. "My favorite part today was when they played the song 'Imagine' by John Lennon."

During the event, The Magic Makers Band, a group of young men and women with special needs from Santa Clara, covered Beatles tunes in the afternoon. Also taking the stage were Angels on Stage, a nonprofit that supports children with differing abilities in performing an annual musical theater.

Day in the Sky event director Dean McCully said he hopes seeing the acts on stage will inspire others to pursue whatever they aspire to.

"It really is incredible what we have seen here at this event," McCully said. "We've had non-verbal kids start talking while in flight and then become silent as soon as they land. The whole goal of this event is to hook up local groups with families and bring their energy to each other. There are a lot of opportunities out there."

Shared Adventures founder Foster Andersen, a quadriplegic survivor of a spinal cord injury, said the event doubled in size since last year.

"I'm dumbfounded. It wouldn't happen without the hard work of our 280 volunteers and the 70 registered pilots that give rides to these kids," Andersen said. "We aim to do something different so that the kids can know that they can do it, surpassing some of their peers who are not challenged."

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