April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
ST. EDWARD'S, CLIFTON PARK
'Our House' welcomes young adults with special needs
The first two lines of that hymn -- "Let us build a house where love can dwell/and all can safely live" -- have inspired him to create a space at St. Edward's parish in Clifton Park where all people are welcome without the fear of bullying or discrimination.
"Our House," begun last fall, encourages recreation and socialization for individuals with special needs who are 18 years of age and older.
"We have zero tolerance" for bullying, said Mr. Allyn.
He has reason to make sure of that: Mr. Allyn's son, Tommy, was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome in the third grade. When Tommy was younger, he took part in the Sports Are for Everyone (SAFE) program.
SAFE is meant to be an outlet for people with disabilities of all ages, and "it worked well, but the eight-or nine-year-olds were playing with the older people, and it just wasn't clicking," said Mr. Allyn.
New outlet
So, when Rev. Patrick Butler, pastor of St. Edward's, asked parishioners about creating new ministries at the parish, Mr. Allyn knew exactly what he wanted to do.
"He came [to parish leaders] with a simple idea, and it really worked," said Deacon Rit DiCaprio.
"I've always felt that, if this is what [Tommy is] going through, there must be others," Mr. Allyn told The Evangelist. "It's hard to find outlets for young people with developmental disabilities."
Our House provides young adults a place to socialize, he said: "We try to build self-esteem and try to build friends that will last."
"We were right on board with him," said Deacon DiCaprio. "It's just a place for the people to come and feel comfortable and enjoy themselves. We're very excited here at St. Edward's."
So is Kelly Ross, a frequent participant in Our House. "I have a lot of friends here. We have fun," she said during a recent gathering.
"I know that this is a good, safe environment," said Ellen Russ, whose son, David Moshier, goes to Our House. "It's working on a different pace of life than they normally get."
Getting to know you
Ms. Russ noted that many young adults who have special needs do not get enough opportunities for socialization.
"It's fun here. I get to see my friends," affirmed David, who has attended three Our House events.
The friendships formed at Our House are strong and obvious. Participants sit around tables, chatting about current movies or what happened at work last week; music plays in the background as people greet newcomers.
Pizza and soft drinks provide an ice-breaker before dancing and games commence. Sing-alongs and dancing are popular; Mr. Allyn said participants' favorite activities so far are "musical chairs and limbo."
"It's fun. You get to meet new people," said Dan Bittel, who has been to almost all of the Our House events since the ministry's inception.
Event-ful times
The ministry meets about once a month, sometimes with different themed events, such as Halloween or "M&M making friends," referring to the candy company's popular commercial from the early 1980s. The group has also tried some events away from St. Edward's, such as mini-golf and bowling.
"I love the program. It helps out people becoming friends," remarked Kayla Kelly, who also said her favorite part of Our House is singing and dancing.
The ministry has done several fundraisers to help support the cost of the events, which Mr. Allyn initially funded himself. The group sold Easter baskets and had a fundraiser at the local Wendy's restaurant.
In the future, organizers hope to have a movie night and a s'mores party at St. Edward's, as well as more fundraisers.
"I knew there was a need to reach out and help these young people," said Mr. Allyn. "When this happened, when Father Pat asked for new ministries, I [felt I] was being tapped on the shoulder and directed to say yes."
Now, he hopes to create a separate program for children. "We want to expand," he declared. "The young people are just incredible."[[In-content Ad]]
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