Group provides ‘Holiday Happiness’

Developmentally disabled children and adults receive gifts, trip to Disney.

By LESLIE DINABERG
South Coast Beacon

Santa has a lot of helpers this holiday season, but few will rank higher on his good list than Dee Duncan, founder of the nonprofit Holiday Happiness Program, which provides travel opportunities for children and adults with developmental disabilities who have no family to go home to during the holidays. This year Duncan, her staff and her team of volunteers left the Santa Barbara headquarters on Tuesday morning (courtesy of Santa Barbara Airbus, whose owner donated the transport and drivers donated their time) with more than 100 people headed to Anaheim.

The group, all of which have brain impairment of some type — such as a mental disability, Downs Syndrome, cerebral palsy or traumatic head injuries — started off the festivities with a formal dinner dance in the Anaheim Marriott Ballroom, said Duncan. They spent

the day before Christmas at Disney’s California Adventure and then today, they’ll wake up to find their hand-decorated stockings filled and a visit from Santa to personally deliver gifts from their wish lists, thanks to generous donations from the community. They’ll spend the day at Disneyland, and then the festivities continue into Dec. 26 when the group, most of whom have never had a real vacation, heads back home filled with happy holiday memories and lots of new friends.

Duncan founded the Holiday Happiness program 17 years ago, in a studio apartment. “I had worked at the Devereux Foundation for many years and part of my duties was to arrange trips and vacations just for their people. … What I discovered is that these vacation experiences were absolutely the most valuable programs that we were offering because of the hands-on education training and the therapeutic benefit. The best of any of the independent living program skills we providing,” she said.

“Back in 1985 it was pretty novel … people with developmental disabilities weren’t going on trips,” said Duncan, whose nonprofit umbrella organization, New Directions, provides year-round vacation travel and special education programs annually for more than 650 people with developmental disabilities. But it’s the holiday program that’s particularly close to her heart.

“I witnessed those that were left behind at the holiday time. And frankly it was very sad. These folks would feel so alone. I would try to do the best I could for them, even taking them to the Biltmore (on Christmas), but it still wasn’t the same because they weren’t packing their bags and going somewhere and then coming back with presents,” said Duncan, whose whole family now joins her on the Holiday Happiness trips.

Because of the special needs of its clientele, the group’s staff-to-traveler ratio ranges from 1:1 through 1:4. To reduce fees, which are done on a need-based sliding scale, New Directions relies heavily on volunteers and donated goods and services whenever possible.

Among the businesses that have been particularly generous are Rancho Santa Barbara Marriott, Superconductor Technologies, Venoco, Goleta Valley Community Center, UCSB’s Community Affairs Board, Santa Barbara Bank & Trust, Santa Barbara Airbus and Graham Chevrolet, as well as many hotel chains and airlines, according to Theresa Smith, director of development for New Directions.

For information about New Directions and Holiday Happiness visit www.newdirectionstravel.com or call 967.2841.