The end-of-the-year party for Challenged Child and Friends promises to be a special one.

About 100 people are expected to participate in Challenged Child and Friends’ first ever Family Beach Day today. Challenged Child and Friends is a Gainesville preschool center that serves both children with disabilities and children with typical development, ages 6 weeks to 6 years.

The event, which runs from 9 a.m. to sunset, is sponsored by the Lake Lanier Sailing Club.

Carina Chiscano-Doyle, an organizer of the event, said the family beach day was created because "many children from Challenged Child have never had the opportunity to sail or the chance to go out on the beach of Lake Lanier."

Chiscano-Doyle said captains from the Lake Lanier Sailing Club have volunteered their time and their boats to treat the kids to rides out on the lake.

Because of the large number of participants, Chiscano-Doyle said there will be multiple half-hour boat rides throughout the day.

In the meantime, the kids and their parents will be able to relax and play games on a stretch of the sailing club’s private beach and enjoy a free lunch provided by the Thistle Fleet of the Lake Lanier Sailing Club.

Chiscano-Doyle added that Challenged Child hopes to make the Family Beach Day an annual event.

"The main purpose of the event is to expose these children to the great environment of Lake Lanier and the fun sport of sailing."