In August, WDTL members and guests volunteered with Friendship Adventures in Shoreline, Washington.  Friendship Adventures is an all-volunteer non-profit organization, dedicated to enriching the lives of individuals with developmental disabilities by providing social, recreational and educational activities while promoting inclusion, building interpersonal skills, confidence and lifelong friendships.

Our group hosted a fun night of karaoke, raffles, food and friendship.  Aimee Oldfield (Advanced Medical Group) volunteered with karaoke:

“Volunteering with the WDTL at the Friendship Adventures karaoke night was such a fun and fulfilling experience. The excitement and enthusiasm of the attendees was contagious, the performances were top notch, and I don’t think I stopped smiling throughout the entire event! It brought me so much joy to spend time with such wonderful people, and was a great reminder of how much impact the gift of time can have within our community. I am already looking forward to reconnecting with my new friends at next year’s event - thank you to all who made this event possible!”

Michael A. Nicefaro, Jr. (retired, past WDTL president) echoed that sentiment:

“This was my second year attending the WDTL Friendship Adventures event.  As with last year, it was a joy watching the participants’ enthusiasm and pleasure singing and competing for prizes (and everyone won something!).  Cheering the Friendship members on during their performances was fun, and  especially satisfying to see their pleasure in receiving the recognition.”
 
 Suzanne Pierce (Office of the Attorney General, Torts Division) volunteered with karaoke and also chaperoned a formal dance for Friendship Adventures earlier this year:

“I love volunteering with Friendship Adventures! Cheering on, serving and supporting their clientele at pizza-and-karaoke night recently was so much fun. I made new friends among the karaoke stars and their caregivers. I saw FA staff, WDTL attorneys and my AGO colleagues coordinating a wonderful event for neurodivergent members of our community. And the fun, fulfilling weekend volunteerism elevated my resolve to serve State clients on “ManicMonday.”

Friendship Adventures was very grateful for the assistance, and our volunteers also enjoyed the experience.  Special thanks to volunteers and guests from the state Attorney General’s Office, Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP, JS Held, the University of Washington, Davis Rothwell Earle & Xochihua PC, Simmons Sweeney Freimund Smith Tardiff PLLC, and Advanced Medical Group who participated that day.

For more information about Friendship Adventures, including volunteer opportunities, please visit www.friendshipadventures.org.  

For more information concerning WDTL community outreach and pro bono opportunities, or to join the WDTL’s Pro Bono/Community Outreach Committee, please contact the committee chair, Gauri Shrotriya Locker, at gauri.locker@atg.wa.gov or Maggie Sweeney at maggie@wdtl.org.