About THRIVE

More Than a Program - A Place to Belong

THRIVE is the Autism & IDD Community Inclusion Program of Helping Hands with Community Connections. It was created with a simple belief at its heart: every person deserves opportunities to belong, connect, participate, discover what they enjoy, and be valued for who they are.

Too often, life for autistic people and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can become centered around services, appointments, goals, assessments, behaviors, and what someone needs help with. Those things can be important—but they are not the whole person.

People need friends. They need laughter. They need things to look forward to. They need opportunities to discover what they love, share what they're good at, try something they've never tried before, make choices, contribute to their community, and build relationships that aren't based on somebody being paid to support them.

Sometimes people just need a place where they can be themselves.

That is what we're working to create through THRIVE.

There Is No One Way to THRIVE

THRIVE isn't built around the idea that everyone needs the same thing. Quite the opposite.

Some people may come because they want to make friends. Someone else may want to learn to cook, write a story, create art, take photographs, play games, explore technology, volunteer, or learn something completely new. Someone may want opportunities to build confidence or develop skills that matter to them. Others may simply want to get out of the house, have fun, and spend time with people who welcome them.

Families, parents, caregivers, and guardians need connection too. Sometimes the person searching for support isn't looking for another professional to tell them what they should be doing. They need someone who understands, a place to ask questions, people to share experiences with, and a community that doesn't require an explanation for everything their family is going through.

THRIVE is being built with room for all of that.

Start With the Person, Not the Program

One of the beliefs behind Helping Hands is simple: start with the person, not the program.

We don't want to decide what someone should enjoy, what goals they should have, or what participation is supposed to look like for them. Autistic people and people with IDD are individuals—with different personalities, communication styles, abilities, support needs, interests, cultures, experiences, strengths, and dreams.

THRIVE will offer opportunities for learning and skill building, but not everything has to become a lesson.

An art project can just be art.

Cooking can be something you do because you love food.

A game night can just be fun.

A friendship doesn't need a treatment goal.

And a person does not have to prove that they are becoming more independent, more productive, or more anything else to deserve connection and belonging.

You are allowed to participate simply because you want to be there.

Built With Our Community, Not Just for It

THRIVE is still growing, and that's intentional.

We want the people who participate in THRIVE to help shape what THRIVE becomes. That includes autistic people and people with IDD, families, caregivers, guardians, community organizations, advocates, volunteers, and others who believe Southwest Wisconsin needs more opportunities for genuine inclusion and connection.

Some of what you see throughout this website is still being developed. New programs, activities, groups, partnerships, and opportunities will be added as THRIVE grows.

We may not have everything built yet.

But we know what we're building toward:

A community where people aren't simply included because someone made room for them. They know the space was meant for them all along.