SCOC to celebrate DD Awareness Month

TIFFIN –March is Developmental Disabilities (DD) Awareness Month and the Seneca County Opportunity Center (SCOC) invites the public to participate. This month is a way to educate on developmental disabilities and commemorate inclusion. SCOC's 2024 theme is "Building a Better Community" to highlight the different ways our individuals and community come together. SCOC's Superintendent Lewis Hurst describes the importance of the theme to DD Awareness Month: "The Seneca County Opportunity Center's mission of improving the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) would not be possible without strong community support. We strive to ensure everyone with I/DD is included in the community where we live, work, and play. I strongly encourage you to become a friend of someone with I/DD and know it will change your life. We all have strengths and weaknesses, but by working together and supporting one another, we can overcome those individual challenges and build a better community." SCOC will hold several events and projects in March to celebrate the 37th anniversary of Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. The Celebrity Basketball game is at 7 p.m. March 14 at Heidelberg University's Seiberling Gymnasium. Teams of community members and Seneca Arrows Special Olympics athletes will take to the court for this annual tradition. The event is open to the public for anyone to come and cheer them on. Rock Your Socks World Down Syndrome Day is on March 21, and SCOC encourages everyone to wear unique socks to spread awareness of Down syndrome. Share your mismatched socks on social media to show your support. Bakery Bingo takes place at 5:30 p.m. March 26 in the SCOC gym. Each Bingo card is $5 and the prizes will be delicious baked goods. All proceeds go towards the 2024 Unity Conference. Unity Council is a self-advocacy group for adults with developmental disabilities in Seneca County that plans a yearly conference and is an opportunity for individuals to network and build on their advocacy skills. Aktion Club Awareness Week is now through March 8 and members throughout the month will read books on inclusion to students at Lincoln Pre-Kindergarten and the School of Opportunity. Aktion Club will be collecting items for chemo care packs until March 10th. For a list of supplies and drop-off information check SCOC's Facebook page for the flyer. Make sure to follow SCOC's Facebook and Instagram for features and to stay up to date on upcoming events: Facebook: Seneca County Board of DD-Seneca County Opportunity Center Instagram: SenecaCountyOpportunityCenter. For more information, contact Joan Fredritz at 419-447-7521 ext. 1134 or jfredritz@senecadd.org.