Day Solutions Foundation and the Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department are coming together to provide a fun night of activities for "stars" with mental and/or physical disabilities.
Day Solutions Foundation will use the money raised during its golf tournament fundraiser earlier this year to pay the participation fees for the Parks Department's Friday Night Recreation program next year.
Friday Night Recreation - recently renamed Stars Night Out - is a year-round recreation program for residents of Cole and adjacent counties who are at least 15 years old and have mental and/or physical disabilities.
Participants meet twice a month to partake in fun activities such as dances, bingo, carnivals, game nights, hayrides and dinners.
This year, more than 100 people signed up for Stars Night Out, Parks Department Program Manager Angie Toebben said.
"When you think of a star, everyone is unique and special, so that's how we think of our program participants," she said.
Day Solutions Foundation - a nonprofit that addresses needs for people with developmental disabilities - offers a free tutoring program, scholarships and sponsorships for events, foundation Executive Director Tiffany Burns said. However, Stars Night Out participants have to pay an out-of-pocket fee.
Registration costs $40 for an entire year or $20 for half a year, according to the program's website.
While that may not seem like a large expense, Toebben said, many clients come from group homes or low-income families. Some clients receive only $30 a month for spending money from the state, Burns added.
"We're talking an entire month they're not able to go out to eat, not able to grab a soda if they want or go to a movie, and sometimes two months' worth of spending," she said. "So (we) step in and use money that our donors have given us and to make those things a possibility without the fear or the financial obligation for them to have to pay that out of their own pocket."
The golf tournament will be the official fundraiser for the program in the future, Burns said.
She said she is excited to partner with the Parks Department and address their clients' needs.
"I think there is strength in numbers, and when multiple organizations can come together and show that they have the ability to work together and think outside the box to make things easier and better for our clients, I just think it's a wonderful thing," she said.
Stars Night Out is one of several special needs programs the Parks Department offers, including JC Parks Stars - formerly Special Olympics Jefferson City - and Star Voyages - formerly called REC Plus.
Those interested can view next year's Stars Night Out schedule and print the registration form at jeffersoncitymo.gov/programs_and_activities/special_populations/friday_night_recreation/index.php.