LIMA, OH (WLIO) - Lima Senior students organized a free community celebration for World Down Syndrome Day.
Lima Senior's DECA students hosted a bingo and silent disco night for the community and those served by the Allen County Board of Developmental Disabilities. The school's culinary arts program helped by providing snacks, and the audio engineering students ran a silent disco to wrap up the night.
The event is part of the JOY Project, an initiative where students organize activities to educate the community about developmental disabilities and show everyone a good time.
"Not only they're getting event planning, but they're learning empathy and compassion for others that are different from them and finding out that they're actually more alike than they are different. But they had the JOY Project basketball game earlier this year, we've integrated disability awareness with our littles at Unity that we mentor," explained Chrissy Hood, the DECA advisor and business and marketing teacher at Lima Senior.
The JOY Project started out as a Down Syndrome Awareness Campaign but has since expanded to include people with any developmental disabilities.
