HIGHLAND FRIENDSHIP CLUB
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Mission Statement
The Highland Friendship Club provides teens through adults with disabilities an opportunity to develop skills, meet friends and make connections in the community.
About This Cause
Highland Friendship Club (HFC) was founded in 2002 by two parents interested in engaging their teen aged sons with developmental disabilities in opportunities for accessible, age-appropriate social experiences in their home community of St. Paul. Finding no local resources to meet this need, HFC was founded for these two young men (John and Mike) and their small group of friends, who gathered once a week for organized community outings. A few years later, the HFC’s new mission statement was created: To provide teens through adults with disabilities an opportunity to develop skills, meet friends and make connections in the community. Thirteen years later, HFC offers access to educational and skill-enhancing programming every day of the week throughout the year, and our small group of friends has grown to over 250 adults with wide-ranging levels of ability. Members (the individuals who participate in HFC programming) range, in age from 14 through 46; in income, from high household wealth to less than poverty level income; and, in gender, race and ethnic identity. HFC continually adapts our program options in response to the expanding age range and evolving interests of our membership. To this end, HFC nearly doubled the number of program activity options from 431 in 2012, to 825 in 2014. This increase amounted to approximately 3000 hours of programming in 2014, the same level that is planned for 2015. Throughout all of our programming, emphasis is placed on recognizing and celebrating the assets of each individual, helping members discover their interests and develop their skills, and nurturing human connection and a sense of belonging (a fundamental human need). Our programming includes classes in creative expression, health/wellness, and community inclusion. Creative expression includes offerings such as music, clay works, dance, beat boxing, movie making, cooking and gardening. Health/wellness offerings include Special Olympics teams, bowling, yoga, tennis, and adaptive swimming, as well as self-advocacy classes on dating and safety awareness. Offerings that advance community inclusion are outings with HFC friends to sporting events, live performances, and museums. Also included are community service projects and “inclusion” events (i.e.; joint dances, pizza parties, and sports activities with students from Cretin Derham Hall High School).