‘Friendships and connections’: Program for special-needs teens teaches more than sports

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Shooting for the Stars is a weekly after-school program at the Mandel JCC in Boynton Beach. It pairs teens with special needs and teen volunteers for sports and activities. Parents and organizers have praised the program for providing opportunities for social interaction and friendship-building. The program began its winter session in January and concluded in mid-March. The JCC’s Center for Inclusion offers a variety of programs for young children, teens and adults with disabilities.”My favorite part is seeing the smiles on their faces and seeing how happy it is for these kids to get these opportunities,” says mother of twins with autism. “I think it’s special seeing everybody come together really have a good time,” she says. “It’s going from this really JCC program to transferring over into the real world,” says director of inclusion for the JCC, John Kabot. “Seeing this program, where our teens started as volunteers, who became friends to our participants, has really been so special,” he says. ‘Friendships and connections’: Program for special-needs teens teaches more than sports, says 16-year-old Lexi Klein, a sophomore at Park Vista High School, is the founder of the shooting for the stars program. ‘It’s not just necessarily about these physical activities, it’s about building friendships and connections,’ says Klein. ‘This is an opportunity for them to be with typical peers who are also teens, getting to have fun, play games, sing songs, play sports,’ says program’s director, who is also a mother of twin boys with autism, Candi Spitz. “This is really an inclusion program,” Spitz says of the program.
Shooting for the Stars is a weekly after-school program at the Mandel JCC in Boynton Beach. It pairs teens with special needs and teen volunteers for sports and activities. Parents and organizers have praised the program for providing opportunities for social interaction and friendship-building. The program began its winter session in January and concluded in mid-March. The JCC’s Center for Inclusion offers a variety of programs for young children, teens and adults with disabilities.”My favorite part is seeing the smiles on their faces and seeing how happy it is for these kids to get these opportunities,” says mother of twins with autism. “I think it’s special seeing everybody come together really have a good time,” she says. “It’s going from this really JCC program to transferring over into the real world,” says director of inclusion for the JCC, John Kabot. “Seeing this program, where our teens started as volunteers, who became friends to our participants, has really been so special,” he says. ‘Friendships and connections’: Program for special-needs teens teaches more than sports, says 16-year-old Lexi Klein, a sophomore at Park Vista High School, is the founder of the shooting for the stars program. ‘It’s not just necessarily about these physical activities, it’s about building friendships and connections,’ says Klein. ‘This is an opportunity for them to be with typical peers who are also teens, getting to have fun, play games, sing songs, play sports,’ says program’s director, who is also a mother of twin boys with autism, Candi Spitz. “This is really an inclusion program,” Spitz says of the program.

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Shooting for the Stars is a weekly after-school program at the Mandel JCC in Boynton Beach. It pairs teens with special needs and teen volunteers for sports and activities. Parents and organizers have praised the program for providing opportunities for social interaction and friendship-building. The program began its winter session in January and concluded in mid-March. The JCC’s Center for Inclusion offers a variety of programs for young children, teens and adults with disabilities.”My favorite part is seeing the smiles on their faces and seeing how happy it is for these kids to get these opportunities,” says mother of twins with autism. “I think it’s special seeing everybody come together really have a good time,” she says. “It’s going from this really JCC program to transferring over into the real world,” says director of inclusion for the JCC, John Kabot. “Seeing this program, where our teens started as volunteers, who became friends to our participants, has really been so special,” he says. ‘Friendships and connections’: Program for special-needs teens teaches more than sports, says 16-year-old Lexi Klein, a sophomore at Park Vista High School, is the founder of the shooting for the stars program. ‘It’s not just necessarily about these physical activities, it’s about building friendships and connections,’ says Klein. ‘This is an opportunity for them to be with typical peers who are also teens, getting to have fun, play games, sing songs, play sports,’ says program’s director, who is also a mother of twin boys with autism, Candi Spitz. “This is really an inclusion program,” Spitz says of the program. Read full article