It’s not every day you get to escape the office for a play date.

On Monday, a group of Barkley partners spent our afternoon getting in touch with our inner-kid at Drumm Farm Center for Children. The students had the day off from school for President’s Day, so we thought we’d surprise them with a visit full of fun festivities!

After being greeted with smiles and hugs at the door, we went straight into our first activity, a scrapbooking session. We had a blast helping the children design pages for their “Life Books” which archived some of their most cherished interests and experiences, including but not limited to: Santa Claus visits, birthdays, summer camps and family memories. It was a great way to get to know the kids and they were so proud of their artistic accomplishments!

Our next activity really sweetened the deal: cookie decorating. The kiddos had fun topping sugar cookies with all their favorite candies such as M&Ms, gummy bears, jelly beans, and sprinkles. Whether they chose to make candy fortresses or silly faces on their cookies, they all loved being chefs for the day!

After snack time, we switched gears for a friendly game of kickball fueled by the thrill of newfound friendships, and admittedly, a cookie-induced sugar high! We were amazed and inspired by the sportsmanship and compassion the children showed toward one another during the ins and outs of the game. Regardless of which team they were on, they all rooted for one another. When someone made a mistake, they were comforted with a high five. When the little ones were at bat, the big kids called a time out to provide instruction and direct them to first base. It was a great game, and by the end we were all worn out!

This was Barkley’s second time volunteering at Drumm Farm Center for Children and we can’t wait to schedule our next visit!

Drumm Farm Center for Children, located in Independence Missouri, provides safe, stable long-term homes for children whose parents are not able to care for them. The children at Drumm are offered a sense of comfort and belonging as an alternative to being constantly moved from foster family to foster family. One awesome thing we noticed about Drumm Farm is that they keep siblings together when traditionally they are often separated under foster care.