FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Once a month 99 Balloons, a non profit organization based in Fayetteville, hosts rEcess, a night out for parents of children with a disability.
Founded in 2007, 99 Balloons serves families experiencing disability focusing, specifically on inclusion.
“We think that one of the biggest things that people experiencing disability face is isolation.” said Ginny Mooney founder of 99 Balloons, “Everything we do is to pull people experiencing disability from isolation into a deeper belonging and community.”
Essentially the night provides parents of children with disability and their siblings to have a night out, all while the kids have a fun time perfectly suited to their needs.
“These kids rarely have a place that is just for them.” Mooney said, “So rEcess is a place set up just for kids with disability.”
Mooney believes that the “magic” of rEcess really comes from people with and without disabilities coming together on this night. Mooney said that many of the volunteers have never interacted with a person with a disability before, and said watching them come in, oftentimes they start out nervous. But once they start interacting with the children, they see another person who is unique and different from them in a new perspective. Mooney believes that this is the start of building inclusivity in the community.
Amber Leonard, the mother of Paxton, a child who attends the program, found out about rEcess from her local church. She said that her time in rEcess has been a blessing in multiple ways.
“rEcess was really the first place we were able to leave Paxton comfortably with people who wanted to spend time with him,” Leonard said, “where we felt like he was safe.”
Leonard said that having the opportunity to meet other parents going through similar things to her and being able to talk about their shared non-traditional parenting journey has been incredibly comforting.
“We’ve met so many amazing people along the way,” Leonard said, “I’ve been really lucky to see how consistent rEcess has been in my story.”
Similar to Mooney, Leonard also believes that volunteering with rEcess is incredibly important, as it allows people to meet and interact with others different than themselves. She calls volunteering with the organization “Fayetteville’s best-kept secret”.
Those wishing to know more about 99 Balloons or who want to volunteer with rEcess can find out more information on their website at www.99balloons.com