Partygoers enjoyed music, a dance floor, crafts, and a taco bar.
“We’re here today dancing, eating, and celebrating the holidays together,” said Jen Bonifas, vice president and chief mission officer for Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley.
Bonifas said the holiday allows clients within the Goodwill Easterseals’ Adult Day Services socialize while learning more about the variety of services available throughout the region.
“It’s so incredibly important for those individuals that we serve to have community,” she said. “This event gives everyone a chance to come and be authentically themselves, to have a good time, and to be around people who love and support you exactly the way you are.”
According to Bonifas, the mission of Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley is to empower individuals with disabilities or other disadvantages to seek a higher quality of life.
This includes offering services for those seeking employment or volunteer opportunities through vocational training and workforce development, along with behavioral health services, day services, and programs for seniors.
“Our goal is to help everyone achieve independence and empower them to have the greatest quality of life, whatever that looks like for them,” Bonifas said.
Brooke Barlage is a 32-year-old from Tipp City. She said the annual holiday party is an opportunity to relax and have fun.
“It’s a good thing because people with disabilities need something they can do, to go out, and this is a chance to do that,” she said.
Barlage has been a participant in the Goodwill Easterseals workforce development program for the past three years. With the help of her job coach Carolyn Warren, Barlage has learned skills to help her succeed in the job market.
Barlage volunteers at various locations several times each week, and is currently employed one day per week in the cafe located at the Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley Main Campus in Dayton.
“Brooke has really built her skills and learned how to speak with others and be out in the public,” said Selma Sherman, a supervisor at Goodwill Easterseals Miami Valley.
Barlage said while she currently lives at home with her parents, her goal is to one day live independently.
“Our hope is that, eventually, whenever Brooke is ready, that she can move out and get a job on her own; whatever she chooses to do,” Sherman said.
Barlage would love to work with children one day, as she loves kids, especially her three nephews, who live in Colorado.
“They’re coming home for Christmas Eve,” she shared with a smile.
“That’s her dream,” Sherman said. “The Goodwill Easterseals program is helping her gain the necessary skills, especially the people skills, so that she can move on to her dream job.”
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