DJs, back, with Mystical Vibrations lead the dance to the song “Y.M.C.A.” during a dance for young adults with Down Syndrome at the “End of Summer” party at the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Reiyan Kanan dances the Macarena during a dance for young adults with Down syndrome at the “End of Summer” party at the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Confetti rains down as young adults with Down syndrome celebrate during the “End of Summer” party at the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A couple takes a break from the dance floor during a dance for young adults with Down syndrome at the “End of Summer” party at the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Bubbles fall over dancers during a dance for young adults with Down syndrome at the “End of Summer” party at the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Cole Sibus, right, begins acting the song, “I’m Just Gonna Shake,” by DJ Iggy Lovato as he dances with Jamie Brewer, left, during a Hawaiian-themed dance for young adults with Down syndrome at the “End of Summer” party the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
April Clark, left, and April Trails take a selfie on the dance floor during a dance for young adults with Down syndrome at the “End of Summer” party at the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Kennedy Garcia, center, who is an actress with a recurring role as Felicity on the opera “Days of Our Lives” joins friends on the dance floor during a dance for young adults with Down syndrome at the “End of Summer” party at the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Wafa Hassan, left, whose son has Down syndrome, hits the dance floor with a young man named Adam during a Hawaiian-themed dance for young adults with Down Syndrome at the “End of Summer” party Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Young adults with Down syndrome hit the dance floor at the “End of Summer” party at the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Julia Kelly dances with her boyfriend Spencer Brown during a dance for young adults with Down syndrome at the “End of Summer” party the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Jenevere Dawson, left, and Kennedy Garcia, dance with DJ Richard Morales during a dance for young adults with Down syndrome at the “End of Summer” party at the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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DJs, back, with Mystical Vibrations lead the dance to the song “Y.M.C.A.” during a dance for young adults with Down Syndrome at the “End of Summer” party at the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda on Friday, Aug. 23, 2024. (Photo by Leonard Ortiz, Orange County Register/SCNG)
With school starting and fall coming up fast, an end-of-the-summer party was just what the weekend called for.
So Kimberly Kanan organized with the Danish Lutheran Church in Yorba Linda a Hawaiian-themed bash for her son, Reiyan, and other young adults with Down syndrome to get in some last summer fun.
“We wanted to have a social event for them to look forward to and to mark the transition from summer to the fall, school, etc,” said Kanan.
The organizers kept the party more intimate, so everyone would know each other and be comfortable enough to let loose and enjoy the evening, Kanan said. “Other similar events are very large and they don’t know anybody, but I wanted to hold a smaller event with people that are friends or familiar to them.”
The group of party guests filled the church’s fellowship hall, dancing the night away. There was also pizza and karaoke.
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