Flocking fun aims to raise awareness

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month.

And there’s nothing like a flock of pink lawn flamingos to make you pay attention.

At least, that’s the thought behind the Munroe-Meyer Institute’s Flamingo Flocking Fundraiser for Disabilities Awareness, which began last week.

“We anticipate people are going to think this is a lot of fun and want to be a part of it,” said MMI Community Engagement Director Melonie Welsh.

For a small donation, what Welsh called “specially trained flocking technicians” will place a group of pink flamingos on selected front lawns. The flamingos will remain for two to four days, until they mysteriously migrate to another location.

“We have a sign that says, ‘You’ve been flocked by MMI for Disabilities Awareness,’ and there will be an instruction sheet about what to do if recipients want to ‘pay it forward,'” Welsh said.

The effort is an opportunity to raise awareness about the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities in all areas of community life, as well as awareness of the barriers that people with disabilities continue to face in connecting to the communities in which they live, Welsh said. “It’s a great opportunity to embrace advocacy and inclusion together with our neighbors.”

Welsh and members of her community engagement team at MMI will start the process with known friends of MMI and the disability community. But after that?

“If the flock landed in my yard, for example, I could then send it to a friend, family member or colleague to join in on the flamingo frenzy,” Welsh said. “The goal is to get the flocks geographically to different places in our great Omaha community, to serve as a reminder that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are valued members of our community.”

With a new MMI building on the horizon and new programs being created, the initiative will build on MMI’s momentum, helping the institute reach out to families, educators and providers who might benefit from our services, she said.

Although other flocking fundraisers install the flamingo flocks overnight to surprise people as they wake, the MMI team will work during the day, in the name of courtesy and safety.

“This is intended to be in good fun, and a commitment is not an expectation if you choose not to participate,” Welsh said. The flock will move on to its next nesting place.