LaFAYETTE — Hundreds of people will be in downtown LaFayette today taking part in the 21st annual LaFayette Day fundraiser for Valley Haven School. It was scheduled to get under way at 9 a.m. EDT Saturday morning and continue until mid afternoon.

There will be much activity throughout the day on the east side of the Chambers County Courthouse. Thee will be lots of arts and crafts vendors, kids’ rides and games, a firefighter’s competition, plenty of great food and a signature feature of LaFayette Day – an Antique, Classic and Show Car event, a spectator favorite that has drawn up to 90 cars in some years.

Another anticipated event during LaFayette Day is the arrival of the motorcycle riders. They usually arrive from the south during the noon hour. They start out at 10:30 EDT in the parking lot between Langley Motors and Greene Super Drug in Lanett, just inside the Georgia state line.

For the past several years, the motorcycle ride heads south along Highway 29 through Lanett and Valley into Lee County, where it turns left onto Andrews Road and motors across I-85 past Mando and the Walmart Distribution Center into Opelika, where it turns right at the Southern Union campus and heads north to LaFayette along U.S. 431.”LaFayette Day is always a fun event for the whole family,” said Valley Haven Executive Director Craig Brown. “In 1997, it started out as a small event to supplement the local match for Valley Haven School. Over the years, it has grown to be the single biggest source of local support for Valley Haven. With LaFayette Day, many more people have been able to help Valley Haven, our area school for children and adults with special needs. The reason for continued growth for LaFayette Day and the Hike/Bike/Run is that people really want to be a part of helping Valley Haven.”

“When you support Valley Haven you know you are doing something good, something that really helps our special citizens,” said Lynn Oliver, LaFayette Day Chair. “When the Hike/Bike/Run is a success, everyone feels good about the success of LaFayette Day and the overall fundraising. It’s often been said that this area’s greatest asset is its people. The Hike/Bike/Run is just one way local residents prove how caring they are.”

In addition to Brown and Oliver, other members of the LaFayette Day Committee include Chris Busby, Don Cleveland, Mike Ellis, Neita Golden, Randy Hudson, Matt and Katie Hurst, Jeff Jones, Stanley Tucker, Joe Ellen Weldon, Keith and Audrey Wilkerson, James Wiliams, J.T. Barker, Neal McCurdy, Kelsey Oliver, Tori Brown and Mary Grace Brown.

Valley Haven is the Arc Center for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities and serves Chambers, Lee and part of Tallapoosa counties. It is an independent, non-profit organization that is designed to help our community meet the needs  of infant and adult citizens with special needs. Each person served is supported in ways that suit the individual’s strengths and learning style. Valley Haven School currently offers skilled training to 112 people rating from three months of age to 82 years.  Valley Haven is known throughout the state as a model and a strong advocate for the best services for people with special needs.