Kiran Dong fell in love with theater and the performing arts at a young age.
To help nurture that passion, he participated in summer camps that would help with his stage presence and skills, but quickly found out it was a bit harder for him than other children.
“It was challenging keeping his attention with all the rigorous rehearsals that they have to do as they start to get closer to showtime, so he got cut,” said Rodney Dong, Kiran’s father. “They weren’t capable of having someone there to support him. I felt like he could probably handle that if he did have the right support.”
In order to see his son thrive in something he loved so much, along with other children like him, Rodney, Kristen DeBenedetto and Kate White founded The Include Everyone Project, a local nonprofit aimed to support individuals on the autism spectrum and who have other developmental disabilities. Dong serves as the nonprofit’s board president and music director.
The Include Everyone Project offers activities such as dance and movement, music, and improvisational theater serving approximately 30 to 40 students in the spring and fall sessions and 40 students for their annual summer camps, which is the most popular program, said executive director and dance instructor DeBenedetto.
Closing their summer camp, recipients of the program develop a one-act original musical theater production and perform in front of a live audience. Last year’s theme was dinosaurs, pirates and unicorns, DeBenedetto added.
On Saturday, in collaboration with Apola Greek Grill, the local nonprofit was raising funds for scholarships to support families in need for the fall and spring programs while simultaneously celebrating Women’s International Day.
For DeBenedetto, the hardest thing for her in a leadership role is delegation, and “how do you let go of things and let your peers support you? As women, we tend to want to do it all,” she said. “It’s always challenging as women to be heard or taken a little bit seriously. The thing that’s beautiful, our community has been really supportive.”
According to DeBenedetto, eight out of 11 board members of The Include Everyone Project are women.
“Being a woman hasn’t been a disadvantage in that, because we’re more motherly and caretakers,” and she feels very embraced by her fellow female colleagues, she said. “It’s the best gift ever. I feel like in a world that’s very topsy-turvy, I get to make a difference in my community and actually see a positive change.”
In attendance during the fundraiser were board members Christine Mugnolo and treasurer Neil Fitzgerald, supporting the organization as they spent their time listening to Kiran play a Latin American style drum called the Tubano.
Both Mugnolo and Fitzgerald came across the local nonprofit on their own separate accounts but truly believe in the mission of providing a safe space for children with disabilities.
Witnessing the programs achieve the mission “makes me think about art differently and how it can be a way of healing, getting to know yourself, communicating, and sometimes communicating very strongly, when other forms of communication are tougher,” said Mugnolo.
“It’s hard being a kid, you get isolated,” Fitzgerald said. “Being part of the group where you can see that these kids, they’re not the only ones, and that there’s other kids like them as well, and that they can build friendship groups, and that they can be treated as an individual,” he added.
Mugnolo praised DeBennedetto’s dedication and strength toward her nonprofit work while balancing other areas of her life.
“Sometimes there’s not instant recognition or success, and watching her persevere through that has been really inspiring,”
Fitzgerald said men should always be aware of how they speak of their peers.
“A man can be called ambitious, a woman can be called pushy. It’s the use of language. I think it’s really important that women are given equal chances to be leaders, and that when you have a woman leader as well, that you support them and you empower them, and you don’t use that sort of language.”
With the help of a collective of board members and community support, Kiran and many others of the nonprofit’s recipients learn to gain confidence.
“You know he struggles a lot with speech like that, it’s hard for him sometimes, yet you can see his emotions like he wants to be out there and communicate something with the audience,” while on stage, Rodney said. “This has given him an opportunity to gain confidence. We try to craft a part for him that he can manage and he can rehearse and practice it.”
Kiran’s performance skills have improved to a point where he was the lead in last year’s summer camp.
“I think he enjoys giving back to other kids that he says are similar to him,” Rodney added. “He likes that idea of, there’s some other kids that have something unique about them, like me and want to do what I can to help them enjoy the arts.”
