FEATURED FAMILY

MEET THE CLARK FAMILY

PHOTOS BY 21 VINES PHOTOGRAPHY

People often ask Phil Clark, the cofounder of ENABLE Special Needs Planning, what it was like growing up with a younger sister with Down syndrome. Reminiscing about his childhood with Sarah brings a smile to his face.

“I was only four years old when Sarah was born. But I can vividly remember being so excited to finally be a big brother. The day Sarah was born was a wonderful day. I was thrilled to have a younger sister.”

Phil says he’s always told people his life growing up was amazing. His family had so many unique experiences and made many memories together. So many of these experiences were because of Sarah. “She is such a blessing,” he said.

So much of who Phil is today and how he views the world he attributes to the impact that Sarah had on his life.

“In life, we have two choices of how we view our experiences,” Phil said. “Every aspect of life presents challenges. Often, these challenges are what we end up focusing our attention on. But we always have a choice. We can choose to focus on opportunities instead. It’s an intentional choice to look at life from a place of abundance instead of scarcity – opportunity instead of challenge.”

As other siblings of individuals with special needs can relate to, Phil’s life growing up looked a bit different from many of his classmates. Phil’s family lived on a multi-generational family farm in Williamsport, IN, about two hours northwest of Indianapolis. Most of Sarah’s doctors’ appointments and therapy sessions were in Indianapolis. Phil often jokes that because of all the trips they made to Indy it felt like his family lived in a minivan.

So much of Phillip’s parents’ attention during his childhood was focused on Sarah and giving her access to the early interventions and therapies she needed to thrive. As a young child, this often didn’t make sense or feel fair.

But one thing that stands out to Phil from his childhood was that his parents always let him know it was ok to be frustrated. “They told me that when I felt like things weren’t fair, it was because sometimes in life things aren’t fair, and it was ok to express my frustrations,” he said.

Phil’s parents also encouraged him to consider every trip to Indy and every aspect of life as an adventure. And they always did something intentional to make him feel seen and heard.

On occasion, the Clark family enjoyed special experiences like going to the Indianapolis Zoo or The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Phil recalls these fondly as being fun and memorable. But he also fondly recalls more mundane experiences like stopping by the family’s favorite bakery in Brookston, IN, on the way home from Indy to get fresh baked bread or soup. These big and small things made the many trips to Indy positive experiences for the entire family. When he thinks back on those many trips, he doesn’t remember the frustrations but instead remembers the fun experiences and adventures he shared with his family.

Sarah had always thrived on routine and liked consistency in her schedule. This made spur-of-the-moment getaways and family vacations difficult. “Our family trips were always centered around what Sarah liked,” Phil said. “She didn’t like cold weather so a ski trip was out of the question. She didn’t like walking long distances, so hiking in a remote location didn’t happen. Our first big family vacation was a trip to Fort Myers Beach, FL.”

Maybe it was the soft sand, warm water, or overall relaxed vibe of the charming beach town, but Sarah seemed comfortable there and appeared to be in her element. The Clark family wasted no time falling in love with Fort Myers Beach and decided to return the following year. To keep things familiar and consistent for Sarah, they rented the same unit at the same resort and continued staying at that resort year after year until hurricane Ian devastated the island last fall. Losing the ability to continue the annual family tradition of vacationing at Fort Myers Beach has been especially difficult for Sarah to adapt to. But the Clark family encourages her to look forward to their next family vacation. Despite being in a new location, it will still be an opportunity to be together and make memories that will last a lifetime.

Following his parents’ example, Phil frequently encourages families to be creative and make every experience—even the challenging ones—into an adventure to remember.

Today, Phil, his wife Chelsea, and their three-year-old daughter, Emma, live in Westfield, IN. Phil and Chelsea were married in 2015 and welcomed Emma into the world in 2019.

When Phil and Chelsea told Sarah she was going to be an aunt, she was overjoyed. Sarah has always been a natural with children. As an adult, she’s put her abilities to good use working part-time in preschool and second-grade classrooms. Her soothing presence and nurturing nature make her the go-to person for calming anxious little ones.

So, the transition to “Aunt” Sarah was a seamless one. From the day Emma came home from the hospital, Sarah’s touch was magical and soothing. It was as if Emma found solace in Sarah’s comforting gaze, an ability that set her apart from everyone else.

Over the past three years, Sarah and Emma’s bond has blossomed into something truly beautiful. Sarah wears her aunt title with immense pride, cherishing every moment she spends with her niece. Emma loves playing with Aunt Sarah and her cherished collection of American Girl dolls.

“Witnessing Sarah wholeheartedly embrace her new role as Aunt Sarah has been an absolute delight,” said Phil. “And Emma’s face lights up with excitement every time we visit Aunt Sarah’s farm where the two of them can immerse themselves in a world of imagination and play.”

Sarah’s impact reaches beyond Phil, Chelsea, and Emma. Phil and Sarah’s youngest sister, Grace, began her career at the Erskine Greene Training Institute in Muncie, IN.

Because of Sarah, Grace has also been passionately pursuing opportunities to help individuals with disabilities find avenues to enhance their skillsets and build purposeful lives.

“Being intentional about making memories and finding joy in every situation is something that was very important to my family growing up and continues to be important to our family today,” said Phil.

Phil credits his upbringing with shaping his career path and inspiring him to start ENABLE Special Needs Planning to help families like his own envision future success and implement the financial, legal, and communication strategies needed to achieve it.

Phil firmly believes that our loved ones with special needs have the power to positively impact the world. “By empowering them to pursue their individual passions and strengths, we invite them to discover their sense of purpose and calling. Everyone has the ability to be impactful.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

For the past 15 years, Philip Clark, a Chartered Special Needs Consultant (ChSNC), has been helping families across America plan so their children can live purposeful, impactful lives. In 2017, he and his wife, Chelsea Clark, PhD, cofounded ENABLE Special Needs Planning.

Phil is frequently invited to present at national conferences with the National Down Syndrome Congress, National Down Syndrome Society, National Association for Down Syndrome, Autism Society of America, and Milestones.

He served as a founding board member for Gigi’s Playhouse Indianapolis and Same As U. Currently, he serves in the special needs ministry at Mercy Road Church, in Carmel, IN.

The Clarks reside in Westfield, IN, with their three-year-old daughter, Emma. They enjoy going to indoor and outdoor playgrounds and splash pads and taking family beach vacations in Florida.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Email: phil@ENABLEsnp.com