Swimming Without Barriers at Mandan Raging Rivers

The Mandan Raging Rivers Waterpark hosted Everybody Swims on July 1 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. The event was open to special needs or differently abled children and their family members to experience Raging Rivers in a fun and inclusive environment. Admission was $6 per person. Patrons had access to the kiddie pool, lazy river, tube slides, and the bathhouse.

Facility Supervisor Brittni Auch explained how Raging Rivers creates an environment that is fun and safe for this sort of event.

“The event is inclusive for kids and adults that have special needs,” Auch said. “So what we do is we turn our speed slides off, we turn off the music, and we just kind of create a safe space for them to feel more comfortable, so the park isn’t overfilled with people, and they can kind of enjoy it with their friends and family.”

Although people can bring family members and friends along, organizations such as Hit, Inc. take advantage of this opportunity to provide a safe and social recreational event for clients. Hit, Inc. is a non-profit organization offering various services for individuals with disabilities in Western North Dakota. 

One of the programs offered at Hit, Inc., called Aspire, is designed to provide the safety and security of a day program for people who are competitively employed in the community and looking for a social and recreational program in their free time. Aspire Hit, Inc. State Program Manager Mirranda Magilke shared how often the Aspire program attends the Everybody Swims event.

“So we've actually been coming here for the last three years. So we come every single month, and we absolutely love it. Aspire alone has 32 individuals here today enjoying it.”

She went on to say what this event means to the Aspire program and the community.

“It's honestly super, super amazing, just to see the inclusion into the community for those in services. And like I said, our individuals absolutely love coming here. They're just going to hang out with other people. It’s nice.”

The Everybody Swims event happens once a month during the summer season. The next event is set for July 31 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.