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Volunteer Jack Bourne helps Brian Davidson build a birdhouse out of peanut butter and milk cartons at a recent Thursday night social club meeting at MMI for adults with disabilities. |
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Sam Gerber prepares to pick a tune for karaoke on the new jukebox as adaptive therapist Nicole Giron offers her support. |
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Sarah Gardels, Katy Patterson, Melanie Quest, Tracy Sandovol and Amanda Gasper piece together a puzzle at a recent MMI social club meeting. The program was recently expanded from 22 weeks out of the year to 36 thanks to funds from the C. Louis Meyer Foundation. |
Proceeds from the tournament, sponsored by the C. Louis Meyer Foundation, will benefit recreation therapy programs for adults with developmental disabilities held at UNMC’s Munroe-Meyer Institute.
Programs include a Thursday night social club for adult with disabilities, who have weekly opportunities to participate in activities such as swimming, sports, arts and crafts, cooking and karaoke. Social dances and other recreational and leisure events in the community also are supported by the not-for-profit C. Louis Meyer Foundation.
“The social club is one of few opportunities adults with disabilities have to interact with their peers because there are very few places that offer them,” said Karol Warchola, a recreation program associate at MMI. “It’s important for the same reason for people without disabilities to go out with their friends.
“Imagine if the only people you interacted with were your parents. Interacting with peers is crucial for quality of life and emotional well being. All people should have that opportunity regardless of disability.”
The adult recreation therapy programs also provide respite for families and caregivers of adults with developmental disabilities, such as autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and spina bifida among others.
Funding for those programs is dependent entirely on private donations.
“The golf tournament is our primary fundraiser for the C. Louis Meyer Foundation,” said Rick Boldt, President. “It has allowed us to expand the adult social club from 22 weeks out of the year to 36.
“It’s our goal is to raise money to enhance the recreation programs even more because it’s so important for those with special needs to have fun and those opportunities aren’t readily available.”
Check-in for the golf tournament will begin at 11:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. The event is a four-person scramble, 18-hole tournament. The entry fee for the tournament is $125 per player or $500 a foursome, which includes hole prizes, door prizes, raffles, refreshments and dinner.
To register for the tournament or for more information, call (402) 559-5771 or send an e-mail to kwarchola@unmc.edu.
For those who don’t golf, but are interested in making a contribution to the cause, please contact Melonie Welsh with the University of Nebraska Foundation by phone at 502-4117 or (800) 432-3216 or via e-mail at mwelsh@nufoundation.org.