If you’re looking for a kid-friendly night out, the Thurston County Inclusion (TCI) group is hosting a free movie and game PJ party this weekend at Rainier Elementary School.
While TCI typically focuses on its summer camp, this event scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 21, is part of its effort to expand activities throughout the school year.
“The goal of this event is to provide an inclusive and accessible space for youth with and without disabilities to hang out with their peers,” TCI Executive Director Natalie Stagnone said.
Thurston County Inclusion approaches all of its events by minimizing the barriers in the places they hold their events.
“What this means is that we are thinking about disability and accessibility from the start and working to make the entire event as inclusive as possible,” Stagnone said. “Things that we think about include making sure that the building is accessible, that there are spaces for participants to relax if they get overwhelmed, that there are a variety of activities for those that are interested in different things, etc.”
Stagnone said the events are made possible through a group of volunteers who help cater the activities to the interests of participants.
“We want to adapt the space to our participants rather than the participants needing to adapt to our space,” Stagnone said.
The party will use two rooms. One will be for younger participants and is where the movie will play. The other room will be for older participants. It will have various games set up.
“We hope to encourage participants to interact with their peers and meet new people,” Stagnone said.
TCI has two staff members: Stagnone and Shannon Bryant. Stagnone serves as the executive director and co-founder, while Bryant is the director of external affairs. The organization was founded in 2019 and has held two summer camps and six events.
“At the event itself, we will have volunteers to support our participants,” Stagnone said. “Volunteers are individuals with and without disabilities ages 14 and up. We also have an amazing board of directors that supports and assists with our programs.”
Stagnone said TCI has gotten overwhelmingly positive feedback since there are few opportunities for youth with intellectual disabilities to engage with peers outside of the school setting.
“This was our intention for starting TCI and it is exciting for us to start filling this gap,” Stagnone said. “We have not done a movie/game PJ party before, but most recently, we held a holiday party. This event was very fun.”
This year, TCI plans to hold an event each month. TCI’s events are typically for those between the ages of 5 and 21. The schedule of the events can be found online at thurstoncountyinclusion.org.
“We are excited this year to be holding more events in rural parts of Thurston County, including our PJ party, which is being held in Rainier,” Stagnone said.
TCI is always looking for volunteers to support their organization, with or without disabilities over the age of 14. Volunteers can fill out an application and will get a background check. More information is available on their website. Those who are interested can also email info@thurstoncountyinclusion.org or call 360-329-2795 with any questions. No experience with youth with disabilities is required.
For more information, follow TCI on social media on Facebook and Instagram.
