by Richard Eldredge
For a few hours under bright sunny skies this week, the biggest thing 25 Bert’s Big Adventure families had to worry about during a reunion pool party at the Country Club of Roswell was a few wrinkled fingers.
While the seven-year-old non-profit for kids with chronic or terminal illnesses is best known for sponsoring its big annual outing to Disney World, Bert Weiss told Buzz Tuesday the reunion also serves a significant purpose.
“The families form a very unique bond on the Disney trip,” Weiss explained. “Unless your family is going through those challenges, it’s difficult to relate to their experiences. Unless you’re got the daily struggle of converting a van for your wheelchair-bound kid or are trying to get your school equipped with ramps, you might not get it. These families speak the same language and it’s important for them to continue that dialogue with each other
The reunion also allowed the members of “The Bert Show” staff an opportunity to re-connect with some of the kids they first met six years ago when the trips first started.
“For me, the kids are frozen in my mind from the trip,” Weiss reflected. “When I see them again, I realize I’m the only one who’s stopped growing!”
The families enjoyed lunch together and then some frozen treats courtesy of Atlanta entrepreneur Jake Rothschild and gallons and gallons of his Jake’s Ice Cream. Each kid also got a beach cooler stuffed with goodies to take home as well.
Weiss marvels that even in the current economy, Q100 listeners continue to support the charity.
“It’s not so much the big checks right now,” he said. “It’s the fund-raisers, the yard sales, the beer bashes and the more grass roots things that listeners are doing that help us to continue doing all this. We’re very lucky.”