Event Highlight: Glow Party!
The New Year’s Glow Party was a huge success with all of our attendees! Direct feedback from Ravaughn, “I love this party! And Emily, “This was great!” were both testaments to the fun had by all, much of it a result of the excellent Nicolet High School volunteers (7 total) who assisted and participated. We had an hour and a half of dancing, singing along, air hockey, games, snacks, and pizza. All the hits were played from contemporary tunes to crowd favorites including hits from Kylie Minogue, Travis Scott, ABBA, Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, and the Black Eyed Peas.
Our friends love to dance and sing! This event is such a hit and shows that people with Down syndrome are just like their peers. Having peers as volunteers helps us to build a community supporting all.
Did you know that parties even have intention and purpose? Social skills, communication, turn-taking, sharing, moderation in eating, trying new things, talking with new people, sensory processing of new situations and activities, and self-regulation are just some of the skills that go into a party. When planning this fun event we considered decorations, music, volume, food and drink options, supervision, and volunteer training. Putting in the time to make events like this positive and replicable for our Playhouse, participants, and volunteers as well as accessible for our community and families means an ongoing circle of support.