SAN ANTONIO – Founded in 2011, Special Reach helps children with development delays be kids.
Special Reach was thought of after a team of educators, speech pathologist and counselors gathered together to figure out how they could fulfill the need to help families whose kids had developmental delays.
“Sometimes we get super focused on helping them heal, that we do not we tend to forget their kids and they need to have fun,” said President and CEO, Cici Osonma. “The purpose is to make sure that the children we serve do not miss out on the childhood experiences, those memorable experiences that the neurotypical and non-disabled peers typically get.
Special Reach has programs throughout the school year, but during the summer they hold their weekly summer programs, which include their camps.
At the camps, kids get the chance to do what any other child would do at camp. They get to do horseback riding, swimming, archery, arts and craft plus so much more.
“It’s just a fun, traditional camp experience for children with severe, moderate, mild disabilities. It doesn’t matter. We accommodate you,” said Osonma.
Special Reach works with other nonprofits to host their camps at different locations throughout the city. This helps families pick and choose which camp works best for them.
“We have families who follow us wherever we offer our services, and we have family who only access us when they’re when we’re in their neighborhood,” Osonma said.
The cost of the camp depends on which program you choose. Special Reach also will not turn a family away for financial reasons. Camp is not free, but they are able to help families through fundraising.
To find out more about their summer camps, head to their website.