Activities & Events

Activities & Events 

Life Is Supposed to Include Fun, Friendship, Experiences & Memories Too

Services and supports can be important. Learning new skills can be important. Working toward goals can be important.

But life is also supposed to be fun.

It should include laughing until your stomach hurts. Music you actually want to listen to. Trying something you've never done before. Going somewhere new. Staying up around a bonfire. Dancing if you want to dance. Singing badly at karaoke and not caring. Playing the same game for the hundredth time because you still love it. Meeting people. Making memories. And having things on the calendar that you genuinely look forward to.

That is a big part of what we hope to create through THRIVE Activities & Events.

We want to create opportunities for autistic people and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to get out, connect, participate, have fun, explore their communities, and experience things that interest them.

Not because every activity needs to accomplish a treatment goal.

Sometimes fun can simply be fun.

Social Events — Come Hang Out

Sometimes you just need somewhere to go and something fun to do.

THRIVE hopes to offer a variety of social opportunities where people can spend time together without the pressure that sometimes comes with traditional social settings.

Potential activities could include game nights, video games, movie nights, dances, karaoke, themed gatherings, holiday get-togethers, clubs, music, casual hangouts, and other activities participants tell us they would enjoy.

Some people may come specifically to make friends. Some may come because they really want to play a particular game, hear the music, or participate in an activity. Others may simply want to be around people for a while.

All of those are valid reasons to come.

And not every social event has to look the same. As THRIVE develops, we hope to explore different environments and options when possible—including quieter or lower-sensory opportunities as well as higher-energy activities—so people have choices instead of being expected to enjoy the same thing in the same way.

Recreation & Wellness — Get Out. Try Something. Have Fun.

Recreation can mean a hundred different things depending on who you ask.

For one person, a perfect afternoon might be hiking through the woods. For someone else, it might be bowling. Another person might choose skating, swimming, photography, a trip to the park, sitting around a bonfire, or trying something they've never done before.

THRIVE hopes to explore recreational opportunities such as nature walks, hiking, parks, bowling, skating, movement and exercise activities, camping experiences, bonfires, photography outings, seasonal outdoor recreation, community exploration, and other activities based on participant interest and available opportunities.

Nobody needs to love sports to enjoy recreation.

And nobody should have to participate in an activity they don't enjoy just because someone else decided it would be “good for them.”

We want recreation to be about discovering what you actually enjoy.

Community Engagement — Be Part of the Community

Inclusion should mean more than creating separate places for people with disabilities to go.

It should also mean having opportunities to be part of the communities where we already live.

THRIVE hopes to create opportunities for participants to explore local attractions, attend community events and festivals, volunteer, participate in service projects, visit and connect with others in the community, take part in seasonal activities such as caroling, and discover new places and experiences throughout our area.

Some opportunities may be created directly through THRIVE. Others may happen through partnerships with local businesses, organizations, community groups, volunteers, or events that are already happening around us.

The goal isn't to create a separate world.

It's to create more opportunities to be part of this one.

Special & Seasonal Events — Something to Look Forward To

We also have some bigger ideas. Lots of them. 😂

As THRIVE grows, we hope to explore special and seasonal events that bring people together for larger shared experiences and celebrations.

Ideas we've discussed include Christmas and holiday celebrations; Valentine's Day activities centered around creating, connecting, and celebrating; Easter and spring celebrations; summer events with music, outdoor activities, and treats; Halloween celebrations; dances; larger social gatherings; and other special events developed with participants and community partners.

Some of these ideas may become annual THRIVE traditions.

Some may happen once.

Some may change completely before they ever reach the calendar.

And some of the best events we eventually hold may be ideas nobody has suggested yet.

That's why these are possibilities—not promises or scheduled events.

You Help Decide What Comes Next

THRIVE isn't being built from a list of activities that we think autistic and IDD people should enjoy.

We want to hear what people actually want to do.

Maybe there's an activity you've always wanted to try. Maybe there's something you already love and wish you had more opportunities to do with other people. Maybe your family knows about an experience that would be amazing for THRIVE. Maybe you're a community member, organization, or business with an idea or opportunity we haven't even considered.

Tell us.

Participant interests, community opportunities, available resources, accessibility, partnerships, and good old-fashioned creativity will all help shape what THRIVE Activities & Events becomes.

We don't need to have every idea figured out before we begin.

We just need to keep listening.

So What's Actually Happening?

Because THRIVE is still growing, the activities and events described on this page are examples of possibilities we hope to explore. They are not all currently offered or scheduled.

As activities and events are confirmed, we will add dates, times, locations, participation details, accessibility information when available, and other important information to our Community Calendar.

So if something on this page makes you think, “I WANT TO DO THAT!”—keep watching the calendar.

And if you don't see the thing you were hoping for?

Maybe you just found our next idea.

THRIVE Activities & Events is currently being developed. Activities will be added as opportunities, partnerships, resources, and participant interests develop.