“I’ll be there for you.” Friends. We have them, we are them and that is what we celebrate at Friendsgiving. This year we wanted to celebrate all the friendships that have been made through the Walla Walla Valley Disability Network; that is why we decided to partner with the Parent-to-Parent (P2P) program this year.
SOAR’s Friendsgiving has become a beautiful homage to friendship and the meaning of inclusion and community - the basic human need to belong and to connect with others. Friendsgiving gifted us the chance to honor friendships between SOAR participants, parents, child and parent, as well as participants and volunteers. It was a great success that was enjoyed by all who attended.
SOAR participants arrived early to prepare for the big day ahead. Participants were split into three groups of chefs: Appetizers, Desserts, and Main Course. The appetizers consisted of pinwheels, veggie trays, relish trays, turkey trail mix, cheese balls (savory and sweet with fruit), and cheese and cracker platters.
While groups were taking turns cooking, participants were doing what they love to do most, socializing with friends! They were given multiple options to choose from to stay entertained. Everything from a variety of craft making, photo scavenger hunt, “Who Done it Thanksgiving Mystery Case,” to giant Uno.
After appetizers came dessert. Yes, that is right, dessert first. Since most of the desserts needed time in the fridge to set, it was important that they were next in line. The dessert chefs prepared jello fluff salad, pumpkin chocolate chip breads, and apple cobblers.
On the P2P side of things, parents were busy enjoying appetizers and were given the opportunity to connect and meet with other parents. Parents were also given festive holiday canvases to paint, while waiting for the main course. One of the main purposes of the P2P program is to connect parents who are going through similar circumstances. Personal support from another parent who has a child with similar needs can be helpful in coping with these experiences and feelings. Our Parent-to-Parent coordinators, Angie Witt and Ysabel Fuentes, are here to help make and nurture those connections.
While the final group of chefs were cooking away on the main course, SOAR participants and parents competed in a round of Holiday Jeopardy! Jeopardy is one of the games that is most enjoyed by our SOAR participants and it was a delight to see them participate and be so engaged in what was going on!
The time had finally come for the main course! Our youngest participant, who is only 13 years old, had such a great time cooking and said that this was the best thanksgiving ever. He was so excited that he wanted to be the one to announce that our Friendsgiving dinner was officially ready, and he did just that.
The feast consisted of turkey, ham, yams, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cornbread casserole, stuffing, and rolls. SOAR participants did a wonderful job, each team cooking in one hour shifts. As people plated up their dinner, I took immense pleasure in witnessing the joy, excitement, and pride that both participants and parents felt during this wonderful event.
As everyone was enjoying the food, cheery atmosphere, and the hustle and bustle of the day I had one more surprise left … an inflatable turkey costume! While dessert was being had, a volunteer slipped into an inflatable turkey costume. I turned on the “Gobble Gobble” song, everyone looked up from their plates with a quizzical look and out came the turkey! The laughter and excitement that this simple silly act produced was a perfect end to our Friendsgiving.
If you are interested in being a part of these wonderful programs (SOAR/Parent-to-Parent) as a participant or a volunteer please visit our website: wwvdn.org To participate, please check out our WWVDN Calendar of Events and sign up for all the events, classes, respite and advocacy opportunities. To partner with WWVDN in other ways, please visit the How Can I Help? page. There you can sign up to volunteer, donate, check out our amazon wish list, or create a FB fundraiser to share.
We love sharing with you what is happening within the walls of the Walla Walla Valley Disability Network and the impact it makes within our community. A big thank you to Blue Mountain Community Church for sharing with us your amazing space! It has opened up many opportunities and possibilities for the WWVDN.
Please enjoy the video of our day.
