POW! (Power Of We)

POW! (Power Of We!) is a community organization with inclusive, free, volunteer-run programs for people of all abilities, backgrounds and ages that are packed with creativity, friends and fun. Since 2019, we’ve been offering enrichment programs in Brooklyn and on Zoom. Inclusive soccer classes (thank you to our generous sponsor, Super Soccer Stars), dance and dance therapy, Brain Gymnastics, music, interactive storytime, and arts & crafts is just a sample of what we’ve offered in the past and plan to offer in the future. We’ve recently begun to partner with the Elementary Inclusive Program at Columbia University’s Teachers College to offer tutoring--something we’re very excited about! We focus on inclusion, developing strong friendships and decreasing the fear of the unknown. Our programs seek to improve listening skills, general social skills, gross & fine motor skills, muscle memory, speech and language development as well as independence and self advocacy. Our goal is to welcome more and more individuals and families, and to cater to everyone’s needs and wishes.

We are in the process of incorporating as a 501(c)3, and are on track to achieve that status by Spring 2022. We need funds to achieve this, and to continue offering our programs free of charge, and to add more programs in the future. 

Beginning of 2022: 

--Getting our remote office up and running with the purchase of supplies 

--Building our community and recruiting more volunteers 

Spring 2022:

--Renting space for Winter and Spring programs (Dance, Soccer, Music, and more)

--Purchasing insurance and hiring a part-time bookkeeper and an accountant. 

Long term (mid-2022 and beyond): 

-Hiring of staff and additional consultants (accessibility consultants, a speech therapist, a social worker, more)

-A primary goal for the future is to offer more programming specifically catered to adults including elders, to continue working towards our overarching goal of connecting all generations.

-We plan to continue offering programming over Zoom for those who can’t make it to our programs in-person. In addition to the tutoring we’re just now beginning to offer, we’ve been doing a Zoom-specific group program on some Saturdays, which includes interactive storytelling, music, arts & crafts created with common household supplies, and music. We’re also planning to offer a Zoom option for in-person programs, in which a dedicated volunteer will act as a liaison for those attending virtually. This is one of the (many) reasons we need additional volunteers.

We love Brooklyn (and plan to expand once we are ready for this), but like so much of America, it’s in many ways segregated--not just by class and race, but also by disability status. We believe that inclusion is the cornerstone of a healthy society. Founded by Regine Polenz, the mother of a child with Down syndrome, our vision is to cherish and encourage each person's strengths and abilities, and create a safe and inspiring space for learning, exploration, self-expression, development of empathy and friendship-building. We do this by providing community support and enrichment programs to develop a variety of skills for individuals of all abilities, ages and backgrounds. We believe in planting the seed of respect for inclusivity and diversity as early in one’s life and as much as possible can lead to a more holistic social perception. We believe inclusion works.