Friends from across southwestern Pennsylvania joined Auberle children and staff for the 21st Annual Festival of Fun that was held at Auberle July 26, 2007 from 10 AM to 2 PM.

Auberle volunteers traditionally manage the Festival of Fun. This year, the Unions of the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, in conjunction with their 48th annual Community Services Institute, sponsored the event. The Institute, which stresses the importance of organized labor's commitment to community involvement, hosted the afternoon's festivities by donating food, games, prizes, and t- shirts, as well as spending this exciting day with the children.

There was a large cross-section of union membership represented, including United Food and Commercial Workers, steel, building trades, retail, and education.

As Joe Delale, AFL-CIO Community Servives Liason, recently told John Franko of the Pittsburgh Catholic, "Kids are our future. If we can make it a little better for them -- even if it's just for a minute, one hour, one day -- then we should do that."

Each year, Auberle's Festival of Fun combines athletic events, good friends, and food for a day of fun. In addition to children from Auberle, children ages 8 to 12 from similar agencies also travel to the main campus in McKeesport to participate. The children participate in a number of athletic events, including track and field, softball, and balloon toss. To make competition both fair and fun, all activities are broken into three age groups, Junior, Intermediate, and Senior.

In addition to the many activities held during the day, inflatables were on display in the gym, and the kids had the chance to man the sno-cone stand – a popular destination on the hot aftenoon. All of the kids, volunteers, and staff took a break for lunch, served by Union volunteers. At the conclusion of the day, the children received T-shirts and prizes to celebrate their accomplishments.

Auberle was also visited by a special guest – the Pirate Parrot.

We at Auberle would like to extend our thanks to all who made this day such a memorable event for everyone who attended.