Lots of people decorate gingerbread houses or trees as a holiday tradition. Our Bolivar location? Well, we decorate… parade floats.
On December 7th, we showed our community what we’ve been working on since summer during the “Down Home Country” Christmas parade.

This marks our second consecutive year of bringing awareness about our organization to the area — and smiles brighter than the Griswold house to our individuals. Carl for example, started looking forward to this year’s parade as soon as 2023’s ended.
“This year was better because more people participated,” he said.
The height of the evening for an individual who rode on our float was listening to Brandyn Wiles play his country Christmas classics.
In all, four of Bolivar’s 21 individuals participated, with more friends and family members watching along the 1.5-mile route that began at the entrance of Southwest Baptist University.

Faux Bonfires (and a Little Line Dancing)
We went all out designing 2023’s “Let it Snow” float. This year we took a “less is more” approach, but still made sure to include a little bit of everything: Hay bales, a fake bonfire, county-themed carols and, of course, light-up Santa cowboy hats! Everything was made possible because our region seems to be in the Christmas spirit year-round.
“The hay bales were donated. People asked if we needed pool noodles for our arch when they heard we were participating. We got fabric without asking. We’re very grateful for the community’s response,” said Nicole Altic, Activity Coordinator at Bolivar’s Easy Living, Inc. location.
While seeing more than 100 floats all decked out was something to behold, the real highlight happened before the parade officially began. Our individuals and staff members loosened up with some hot cocoa and performed a line dance for the judges. And while some admit to being a little nervous at first, it was a breeze (and a lot of fun!) once they got the moves down.
While we didn’t place in the top four, the night was still a huge success.
“Tonight was perfect. This wasn’t about competing. It’s about building inclusivity and our individuals accomplished so much just by participating. I’d call that a win,” said Nicole.

Feeling Extra Festive
Bolivar individuals also participate in Christmas Door Wars and attend a Christmas party, with our other locations adding their own twist to the holiday season.
While the theme may be seasonal, our mission is ongoing.
“We just want everyone to have fun, normal experiences and feel included,” said Nicole.
Please reach out to learn more about how each of our locations shares a heartfelt commitment to helping your loved one live a more fulfilling life.