Middle School Students To Partner With Abilities United For Spring Party in Palo Alto

News from the Palo Alto Unified School District:

Jane Lathrop Stanford (JLS) Middle School Leadership students Yarden Gaffan and Grace Williams are dedicated to creating a free, fun, and welcoming experience for the children and adults attending their spring party. The event will feature arts, crafts, games, and refreshments and is fully funded by the bake sale these students held earlier in the month. These passionate middle school students have handled each aspect of creating this fun afternoon from fundraising and marketing to recruiting their peers to manage the games and crafts as part of their 20% Personal Passion Project for their Leadership class at JLS.

Abilities United provides support to thousands of children and adults with developmental and physical disabilities through their child development, family support, adult support, and aquatic programs. Their mission is to “support children and adults with disabilities, their families and the community, and champion a culture in which all members of society are included and appreciated for their distinctive contributions.” This mission spoke strongly to Grace Williams as she volunteered over the last year, and when challenged to find a project in her class that would make a positive impact in her community, she knew she wanted to use her class project to create a fun experience for the adults and children attending Abilities United. Her project partner Yarden Gaffan enthusiastically agreed.

Grace shared, “I think sometimes in society individuals with disabilities do not have the same opportunities, so I wanted to do something to reach out to them. I have volunteered a few times at Abilities United and loved it each time because the staff and participants are so warm and welcoming. I hope the volunteers that are helping out with the event will want to continue to volunteer for this wonderful group of people.”

Abilities United Recruitment/Volunteer Program Generalist Gail Stanley noted, “I knew when Grace and Yarden contacted me that they could put together a very enjoyable party for our participants and that they shared our values of dignity and respect for people with disabilities. Working with them has been a joy as we coordinated each piece of the event.”

The spring party will be held from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13, at the Abilities United Middlefield location (3684 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto). Over 50 Abilities United participants and 15 JLS volunteers will be participating in this fun event.

JLS Principal Sharon Ofek stated, “Watching our students create and implement projects that stoke their passion and create a positive impact is an important part of their development as confident individuals who are firmly connected to others in their community. I am so proud of the JLS Leadership class for finding projects that make a difference in Palo Alto.”