When asked if he was going to hit the dance floor at the third Very Special Valentine's Day Dance on Sunday, Chad Trusty responded with a resounding, "You betcha!"

"I like dancing," Trusty said. "I'm a great dancer."

Trusty was one of about 80 guests at the event, which is sponsored each year by the Supply Chain Management Association. Held at the Union, the event gave area residents with special needs the opportunity to celebrate Valentine's Day with a dance and other activities.

This year, the dance was co-sponsored by the Marketing Association and General Management Association. All three groups involved helped plan the event using money from fund-raising events held during the year.

"I couldn't be happier," said general management junior Michael Gauthier. "I was really worried we were going to have more volunteers than guests, but it worked out perfectly.

"It's been really rewarding. It's a Valentine's Day experience they wouldn't have otherwise."

The student volunteers sent invitations to homes throughout the area, but many of the guests were invited indirectly through friends and acquaintances.

"Word of mouth got it around more than we can do," general management junior Renee Pomaville said. "It was a bigger event than I thought it was going into this - the response was outrageous."

Pomaville said the organizers had planned plenty of fun activities for the guests, such as an arts and crafts table, making goodie bags and dancing.

From his station behind the turntables, disc jockey Ronnie Knapp surveyed the crowd with a smile.

"This is my third year here," he said. "This program is wonderful to get people out in the community."

Knapp, who has Down Syndrome, has been a disc jockey for 15 years. He said he loves playing music every year at the Very Special Valentine's Day dance.

"These people are enjoyable," he said. "I love the way they smile at me and come up and request a song."

Many of the guests, such as Lynn Smith, enjoyed making colorful valentines with stickers, hearts and construction paper.

Smith admired her handiwork and said the meaning of Valentine's Day has changed for her since she was a child.

"All of a sudden, it's got a different feeling now," said Smith, who came with residents of a local adult care home. "Then, it was just candy and now it's about people."

George Azrak stood off to the side of the dance floor and watched the guests boogie from afar. He had driven from Ann Arbor to bring his daughter and her friends to the event.

"They look forward to it every year," he said. "It's a place where they can have some fun - they don't get many chances to do that."