Many fun events, such as football games and school dances, were missed in the last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Among those events was Pahrump’s very own “Pumpkin Days.” Its return was very welcome this year; thousands piled into the community park for the festivities. 

If you’ve never been to Pumpkin Days, it is a fun little festival with hayrides, a haunted house, a pumpkin patch, and much more. Geared more towards younger children, Pumpkin Days is held at Ian Deutch Memorial Park and is run primarily by volunteers. They sell food such as kettle corn or candied apples and even do face painting. There was one year that they even did horse rides. Often people can be seen wearing their Halloween costumes due to the proximity of the holiday.  

However, Pumpkin Days is not purely for our enjoyment. The Pahrump Disability Outreach Program, or PDOP, is a “multi-faced non-profit support organization” for the disabled people of Pahrump and their families, according to PDOP’s president, David Boruchowitz. PDOP uses the funds raised from Pumpkin Days to pay the monthly expenses that the program faces. PDOP is a program that will provide “advocacy at IEP meetings with the School District,” as well as “weekly skills meetings for age ten children and above,” says Boruchowitz. PDOP also hosts “monthly social events for all members and their families,” and “provides training and guidance in many areas.” 

Founded by two parents of disabled children, PDOP’s slogan “reaching for the stars and nothing less” has become their words to live by as they help disabled children mostly and their families improve their situation despite its challenges. According to PDOP’s website, the founders created the program after finding that there “was no local support” and “no groups for parents or family members” of these disabled children. They “vowed to make a difference for their own families, and for all the other families living in Pahrump that have children with a disability” and have done so again and again for many families. 

To provide all this assistance, however, PDOP needs the money raised from Pumpkin Days. The preparation for such an event “begins in July as fundraising efforts begin” (Boruchowitz). Then, in September, the physical preparation of the event starts. Hundreds of volunteers work to gather the supplies, plan the events, and send out the fliers for Pumpkin Days.

Once all is said and done the most truly challenging part of the process, according to Boruchowitz, is running the event. Pumpkin Days usually lasts for three days: a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the end of October. The most rewarding part, he says, is watching the kids in the community have a great time. This year hundreds of children were seen running about throughout the weekend. 

But the point of PDOP is not just to raise money, but also awareness. According to PDOP’s president, only a fraction of the disabled people of Pahrump take advantage of the assistance provided by the program. Boruchowitz hopes that Pumpkin Days can bring fun for the community and knowledge of the help offered. 

If you have any questions or would like to donate to PDOP, visit their website at http://pahrumpdisabilityoutreachprogram.com/.