People with disabilities face many hardships when it comes to daily activities.  Their struggles can stem from difficulty in walking, talking or even raising their hands.

Sometimes people with disabilities, then, can feel left out of community activities, but several organizations out there try to resolve this situation.

MHS’s National Honor Society is one such organization, which will host a St. Patrick’s Day dance on St. Patrick’s Day for participants of the Special Recreation Association of Central Lake County. This dance welcomes any adults with disabilities in the Lake County area to attend.
“[NHS] gives them the opportunity to interact with the community, which they may not get otherwise,” said Jake Antenore, senior, who is the event chair of NHS and is responsible for coordinating and communicating with the Regent Center, where the dance will be held, and the DJ.

Not only will the dance have a DJ, but there will also be food, decorations and NHS members waiting to interact with people they may not get to interact with on a daily basis.

“It is a great way to get involved in the community,” said Antenore. “It is a really cool way to interact on a personal level with the community.”

The dance has been hosted by NHS for the previous five years and always has received positive feedback with people saying they want to go back year after year.

“This is truly a learning and growing experience for our students, so it’s a very mutually beneficial experience,” said NHS Adviser Nancy Toland in email.

The dance attendance is restricted to the clients of the SRACLC and MHS students in NHS, but the event will be held March 17 at the Regent Center in Mundelein.

All in all, this dance is about the community experience for the NHS members and the SRACLC members.

Said Senior Kaitlyn Watkins, another NHS event chair, “Some people are really cute, really into it. They sing along with the songs, and everyone just has a really good time.”