By Anna Real
Staff Writer
Friendship is a never-ending bond that can change a person’s life for the better.
Mira Costa’s Friendship Circle Club, a group that focuses on bonding with the special-needs students at Costa, will take a bus ride to its annual Disneyland field trip on Thursday to end the school year. About 26 volunteers and 13 special-needs students are going to the trip.
“It’s a fun way to celebrate the year and thank our tremendous volunteers,” club president senior Lia Sepanek said.
According to the special needs assistants, due to the students’ lack of social skills, they don’t go to many places with friends but mostly spend time with their parents.
“When they go to Disneyland, instead of holding hands with their parents, they get to go with their peers, and they feel like part of the crowd,” club advisor Dr. Rocky Wilson said. “It’s probably one of the greatest feelings that those kids have.”
Sepanek says the trip is an annual event that the special-needs students and volunteers look forward to.
“It’s the highlight of their school year, without a doubt,” club member senior Chase Crandall said.
Usually, the volunteers pay for their own ticket and raise money for the bus. However, this year, the club held fundraisers, such as Fresh Brothers Pizza night and Club Day, to raise funds.
“I had the club do a lot of fundraisers this year so that the tickets would be next to nothing,” Sepanek said.
In addition to taking the kids for fun, the Disneyland field trip helps the students have an experience with their peers.
“The purpose of the trip is to help them learn social skills while being on their own,” Wilson said.
After the special needs students graduate, they can continue their independence in a transition program where they have a job in the community, which is held at El Camino College.
“It’s career planning with jobs they can handle,” Wilson said.
Although the special-needs students are the main people who benefit from the program and Disneyland trip, socially and emotionally, the volunteers benefit from it as well.
“My favorite part is getting to see them smile everyday, as cheesy as it sounds,” Crandall said. “They are always upbeat and genuinely nice to be around.”
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