This week was another fabulous week here at the Walla Walla Valley Disability Network! We hope you will take a minute to enjoy this blog post and share it with others.
Diverse Abilities: "the idea that people have different abilities, and all of those abilities are valuable."
One of our missions here at the WWVDN is to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities, and their families, through community inclusion and support. This camp wouldn't have been possible without Kaelyn Pyke and her team at the Walla Walla Summer Theater Youth Program. Together we share a common mission of inclusion and from this mission an opportunity was born.
Through the partnership of WWVDN, SOAR, and the Walla Walla Summer Theater, we were able to offer a free, week-long drama experience for youth and adults who are neurodiverse or have intellectual, physical, or developmental disabilities.
We had a remarkable 29 participants show up for camp. Children, teens, and adults all came together to perform "A Mixed-Up Fairytale" by Susanna Hargreaves. Our actors and actresses worked hard throughout the week with the direction of Kaelyn, and Eliza Van De Rostyne to hone in their skills and showcase their abilities and talents.
It was a lot of hard work for everyone and we couldn't be more proud of all their efforts and performance. We had fun being silly together, celebrating each other, and dancing around in our costumes.
We look forward to more collaborations with the Walla Walla Valley Summer Theater in the future. A great BIG thank you to Kaelyn Pyke and Eliza Van De Rostyne for all your hard work, kindness, and dedication to your community and craft, you are amazing! We would also like to give a special shout out to some of our favorite Summer Theater assistants and coaches: Ellie J, Lillian, Sydney, and Dyani - Thank you for all your help, we appreciate you!
If you didn't get an opportunity to see the performance, please enjoy this video we put together, "CHEERS!"
