Variety KC Celebrates 85 years of Diversity with an Unique First Time – Inclusive Photo Shoot

Working with renown KC Children’s Fashion Photographer, Colleen Christi, Variety KC is holding their first inclusive fashion photo shoot showcases Variety KC kids of all abilities and disabilities.

The photos, with a celebration and high fashion theme, will be used throughout the year as Variety KC celebrates 85 years of serving kids with special needs in the Kansas City community. These photos will inspire companies and brands to include kids of all abilities in their marketing and promotions.

“All kids are beautiful and they all deserve their moment in the spotlight,” says Deborah Wiebrecht, Executive Director of Variety KC. “Colleen Christi’s unique and sought after photography sessions are easily recognized and highly prized. We’re so blessed to have her talent and direction with this project!”

Over 100 special needs kids signed up for this first shoot, which has room for just the first 20 at this time. Wiebrecht feels that this high interest is proof that every kid enjoys having a time to shine and can do anything abled bodied kids can do- Model.

Colleen Christi Photography works with  Rainey’s Closet  https://www.raineyscloset.com to procure the unique and sometimes over the top styles displayed in her photos. Special accommodations will be made for children with mobility equipment and supplies.

Variety KC Playground and Variety KC Splash Pad at T.B. Hanna Station Park

In Fall 2020, Variety KC’s newest inclusive play area will open in Cass County, Missouri. It’s a collaboration with Parks and Recreation and Unlimited Play (the inclusive playground design company behind the majority of Variety KC’s venues).

Why do playgrounds like this matter? According to Unlimited Play, “Play is a critical part of the social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development of every child. Unfortunately, the vast majority of playgrounds deny children with disabilities and
critical illnesses the opportunity for exercise, entertainment, and social interactions which other children enjoy. In fact, only a small percentage of fully accessible playgrounds exist within our nation and these are insufficient to serve 43 million Americans with
disabilities.”

If you would like to donate toward this exciting community effort, click below!

If we help build it – they will come!

This park will serve an estimated 100,000 visitors each year in an area that is underserved in adaptive facilities. This playground celebrates America’s favorite sport – Baseball!

Playgrounds like this are where strong communities start. It is a place where all kids can play together, overcome challenges, and learn to appreciate differences. Best of all – it provides activity and exercise opportunities that all kids, especially those with special needs, require. Recently the Royals Alumni announced that they will be donating a piece of equipment for the playground. Championing inclusively, the Royals Alumni!

Kansas City Missouri Supports Variety KC Kids with Innovative Parking Signs

Local police departments report that issuance of tickets at these locations using the signs have dropped to nearly zero. As the signs gained notice, even local schools began asking for them. Apparently the “park and run in for just a second” issue is very prevalent in school parking lots, buildings that primarily serve children and families! The more signs that are posted, the more requests Variety gets! Is the effort worth it? As one area police officer said, “it always makes us angry to see people disregard disabled parking signs. The success of Variety signs isn’t just in keeping those spots open for people who really need them – it frees up officers to respond to more potential serious problems in the community.”

If you would like to help the city’s expanded use of these signs, donate below.

Making Fitness Fun for Everyone!

The videos are free and available to the public on Variety KC’s YouTube channel.

Variety KC Kids Workout: Exercise for All Abilities

There are thousands of exercise and fitness videos on the market, but none specifically designed for inclusion of all parents, all kids – especially Variety Kids with special needs. Variety KC (Tent 8) partnered with Fusion Fitness in Overland Park, Kansas, to create a series of videos that would do just that. Variety KC Kids Workout – a safe and effective workout for kids of all abilities. Best of all, these innovative videos are free!

Fusion’s owner and fitness professional, Darby Bender, donated her time and location for the video shoot. Bender is featured in the videos along with Sarah Duffy (wife of KC Royals pitcher, Danny Duffy), and several local KC kids with different disabilities, including Cerebral Palsy, Dwarfism and Down Syndrome. Therapists and physicians were involved in the planning of the actual exercise programs, but as always – it is wise to consult your personal physician before starting a new exercise program.

“The vision was to provide another level of inclusion for local kids through an exercise video that allows special needs children the opportunity to move at their pace, strengthen muscles and challenge their physical strength and feel good!” says Deborah Wiebrecht, Variety KC Executive Director.

Bender says, “This is an area of fitness that has been underserved, yet the benefits of activity and exercise are even more important for children with special needs. We’re excited to launch this video for all kids, especially our friends at Variety.”

The videos have had a positive impact on health and budgets! Parents have been especially appreciative of the flexibility of the videos; it can be difficult to find times and places that allow for a family to participate in fitness together and videos can be costly. The Variety Kids Workout Video series is available online, for free, and is currently being used at local schools, day care centers, home schools and hospitals.

All Variety Tents are welcome to use the videos as well. You can access the Kids Workout videos on the Variety KC website – www.varietykc.org.

On a side note, the crew shooting the video said it was their favorite project ever. They were amazed that they were able to produce the videos in just one take! The kids were obviously having a great time participating at a variety of levels and it shows so clearly on their faces. Because the very nature of the videos are demonstration-based, they aren’t reliant on speech translation – making them useful around the globe.

All kids deserve the right to fitness and fun and this is just another way that Variety is a leader in making sure all kids have a chance to Be Active, Be Social, and Belong.

Variety KC Kids Workout: Exercise for All Abilities

Get your heart pumping with Darby and the Variety Kids. We are making fitness fun for all ages and abilities and cannot wait to move our bodies with you!