Group that helps disabled adults seeks donations for holiday care packages for veterans

Jamie Rogers and his friends at the Adult Enrichment Center in York make greeting cards for veterans every day. They’d like to send holiday care packages, too.

“I think it will help show that there are people in the world who still care about the military,” said Rogers, a member of the center’s new High Five Club.

The High Five Club, which began at the York center in August, aims to serve intellectually disabled adults who are transitioning from high school programs into the community.

The program has already been available at two other York County Adult Enrichment Centers, in Rock Hill and Fort Mill. All three nonprofit centers also offer adult day care services for seniors and other adults.

Arlene Richardson, the York High Five coordinator, said the effort to provide holiday care packages for veterans is one of a variety of seasonal community projects done by the High Five participants.

The group needs donations of personal hygiene items, crossword puzzle books and other items to complete the packages, Richardson said. She said they sent letters to several businesses requesting the donations, but so far have not received any.

Richardson said she’d like to send the packages to several U.S. military bases by Dec. 18. Care package donations can be brought to the center at 3 S. Pacific Ave., York.

Richardson said the York High Five Club has six participants, who work on life skills like laundry, preparing meals and communicating with others, with the eventual goal of living independently. The High Five program is larger at the Rock Hill and Fort Mill centers, with 25 or more participants.

“This was something we knew we wanted here,” Lisa Huskey, director of the York center, said about High Five. “There was a huge need for it.”

Huskey said the daytime program, offered Monday to Friday, helps clients develop or improve life skills that enable them to be more independent, while offering respite to their families.

Huskey said the High Five program does regular field trips to places like the York YMCA, and organizers work to arrange volunteer opportunities for the participants. Each participant needs to work on goals, she said.

Richardson said the center is also working to plan a late spring concert fundraiser to generate money for items to enrich the program, including iPads and other computers and an outdoor walkway.

This story was originally published November 25, 2015 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Group that helps disabled adults seeks donations for holiday care packages for veterans."