Cape Elizabeth’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee will host a Best Buddies Inclusion Skate on Feb. 3 to increase access to ice skating and winter activities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Committee member Monica Malcomson, a teacher at Brown Elementary School in South Portland, came up with the idea.

“Part of (the committee’s) charge is to host yearly events that create a sense of belonging,” Malcomson told The Forecaster. “I thought, ‘How do we create these communal opportunities around partnerships and unification and collaboration and make sure we’re really utilizing all the strengths of our community organizations in Cape Elizabeth and South Portland?’”

Malcomson is an adviser to her school’s chapter of Best Buddies, an organization that pairs up people with and without disabilities, and runs an afterschool program, Brown School Skates. She’s also on the board of the Cape Community Arena Group, which operates the outdoor ice rink at Gull Crest.

A collaboration was natural, she said. Each of the organizations are involved in next week’s event.

“This was kind of her brainchild of a project, which is pretty awesome,” said Shay Wilcox, senior program manager at Best Buddies Maine. “I know Monica and she is a passionate ice skater and it’s something she’s been doing for a very long time. So, when she came to me and said, ‘This is something I want to do, will Best Buddies Maine support this,’ there was no question in my mind. We were going to support it.”

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