Friday's warm weather drew many people outdoors, including one local organization for disabled adults, NCI Affiliates, Inc., which spent the afternoon at the Paso Robles Downtown City Park.
NCI Affiliates is an organization committed to supporting disabled adults with education, work, and engagement opportunities. Amethyst Glass Pena, an employee of the organization, shared why they spend many Fridays outdoors.
"Monday through Thursday, we take them to Cuesta so they can kind of get that college experience and learn some new cool stuff and opportunities," Glass Pena said. "Fridays are like our fun days where we go sometimes downtown, where we get to experience all the local shops around here."
She said when the temperatures peak during summer, they'll plan other outdoor activities geared towards staying cool.
"We do like water balloon fights or just anything to kind of keep them cool and still enjoy the weather," Glass Pena said.
One of the NCI members, Allison Reisig, feels it's important for people in the community to see them outside
"It helps other people understand that it's a beautiful day. They should not be cooped up in their house," Reisig said.
She also hopes that when people see the NCI members outside, they'll become more aware of the disabled adults in their community.
“I want everybody to know who we are and why we have this disability and how we can try to incorporate or help them out so they won’t be so shy," Reisig said.
To learn more about NCI's mission, click here.
