The fifth annual Impact Festival brought to the small town of Bridgeville a fun-filled day that included an adventure park with more than 10 inflatables, carnival games, a petting zoo, face painting, music, gaming, food, and local vendors.

 A live juggling act performed by Guinness World Record holder “Cascading  Carlos” was held in the afternoon. Carlos, whose full name is Carlos Mir, performs regularly in Bethany Beach and Ocean City. His most recent record occurred on Sept. 8, 2024, when he executed a 21-foot propeller toss with a Devil Stick, outside the Hilton Hotel in Ocean City. Mir has been juggling for the past 30 years, starting at age 10.

New to this year’s festival was a quarter auction event featuring thousands of dollars in prizes donated by local businesses and community members. Proceeds from the auction will help fund the IP’s scholarships and giving for another year.

The Impact Festival is a by-product of  The Inspiring Project, a social media movement focused on positivity, mental health awareness, and suicide prevention, founded in 2013 by Greenwood resident and 2016 Woodbridge graduate Chase Marvil, a marketing professional and author, who considers himself a community advocate.

Chase’s Inspiring Project began as an idea when he was just 15 years old. It has now grown into a community initiative that has spent more than a decade spreading positivity and giving back to the Delmarva area. Over the past 13 years, the project has expanded into awarding scholarships, charitable giving, and participating in community outreach. The overall efforts and positive message from the IP are estimated to have impacted more than 500,000 people worldwide.

In 2018, the IP established an annual scholarship program to support graduating students to continue their education and new careers. During this year’s fundraiser, the Impact Festival raised enough funds to award three scholarships at the 2027 Woodbridge High School honors program in May.

The festival was attended by approximately 750 people from all over the state and the surrounding area. Vendors participating included: Vandewende Creamery, Traci’s Treats, Kapelpa Food Truck, The Wild Fizz, Project Refit, Delaware Office of Highway Safety, and Delaware Department of Health & Social Services. Sponsors were: Bay to Beach Builders, All Blown Up Inflatables, Weller’s Utility Trailers, Herls Bath Repair, LLC, and bwadecarrphotography, LLC.

Marvil was optimistic when referring to the festival, “The festival may only last a few hours, but its impact goes far beyond one Saturday. With five Impact Festivals complete, and more than a decade of outreach, the Inspiring Project continues with the same goal it began with in 2013, to inspire others, bring people together, and turn positivity into meaningful action. The support we received allows us to turn around and invest those funds right back into our community through scholarships and donations. That has always been what the IP is about.”

Marvil was thankful for the efforts of community. “I probably sound like a broken record when I talk about the support this project receives, but this community never ceases to amaze me. To see a record number of people come together 13 years after this started is something I could have never imagined at 15 years old. I am thankful for the support and encouragement over the past 13 years, because festivals like this wouldn’t be possible without them,” he said.

Months of planning, local partnerships, donations, and volunteer support went into organizing this year’s event. Along the way, Marvil said he also had the opportunity to hear personal stories from people who connected with the project and its mission.

For Marvil, the fifth festival represented much more than a day of entertainment. It was another milestone for a mission that began when he was a teenager.

September is widely recognized as a mental-health awareness period, featuring key observances such as suicide prevention. All month, community members like Chase Marvil and The Inspiring Project and the Impact Festival unite to promote a reminder that there are actions available to look out for each other.

For more information contact: Facebook.com/TheInspiringProject or search #theinspiringproject. For crisis intervention services call the Southern Delaware Crisis Hotline at 800-345-6785.