Everyone needs a place close to home that they can escape to even for a few hours to have some fun and enjoy some good company just to break the usual routine. But for our friends and neighbors who have disabilities, finding that place can be tough.

But some have found it thanks to a group of parents and volunteers who created Golden Day Adult Day in Fort Dodge. Three days a week, it offers a full day of activities for disabled folks who might otherwise just sit at home.Those activities include a book club, games, crafts, learning and discussion time, and food.

Having such a program in place is wonderful. But what makes the Golden Day Adult Day story truly remarkable is everything that had to be done to get it started.

A program like this just can’t be started up on a whim. First, there must be people truly dedicated to the cause that are willing to devote lots of time and energy.

Fort Dodge is fortunate to have a group willing to invest that time and energy. Beth Plautz has been the most visible spokesperson and leader of the group, but she is quick to say she is surrounded by a lot of other hard-working volunteers.

That dedicated group first started talking about what became Golden Day Adult Day in 2000. But it was a long process because the program would ultimately need government supervision and government funding through Medicaid. The group enlisted the support of state Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, and state Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink R-Fort Dodge.

There were some occasional get-togethers for the participants of the program starting in 2022. Its current format debuted in June 2024. Participants and volunteers just celebrated the program’s one-year anniversary.

Golden Day Adult Day is now in session from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at Citizens Central, 617 Central Ave. Leaders of the program hope to someday have it operating five days a week.

Golden Day Adult Day is unique to our area and provides a vital service. It is yet another element that makes Fort Dodge and Webster County a special place to live.

We salute the group that made it possible, and we hope they achieve their dream of making it a bigger program that can serve more people.