A Year of Outings: How AHRC Foundation Funding Brought Recreation to Life at Citizens Options Unlimited
A night at the theatre. A day at Adventureland. A seat at a Mets game. A circus under the big top. Thanksgiving dinner with more than 200 friends. For the people supported in Citizens Options Unlimited (COU) homes across Nassau and Suffolk Counties, this past year was full of ordinary, wonderful outings — the same kind of nights and weekends anyone looks forward to.
Every outing started the same way: someone was asked what they’d like to do. Not handed a schedule, not slotted into a group activity — asked. That question was made possible in part by a $35,000 grant from the AHRC Foundation, which helped bring recreation within reach across more than 30 COU homes. Residents contributed toward their own tickets to the best of their ability, and the grant made it possible for staff to be there alongside them, supporting the day.
The power of choice led to people experiencing a full range of what Long Island has to offer. Some picked a matinee — Frozen, Cinderella, Annie, a Disney classic at the John W. Engeman Theatre or the Argyle. Others wanted the roar of a crowd, cheering on the Mets, Yankees, or Nets. For the thrill-seekers, there was Splish Splash, Adventureland, Six Flags, and Sesame Place. For the curious, the Long Island Aquarium, the Cradle of Aviation Museum, and the American Museum of Natural History. And as the seasons turned, so did the outings — pumpkin festivals in October, light shows in December, a circus in late summer, a resort getaway in the summer.
This is what the grant is really for: turning a question like “what have you always wanted to try?” or “what have you always wanted to do?” into something that can happen. The AHRC Foundation is proud to help fund moments like these for Citizens Options Unlimited, one of several organizations it supports across Long Island. A more inclusive, welcoming community doesn’t happen on its own — it takes funding that puts people with IDD in the same theatres, ballparks, and vacation getaways as everyone else.
