Homeless Youth Live Out Ice Skating Dreams At Horton Square

The Saturday after New Year’s Day was another busy day for Fantasy on Ice outside of NBC 7’s studio.

Hundreds of youth, still on their holiday break, lined up again for skates. But for other kids, being on the ice was a fantasy turned into a reality.

Project Rescue Party, an organization that reaches out to at-risk and homeless youth, paid the way for dozens of homeless kids and their families to skate up and hit the ice. An experience that would be the first for many.

β€œWe want homeless kids to not lose out on their opportunity of a childhood,” said Brett Matson, founder of Project Rescue Party. β€œWe believe that opportunities like this give them their childhood back.”

β€œIt's an experience, a new experience, because they've never been. They don’t do things like this,” one homeless mother said of her kids’ first time on the ice.

For people like her and her kids, the slick rink takes some getting used to. β€œIt was really fun, you just have to make sure you have the right shoe size and it’s tight,” said Mickayla, one of several kids who found out what it feels like to fall over several times.

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