A Kid Again brings kids with medical conditions to ‘DreamNight’ at the Columbus Zoo

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• The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium hosted a special DreamNight event for children with life-threatening illnesses.
• The event, organized by nonprofit A Kid Again, provided free access to rides, exhibits, and the Zoombezi Bay water park.
• The program seeks to offer families a break from medical worries and create positive memories.

The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium kept its doors open a few hours later on June 6 to give children experiencing life-threatening medical conditions the chance to be a kid again.

Hosted by A Kid Again, a nonprofit that organizes free events and adventures for families navigating medical bills and treatments, the DreamNight at the Zoo Adventure brought thousands of families enrolled in A Kid Again to the zoo.

With every part of the zoo’s experience covered by A Kid Again, including rides, interactive exhibits and the Zoombezi Bay water park, the families were able to explore accessible, child-friendly activities and connect with others facing similar circumstances.

The organization’s goal is to provide families relief from thinking about the next hospital visit or doctor’s appointment and instead allow them to focus on making memories as a family, explained A Kid Again’s program director, Ashley Hofacre.

“We hear parents talk about how isolating it feels to be a medical parent and a medical family,” she said.

“By bringing families together, they really get to find people who understand what they’re going through and can relate to them.”

The next adventure for central Ohio A Kid Again families will be a Kings Island weekend on July 26-27, with separate registration available for each day. Enrolled families can sign up on A Kid Again’s website.

Sophia Veneziano is a Columbus Dispatch reporter supported by the Center for HumanKindness at The Columbus Foundation. She may be reached at [email protected]. The Dispatch retains full editorial independence for all content.