Foam Party!
Echoing Hills of Southwest Ohio has been working with activity coordinators to develop different ways of doing activities. Regional Director David King explains, “I have been challenging them to think outside the box.” He continues, “Program Director Melissa Villani had heard of the bubble truck and looked up some information. The cost was manageable, so we decided Echoing Woods should try it out.”
Within five minutes of the bubble truck arriving, staff and those we serve came out to participate. David says, “We had 15-20 of our individuals come to join the fun or just sit on the fringe and watch everyone else get wet. We also had one guardian who participated in the fun.”
Individuals were excited when they saw the bubbles and jumped right into the middle of the fun. David states, “One young lady walked into the middle of the mound of bubbles and sat down. We pushed back the bubbles to ensure she would be ok, and that nobody stepped on her. We had individuals in wheelchairs who wanted to be pushed through the bubbles or have the bubbles piled up on them.”
The staff enjoyed the bubbles as much as the individuals. All who bravely leaped in came out smiling and laughing. David explains, “One of the ladies, who I have never seen laugh, just sat there the whole time with a smile on her face saying, “bubbles, bubbles.” I never thought that bubbles for an hour would make so many people happy. The best $300 we spent for an hour of laughter and fun for all.”
Echoing Hills of Southwest Ohio is devoted to thinking outside the box and developing meaningful activities for individuals. David says, “To me, you can’t put a price tag on seeing genuine smiles on the individual’s faces and hearing them laugh and have fun.” An activity or event is proven to be great when everyone is having fun – individuals, guardians, and staff!
David states, “The bubble truck is the beginning of providing meaningful, fun, and exciting activities that individuals can enjoy. Additionally, it brings new experiences for some of our individuals.” He continues, “As we build our activity program in the region, it needs to be built around meaningful activities at their homes or programs and fun events within their local communities. The foam party was a starting point for planning fun activities where we could bring the community to their homes.”
Echoing Hills is committed to revolutionizing the lives of those with intellectual and developmental disabilities where they live, learn, connect, play, and worship. Individuals and staff expressed their inner child through play – one bubble at a time.
