Work and Play Special Needs Resource Center Inc.

BY ANGIE ARLINGTON

The Work and Play Special Needs Resource Center provides a central location for therapy companies to provide services, social gatherings, and resource information for those with developmental disabilities of all ages and their caregivers. “Think of us as a hub for the special needs community. Having a resource center simplifies access to things needed to care for someone with developmental disabilities, which is desperately needed in an often complicated life with a child with special needs,” Misty Kluck explains.

The Work and Play has a key group of leaders looking for “holes” within the community. “Once we make sure the solution isn’t already provided by another nonprofit (just lack of community knowing about them), we then find a solution. This includes providing a program ourselves at the center or advocating in the educational or medical fields. If the solution is already provided, we blast the program through our newsletter and social media channels, making sure the community knows about the program.”

“You may have a big family or circle, however, no one knows what you are going through unless they are walking a life path close to yours. Raising a child with special needs can be very lonely. Trudging through the mountains of information can be daunting. Being on edge every time you go somewhere in public is EXHAUSTING. We provide a location where people with developmental disabilities and their caregivers can just “be”. We listen to the caregivers and spend time with the community members. We provide them with solutions from the community that they may have not known about before. If we cannot provide a solution, then we call people who might have one. The idea of the resource center is to become known and lift the community to where people feel that our community is worth investing in. Knowledge is power. There is power in numbers. Our community is severely under-served… we want people to see it and change it.”

They offer monthly membership to the community. Families within the community can choose from a free membership or twenty dollars a month. “We need those numbers and demographics to apply for grants and to prove our reach. This allows us to provide much needed resources and programs for our following,” Misty shares.

“Community supporters and business supporters can donate once or monthly through our website. If they have a specialty like music teacher or social worker, they may

develop and offer a free program to our community at our location. This gets their name out to the public as well as allows them to obtain experience working with our community members.”