Special Friends
Children with special needs (preschool-18 years) often do not have the opportunity to participate in supervised play and their parents do not have a time to share with other parents the rights and opportunities of their special need child. In April of 1997, Lee Ann Parker, a teacher in the Oconee County school system and mother of a child with special needs, and Lynn Dobson, a Registered Nurse with over 30 years experience in Pediatric Nursing, began the Special Friends program to address these concerns with an informal meeting at their church. The program initially began with monthly meetings when the special needs child was matched with a youth and enjoyed playing in the gym supervised by Lynn. Siblings were also invited. While the children played, Lee Ann met with the parents. These informal discussions ranged in topics from visits by our legislators, child advocacy persons in the state, or just a topic that the parents wanted to share.
Because of the hectic schedule of families of special needs children, Special Friends parents now meet monthly during the school year (6:30 – 8:00 p.m.) as a sharing group for the parents only, although child care is provided if needed.
From the monthly gatherings, the idea of a Special Friends Day Camp began July 17, 1998. This camp provides a normal summer experience for children and families that often have very few experiences that are "normal". A special "thank you" goes out to all of the young people and adults who volunteered their time and boats to make the 2009 Day Camp a success. The 2010 Day Camp will be July 27th to 29th.