Impact and Giveback

SPECIAL NEEDS Special Place

BY LIESEL SCHMIDT

We all need a place to relax, unwind, have fun, and enjoy the company of others—and that fact doesn’t change for individuals with special needs. But unlike those of us who have no real physical or mental challenges, they can’t manage or navigate so many of the recreational activities that we take for granted on their own.

It takes planning, space and, of course, the people to handle all of the logistics and facilitate the fun, which is where Exceptional Foundation Gulf Coast truly shines. Providing social and recreational opportunities for the special needs community of Baldwin & Mobile counties, EFGC is a group of community leaders and caregivers who dedicate themselves to giving others a unique experience that they might not otherwise have. “Social and recreational opportunities are few and far between for adults with special needs,” says Executive Director Jennifer Flad, who has been successfully growing the organization and expanding its capabilities since taking the position in 2013. “The issue for the special needs community is that there’s no structure to facilitate socialization. Organizations like EFGC promote group activities that cultivate friendships, which is especially appreciated by the families who utilize EFGC’s services to give their loved ones an opportunity to meet and interact with their peer group in a fun environment.”

Each year, more than 100 families participate in EFGC’s programs and activities, which include art, cooking and music programs, horseback riding, yoga, dance and Special Olympics sports such as basketball, baseball, swimming, rhythmic gymnastics and cheerleading, as well as field trips. Summer programs are open to adolescents, while day-to-day activities and programs are available to adults 18 and older.

As a non-profit, EFCG’s biggest challenge is finding the funding to continue serving in all the ways that it does. “We are not state or federally funded,” says Flad. “Donations from individuals, corporations and grants fund the majority of the EFCG’s operating costs. The rest is paid for by participant fees. That said, no participant or family will ever be turned away from EFGC for financial reasons. Scholarships are available for those who need financial assistance.”

Aside from the hurdle of financing, EFCG’s other great need is space. “We have an incredible need for additional space,” Flad explains. “We currently rent the St. Paul’s Episcopal Church Daphne Life Center to use for our activities. It’s a fabulous facility, and the congregation is wonderful and so supportive of our program, so we’re so thankful that we’ve been given the gift of that space. However, with the growth that we have experienced, we find that we need space that suits our participants and their needs a bit better. Each day, we have between 40 and 45 participants attending EFGC, and we need to be able to more suitably accommodate that number.”

Past the challenges are the accomplishments, the triumphs that give them purpose. Those accomplishments can be seen in the many faces of their participants—whose number has grown exponentially in the years since they first opened their doors to the special needs community of Baldwin County. “The growth of our program has been incredible, from 12 participants at the beginning to now over 300 families served over the years,” says Flad. “We’re also very proud of our Special Olympics program that began five years ago with one single basketball team to fielding seven teams prior to Covid.”

Covid presented challenges of its own, but EFCG weathered those with grit, as well. “The EFGC campus was closed for two months during Covid,” says Flad. “During that time, the staff operated an online program to continue to keep our participants engaged and assist their caregivers with much needed respite. Once the doors re-opened, we basically went back to normal, with the exception of running our activities and programs with necessary social distancing and sanitizing processes in place. Our staff and participants were rock stars.”

Two years later, they continue to be rock stars, growing in number and proving just how special they truly are.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT EXCEPTIONALFOUNDATIONGC.ORG.

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