Seasonal & Holidays
Wilmington Christmas Party For Kids With Autism, Other Disorders
The Dec. 10 Step Up Christmas Party is organized by 14-year-old Tessa Labrecque, who held a similar event for Halloween.
WILMINGTON, MA — Tessa Labrecque, a 14-year-old from Wilmington, has announced details of the first-ever Step Up Christmas Party. The event is for children with autism and other disorders, who otherwise may struggle at traditional holiday parties.
The party will take place at 2:30 p.m. on Dec. 10 at the Wilmington United Methodist Church, located at 87 Church St.
The event will feature crafts from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., pizza from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and a screening of the movie "Polar Express" at 6 p.m. There also will be "surprise visitors" at 2:30 p.m., according to Labrecque. The event is free, and siblings of children with autism and other disorders are welcome to attend the family event.
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The party will feature craft tables set up in different rooms, face painting and temporary tattoos.
Labrecque said the activities will be tailored to help children who may be uncomfortable in regular party settings. Children who attend also will receive Christmas bags with sensory/fidget toys.
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The Christmas party comes on the heels of Labrecque's Step Up Halloween event, which took place on Oct. 21.
Labrecque said she had the idea for that event after learning that kids miss out on Halloween parties for various reasons like: being non-verbal and unable to say "trick or treat," being in wheelchairs that prevent them from going door-to-door, struggling with anxiety and having food allergies.
Labrecque told Patch that she felt the Halloween party was a "huge success."
"With the help of my family, friends, and even people from the community coming by and helping out, we were able to give these kids a night they deserve," Labreque said.
Labreque added: "So many amazing memories were made. I was able to walk each kid through and help them pick out their goodies. We laughed, played and even hugged at the end of it. I was overjoyed with how many kids came. I was even very happy to see how much support this community has for each other."
A GoFundMe page has been started to help fund the Step Up Christmas Party. As of Wednesday, the page had received $1,000 of its $1,500 goal.
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