Wintry weather made a comeback fit for the penguins that were scattered throughout the lobby of the Munroe-Meyer Institute last week during the institute’s inaugural Penguin Palooza event.
Patients, families and staff members took part in games, crafts and other activities to celebrate some late-winter magic.
Rebecca Kraay brought her children Lucy, 5, and Lucas, 3, to MMI just for the event.
Kraay called the MMI event, aimed at young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities, “a very welcoming environment.”
Lucy showed off her best penguin poses with members of MMI’s physical therapy department. She practiced standing on one leg and sliding on her belly.
Meanwhile, Lucas tossed faux snowballs around the lobby.
Visitors could make their own stuffed penguins. Kiddos filled the penguins with stuffing before decorating tiny T-shirts for their new plush friends.
Benny Schulz, 6, made a plush penguin along with his two brothers — Jackson, 12, and Codyn, 10 — before his afternoon MMI appointment.
Mom Emily Schulz said she appreciates events that make going to appointments as fun as possible.
“I love little things like this. It means a lot,” she said. “Sometimes I think it means more to the parents.”
Other kids took part in the festivities while on breaks from lengthy appointments.
Brian Prickett tried his hand at drawing a course with markers for a robotic penguin toy to follow. “He definitely loves this,” his mom, Emily Prickett, said.
Attendees also crafted paper penguins, played with sensory bins, danced and played games with physical therapy team members, and snagged glittery tattoos and penguin balloons from a trio of clowns.
“Our commitment to belonging and inclusion is at the forefront of events like this,” said Jacqueline Hankins, administrative programs associate. “We become more inclusive and a more welcoming place for our patients when we listen and celebrate our similarities and our differences. The friends we make — and the hugs we get — are an added bonus.”
Hankins also thanked providers and staff who encouraged families to take breaks or visit the event after appointments. Many patients spend long days at MMI, and the event was designed to add fun to their everyday routine, she said.
