CHICO — An inclusion initiative by Chico Area Recreation and Parks District is opening doors to get more people out, about and involved — and feel less left out.
In practice, Chicoans found a pleasant pace Saturday, sharing tea and crumpets at the Inclusive Wonderland Tea Party hosted Saturday by CARD.
For the afternoon, CARD arranged its Community Center with a variety of fruit teas, a pitcher of lemonade, finger food and activities including a playing card scavenger hunt, a reference to the Disney movie “Alice in Wonderland.”
Jerri Barnett and her sister-in-law Ally Barnett, whom she takes care of, spent the afternoon at the community center sharing the space to get outside for the day.
Ally Barnett is a big Disney fan, Jerri Barnett said, having spent her 40th birthday at Disneyland for the first time ever. The the theme Saturday worked well for the two.
“She just likes to get out and do stuff in the community. It used to be, a lot of the time, people with disabilities were just stuck at home — so we like to be out,” Barnett said.
Aquiles Muniz and his mom Jackie Muniz worked together on creating art for a take-home mug to be given to his grandmother.
Jackie Muniz said the “tea” at the event caught their eye: She and Aquiles Muniz took a DNA test and found they were about 10% British.
“I like British things,” Muniz said, Mr. Bean being a favorite of his.
He sampled a honey tea, which he said he didn’t like very much. Then a peach tea, which he said had “a little flavor, but still tastes bland.”
CARD Inclusion Leader Olive Schultz served tea to party guests. Schultz works in the district’s inclusion program, which helps parents and their children participate in activities they may not otherwise be able to.
“This last year we got really involved in offering inclusion at CARD summer camps which make it now possible for different students with different abilities to be able to even go,” Schultz said.
Schultz said this job is the best she’s ever had, and sees the program to engage with children to have as good an experience as they can and get what other children do from programs.
