17th Annual Holiday Formal - December 17, 2023

Jennifer Wells, Director of Day and Community Programs for In Flight, Inc., created the Annual Holiday Formal as a positive opportunity to offer the community of local people with disabilities, their family, and their staff/provider agencies a chance to come together and celebrate in an inclusive and accessible space. People with disabilities often  cannot attend large events similar to the Holiday Formal due to various barriers such as accessibility, transportation, staffing, and many more.

In 2005, Jennifer Wells decided to combat the inaccessibility for people with disabilities by creating The Holiday Formal. She was inspired by New York State's holiday dance in Fishkill, NY, and decided to host her own party after the State could not continue theirs. Starting as a small dance for 40 people in a local restaurant, Wells grew this event while expanding her professional repertoire and bringing it to other agencies in the area, with the aim of reaching as many people with disabilities in the Hudson Valley as possible. In fact, 450 people attended the Annual Holiday Formal in 2019. In 2018, Jennifer Wells began working at In Flight, Inc. and brought the Annual Holiday Formal with her.