Local Non-Profit Gives Those With Special Needs a Social Outlet

When Yorktown resident Rose Rothe founded the non-profit in 1989, the organization ran about three programs a week for locals with developmental disabilities.

Now, it boasts 75 programs throughout the county, 85 staff members—and various ways it has affected those involved.

"It has blossomed beyond my wildest imagination," said Rothe, a recreational therapist and the executive director of the organization.

She talks of parents who moved from Queens to Westchester to be close to the programs. Teen volunteers who had planned to study business in college would switch to special education or recreational therapy, she said. And then, of course, she talks of the participants themselves. 

"We’ve had kids who came horseback riding with us when they were middle school age and not only did they develop a love for the act, but by high school they could get part time work at a stable," she said. "They took an activity that was an hour a week [and made it] into something that became a major part of their lives."

Geared toward kids from age 4 through adulthood, Sparc programs are held at various venues throughout the county, including Dobbs Ferry, Pleasantville, Somers and Yorktown, and are available year-round, six days a week, Rothe said. Depending on their age, kids and adults can try their hand at cooking, participate in a film production class or join a music group, in addition to programs such as “Club Sparc” and “Teen Time,” which hold various activities. 

"All of our programs are very tailored to similar peer groups so that everyone can be as independent as they can," said Rothe, who has also taught at Mercy and Lehman colleges. A trained therapist does an assessment and then recommends a group placement, she explains. 

Through the organization, participants like Yorktown resident Josette Healy’s 22-year-old daughter Regina—who has been involved since she was about 10—has taken golf lessons, landed roles in two movies (and an episode of Law and Order Special Victims Unit) and now spends her Friday nights with friends.

"It has given her her own social life," said Healy, who spent time on the organization’s Board of Directors. "We joke that she has a better social life that we do."

Giving people with special needs an opportunity to participate in recreational activities and socialize is one of the aims of the organization, according to its website. And since many of the activities are held in churches, community centers and schools, a Sparc program may take place at the same time as other local programs.

"They’re so used to us being there now, that we’re just part of the community," said Rothe, explaining that this, for example, may help children develop friendships because their activities are in rooms next to each other.

The organization is also helping all students through a recreational and social program in the school community called Kids Express, according to Rothe.

"In the Yorktown school district in 1999, I was approached to start a program for their special education students and by mistake, the flyer went home to all kids in the elementary school," Rothe said.

Soon, a couple hundred students were signed up for the program.

Now in the Lakeland, Somers and Hendrick Hudson school districts as well, the program runs for an hour in which kids participate in various activities, with groups broken down by age and class level.

"The groups are very small, intentionally, so that the kids can get very comfortable and trusting of each other," Rothe said.

During the session, kids may make up their own board game or talk about their feelings and what to do about bullying. The popular program is "really a program that’s great for all kids," according to Rothe.

And parents like Lynn Doxey of Yorktown would agree.

"Kids Express helped Devon find his voice and empowered him to use it," said Doxey of her now 7-year-old son. She explains that after Devon’s older sister passed away, he was shy to play and have conversations with his peers. But the activities, such as role-playing ways to start a conversation helped him develop confidence.

"It’s for any kind of kid because again, during these crucial ages here, this is where the most important thing that they can learn is how to express themselves," she said.

Along with program fees and some state aid, part of the organization’s funding comes through various yearly fundraisers. The next event, a golf outing, will be held on Oct. 19 at Somers Pointe Golf Club. There will be golf—including a beginner’s clinic—dinner, a silent auction and more, with proceeds going to benefit both the Sparc and Kids Express programs, according to Rothe.

Registration for Sparc and Kids Express programs are currently underway and you can find more information here. The registration fee for the golf outing is $195 and can be done here.