Lola’s Round Table

By Alex Scott

When most people become adults, the possibilities are endless however people living with developmental disabilities do not have quite as many options.

Once somebody with a disability finishes high school, there are not many options for them and the waitlist for community living support is often long. Lola’s Round Table offers a solution for people facing some of those problems.

Lola’s is located in Essex. Although there are some programs offered to people with disabilities in Windsor, Essex has lacked a place where people with disabilities can develop after becoming an adult. Lola’s, makes things easier for local families to get their loved ones to a place where they can grow.

Lola’s is run by Lauryn Lefrancois who started it so people “could have meaning in their day, have friends and learn life skills at an affordable cost to their family.”

It costs $75 for a day at Lola’s. Days are spent playing games, doing crafts as well as doing things outside of Lola’s including mini golf, visiting museums, going to the gym and doing yoga. The people at Lola’s love making music so they are also looking into beginning a music class so they can really hone their skills.Most of the items at Lola’s have been acquired through donations from people in the community. Lola’s is always looking for donations of books, games, puzzles, DVDs, electronics, furniture and accessibility devices.

Lefrancois plans on growing Lola’s in the future while still maintaining the personal experience you get when you attend. Currently, a maximum of 5 people can be at Lola’s at a time so Lafrancois can make sure everybody gets the attention and help they need to succeed.

“What I am hoping to do is open a couple different buildings in different areas of the county. When you have one big place and one gigantic group it starts to become a little bit institutionalized.” said Lefrancois. “So what happens to people who are a little more quiet is they fall through the cracks so this allows us to have the customized care for each person that comes.”

On April 14, Lola’s will be celebrating their one year anniversary by holding an event at Rose Bowl Lanes. The cost is $11 per person and includes two hours of bowling, shoe rental, pizza and pop. Everyone is invited to attend the event whether you have been to Lola’s before or not.