RICHMOND, Va. -- Uncommon Collective is an elevtated social club for adults with disabilities. The inclusive nonprofit puts on events to offer much-needed community and connection.
We met up with them during one of their outings to River City Roll to learn more about their mission and how to get involved.
“Relationships and friendships are about community. Building your community is important," said co-founder Marissa Downs. "It is vital to feeling confident, to feeling valued, to feeling important, and I think that building these friendships and relationships is the key to happiness.”
Downs, along with other veteran teachers, founded the group to provide opportunities for fostering authentic friendships, confidence and independence.
"We saw a gap. We saw a need," she said. "We taught these beautiful, amazing humans and students, and we realized that, after they aged out of the school system and they graduated, there wasn’t a lot out there to maintain their social skills and build relationships and get out on the town and into the city and have fun."
That's where Uncommon Collective steps in with their supportive, highly-trained staff.
They have a lineup of fall events scheduled for the season, including a night out in Scott’s Addition on October 23, a visit to an escape room on October 30, a charcuterie class on November 14 and a bingo and trivia night on November 30 — and more. Click here for all the details.
And now they have a home base as well. Uncommon Collective recently opened a clubhouse at Stony Point Fashion Park.
The nonprofit invites you to their inaugural fall fundraiser: a masquerade gala on November 6th. It'll take place at Hippodrome Theater in downtown Richmond. Click here for more information and for tickets.
Click here to visit their website.
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