On Friday, June 20, residents of Belvedere Senior Housing spent the afternoon with their loved ones and members of the community for the Longest Day Carnival Fundraiser Celebration. This event is one of the kick-off parties that the assisted living community in Merrillville organizes for the community to have fun outdoors in the peak of the summer season.
Andrea Puente, Director of Marketing and Sales at Belvedere Senior Housing, was happy to see the event not just make a return this year, but to expand upon it in this year’s celebration.
“It’s a 100% fundraiser, and we’ve been working on this since February to get sponsors and everything prepared for the carnival,” Puente said. “I have really good, long-standing relationships in the community, so I’m fortunate enough to have a lot of support. The contributions of our sponsors helped us pay a big part of game rentals, and more. It’s been a total community effort.”
This year marks the second annual carnival fundraiser to support The Longest Day initiative through the Alzheimer’s Association. Proceeds from the event help contribute to the team’s overall goal.
Major event sponsors for this year’s event include Rytech Restoration of Lake County and Tradewind Services, Inc. Attraction sponsors consist of BrightStar Care of Lake County, Third Coast Group-Thrivent, and Hospice of the Calumet Area.
“Last year was the first time we did this, so it was a learning experience,” Puente said. “Our residents had a great time, but we wanted to make it even better this year. We brought in bigger inflatables for the kids, elevated games, and better carnival prizes. This also couldn’t have been possible without the increase in volunteers we’ve had to support us this year.”
One of the most beloved activities from last year’s event attendees was the dunk tank, which also helped raise the most money for the fundraiser. The dunk tank made an appearance once again this year, along with activities such as Bozo Buckets, a duck pond, balloon artists, face painters, basketball shootout, axe throwing, ring toss, and a dart wall.
The Longest Day Carnival at Belvedere Senior Housing focuses on fundraising, but it also provides a day to spend outside with family and friends for the residents of the facility.
“We’re an affordable assisted living community, so it’s important to take that into consideration when pricing attractions and food,” Puente said. “We want to make sure events like this are welcoming and reasonable to our residents and the local community. All of our residents who stop by the carnival receive a punch card, where they’ll get a chance to play games, get a complete combo meal, a balloon, and two desserts.”
At Belvedere Senior Housing, community means bringing families closer, no matter the distance. While a loved one may live here apart from their family, events like these offer meaningful opportunities to reconnect, share special moments, and create lasting memories. It’s all about opening our doors to joy, togetherness, and new friendships.
“This year has been great because of the excitement that’s been building since last year,” Puente said. “We’ve added more attractions and bumped the carnival prizes up! Every game earns a prize, so everyone leaves a winner! We did a lot of work promoting the event this year, and it’s exciting to see the turnout” said Puente.
For more information on Belvedere Senior Housing, you can visit its Facebook page.
