Purposeful Life And Community Engagement
Building a rewarding life with meaningful, accessible, and engaging activities is difficult for everyone. Advocacy Links is proud to share that we are now offering P.L.A.C.E. (Purposeful Life And Community Engagement) Events and Activities to help answer this need.
These events will offer an inclusive space where everyone belongs and offer opportunities for people to gather and build relationships with others who are interested in the same activities within the community. All P.L.A.C.E. events are organized and led by a respectful and knowledgeable Advocacy Links staff person who will help guide the experience.
This is the “Who, What, Where, When, How and Why” of P.L.A.C.E. events.
WHAT is P.L.A.C.E.?
P.L.A.C.E. is dedicated to helping people build Purposeful Life And Community Engagement. These events provide an environment to learn, enjoy common interests with others, have fun, and build friendships.
We understand that an individual’s belonging within their community is about more than their physical location within it. Being part of your community is also about BELONGING there and being a valued member. Being a member of your community is about more than being at the park, it’s about being able to be there with friends and being valued. It’s also about being able to have fun in the process!
P.L.A.C.E. provides affordable events and activities with this goal of belonging in mind and provides an opportunity for people of all ages and abilities to explore their interests and engage in their communities.
P.L.A.C.E. is providing a variety of events and activities within both rural and urban communities in Northern Indiana, and has virtual offerings as well! Events you can expect from P.L.A.C.E. can include:
- Outings to local movies and theaters
- Day trips to Indiana destinations (Major cities, state parks, amusement parks, etc.)
- Fitness Clubs (Bowling, Walking, Swimming, Dance, etc.)
- Social Clubs (Coffee, Book, etc.)
- Gaming Groups (Board Games, Video Games)
- Common Interest Classes (Art, Gardening, Cooking, etc.)
- Sporting/Athletic Events
- Educational Classes
- Volunteer Projects
Each event or activity is planned and supported by an Advocacy Links staff person, called a Life Consultant. Life consultants help the group navigate their chosen experience, can provide information on the accessibility of a location, and encourage conversations, social interactions, and connections between the guests in attendance.
Registration is required for all of our events so that they can be effectively planned for our guests. There are both free and paid events, and we share the cost of all the events on the announcements we make on social media and the event registration page. The purchase of paid tickets is part of the registration process, and payments are processed through the Advocacy Links website.
If you are looking for help connecting with activities, have an idea for an activity you’d like to attend, or if you are interested in setting up a special activity for yourself and a group of your friends, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us through email at info@advocacy-links.com or leave a message at 888-537-5733 and a Life Consultant will respond within 1 business day.
WHO can attend P.L.A.C.E. events?
While the focus of P.L.A.C.E. programming is to create inclusive and meaningful activities for people with disabilities, P.L.A.C.E. events are open to people of all ages and all abilities. We welcome and encourage anyone interested in an event to participate. There are no eligibility requirements, intake processes to complete, and no commitment required for a certain number of events. Everyone is free to choose and register for the events in which they’re interested!
Guests are welcome to bring a caregiver if they need assistance to enjoy the event. During the registration process, we ask for information regarding the guest’s need for a caregiver to attend. If someone does need to bring a caregiver for the support, we ask for the caregiver’s contact information. If a caregiver is coming as support and also planning to participate in the event and its activities, we do request that the caregiver complete a separate registration and ticket purchase for the event. This helps us ensure that we can adhere to any capacity agreements with the venue and will allow us to arrange to have appropriate supplies for the event.
For those individuals that are not attending with a caregiver, we do request emergency contact information be given to us at the time of registration so we can ensure that everyone can stay safe in the event of an emergency.
If you or someone with whom you are attending has special accommodation needs, questions, or concerns, we encourage you to include this information in your registration information and/or contact the Life Consultant organizing the event directly. The name and contact information for the Life Consultant organizing the event is available in the event’s description on the Advocacy Links website.
P.L.A.C.E. is also considering adding memberships and sponsorships options to events in the future! Memberships would allow guests to attend multiple events for a special rate while sponsorships would allow for a ticket purchaser to cover the cost of a ticket for a friend or guest. P.L.A.C.E. tickets could even be purchased as a gift! We will announce more about these options in the coming months!
WHERE are P.L.A.C.E. events and activities taking place?
P.L.A.C.E. activities are scheduled in northern Indiana communities. There are in-person and virtual offerings and everything available can be found on the Advocacy Links Event webpage. At this time, many of the in-person events are planned in Indiana’s northern-most counties, but don’t be discouraged! We have some fun and interactive virtual options that will appeal to everyone. Have you seen our announcement on Virtual Disco Bingo?
We will regularly share information on our events and their locations on our social media pages as well. (Links to these are at the bottom of this post.)
WHY P.L.A.C.E. inclusive events?
Advocacy Links wants to help people who may experience limitations or barriers in their lives find accessible and inclusive opportunities for community and social engagement. P.L.A.C.E events consider accessibility during the planning process and we are dedicated to inclusion and equity. (Everyone is accepted and belongs at a P.L.A.C.E. event!)
Having opportunities to experience and interact within one’s community is critical to a life well-lived. We want every guest to have a chance to do this while enjoying experiences and opportunities that interest them. Attending and participating in events and activities with a common purpose and interest allows everyone involved to naturally meet peers, make friends, and maybe even build relationships.
WHEN are these events and activities happening? HOW do I find out?
P.L.A.C.E. events and activities are happening NOW! Follow us on social media and check our webpage regularly and we will keep you notified when new events are available.
To register for events, visit the Advocacy Links Events webpage at www.advocacy-links.com/UpcomingEvents.
Or you can follow us on social media! We announce all P.L.A.C.E. events on the following accounts:
Advocacy Links Facebook Page Advocacy Links Resource Group Advocacy Links Instagram If you’d like to be emailed with announcements on upcoming P.L.A.C.E events you can sign up for our mailing list!