View more photos from this event in this Google photo album. 

Within 2 days of the invites going out, the event had reached capacity.

“I think everyone really wants to be together right now,” says Ashley Bennett, a member of the Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) who helped plan the event, acknowledging the economic, political and societal uncertainty many families are feeling.

On a Friday in December, parents and children arrived at the agency’s regional office in Hillsboro to share a meal, paint ornaments, play Bingo and decorate cookies. The hot chocolate station complete with white and milk chocolate chips, marshmallows and candy canes was a big hit. 

A family enjoys Qdoba at the second annual holiday party hosted by Northwest Regional Education Service District’s Parent Advisory Committee. Photos by Tracey Goldner.

A 13-by-10 foot video screen of a calming fireplace greeted children as they walked into the room. A table nearby offered fidget spinners, weighted wobblers and other sensory toys especially for children who use these items to calm down. 

There wasn’t any loud holiday music playing, and the vibe was peaceful. 

When Anna, a nearly 8-year-old who uses American Sign Language and English to communicate, was asked what she loved most about the event. She thought for a moment and then signed, “I love my mom.”

Allister paints his wooden snowman at the holiday party. His dad says he has made incredible strides since he started receiving speech therapy from Northwest Regional Education Service District’s early intervention program.

These days, he’s working on three-syllable words like bulldozer. 

“Bull-do-zer,” Allister said proudly, looking up from his snowman. 

“He’s going to get there,” his dad says. “Just at his own speed.”

Four-year-old CJ also selected the snowman for her painting project. But she picked the magenta pen that matched her stuffed puppy. 

She is also receiving speech therapy to help her learn how to pronounce the closing consonant on three-letter words. 

Top, cop, mop are all on her list right now her mom, Stephanie, says. 

CJ holds up her stuffed puppy and the ornament she painted. She handwrote her own nametag for the event. 

CJ attends a class called Better Together for children with and without disabilities. She really looks forward to going. It’s four days a week for two hours, and she’s made a lot of progress there. 

CJ was less interested in talking about her school day and more about the event at hand. 

“I love my party,” she said. “It’s going just how I planned.”

Ai Vi (pronounced I-vee), one of the younger attendees at 2.5, enjoyed watching the video of a yule log burning brightly on the wall as she ate her dinner. She has been receiving speech therapy since May, with a break for the summer. 

Heidi said what she thought was just babbling was really Ai Vi saying banana. Daddy is another common word in her vocabulary, but Heidi says she’s still waiting to hear mommy, which is more difficult to pronounce. 

Levi, a 4-year-old, dove into the cookie decorating and then enjoyed trying the flavors. 

Levi decorated a Christmas tree cookie with frosting and sprinkles. His mom, Katie, says his favorite part was choosing his colors and squeezing the frosting. Every cookie came with a take-away container of sprinkles, which she says he enjoyed picking up individually and then watching his hands change colors.

Levi’s mom, Katie, who co-chairs the PAC, helped design the event space. 

There was a main eating area, a crafting room and an open room so children could explore, relax and socialize with others depending on their needs. She was pleased to report he, along with other children, loved the layout. 

She says her own experience at the event was equally rewarding. 

“Just spending time with others who have shared experiences with parenting, you can feel the support and love,” Katie says. 

Current PAC members are hoping more families will join them. The group meets monthly during the school year from 7-8:30 p.m. on the last Thursday of the month over Zoom. 

PAC parents from left: Ashley Bennett, Negar Avaregan, Lisa Bosotina and Katie Porter planned and hosted a holiday party for families this year. Sifting through reams of medical documents and spending countless hours in waiting rooms at doctors’ offices is a familiar and grueling experience for many parents with children who have special needs. Negar says the PAC is important to her because it’s a light during difficult times.

“I love the community,” Ashley, one of the event planners, says. 

The group is especially for parents who have children with disabilities, which can be an isolating and intimidating experience, Ashley says. 

The group also talks about how services are going for their kids and whether improvements can be made. 

“I don’t really want to hear sorry from my community,” Ashley says of parenting a child with a disability. “I want to hear ‘my hands are on your back.’”

“I think that’s what our community offers,” she says. 

If you are interested in the Parent Advisory Committee, please visit our webpage to learn more.