Hospitality Listens, an event aimed at providing a free dinner event for individuals on the autism spectrum and their families, hosted its ninth annual gathering for roughly 160 people at the Center of Science and Industry Sunday evening.
Everything from the activities to the Halloween theme was planned and run by students in the hospitality management program to provide a fun sensory experience for kids and families that otherwise can struggle in similar settings. The goal of the event is to not only give hands-on experience for students, but to also give parents a relaxing night out with their kids.
“It’s a complimentary event,” Ohio State alum and stage program emcee Sarah McOwen said. “It gives our students not only the chance to learn about how to put on an event with a little more care and attention, but it also gives families a night off where they can kind of just be served, you know, be the guest for once and have their children occupied by students who are trained to kind of handle those situations where it might not be as ordinary.”
