T.F. Library Starts Friendship Club for Kids with Disabilities

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – Everybody needs a friend.

And thanks to the Twin Falls Public Library, children with disabilities can make new friends once a new program kicks off in early September.

The program, called “The Friendship Club,” aims to meet a need in the community, said Youth Services Librarian Kasi Allen.

Library programs usually start a couple of ways: “A lot of times we see a need in the community and kick something off, or a patron comes forward and says they see a need,” Allen said.

In this case, the latter happened. A library patron who works with disabled children “brought it to our attention,” she said.

The Friendship Club will hold activities every other week through the school year, switching between a sensory activity, such as using Playdough to create, smell and feel, and a social one.

The program’s first activity will have a social theme on Sept. 12 at the library.

Allen said the program is geared to elementary-age children, but if a parent or caregiver believes an older child would benefit from the activities, they are welcome to participate. Each child must be accompanied by an adult, and on program days participants will meet anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes.

Allen said she’s always excited about the library’s programs, especially as they help meet the needs of the growing community. If the Friendship Club is successful this school year, the library will bring it back again next year.

She believes The Friendship Club will meet a local need.

“I’m always really excited that we can help meet the needs of a group in our community,” Allen said. “We think of ourselves as a resource in the community, so if we can be more resourceful then that’s a plus.”