Group hosting special needs Christmas event

Published 2:00 am Wednesday, December 9, 2020

The winter holiday season is a special time of year, one that many children look forward to. However, kids with special needs may be left out of the festivities due to their unique circumstances.

Thanks to the Make A Way Foundation and the United Athens 12U Black volleyball team, children with special needs in Limestone County will soon have a Christmas event structured just for them.

Cookies with Santa and Elves will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday at Latham and Moffatt Law Firm, 317 Market St. in Athens.

According to Stacey Givens, founder and board president of Make A Way, the event will feature a visit from Santa Claus, elves to spot, a craft and cookies to decorate. The event is designed to be sensory friendly and will follow COVID-19 guidelines regarding social distancing and sanitization.

“If someone gets upset, we don’t want them to feel any judgment,” Givens said. “People can come and go as they need to. We are going to do whatever we can to make them comfortable. They will be able to sit in Santa’s lap or just wave from a distance.”

Givens said Make A Way was established last year to provide support and services to individuals with special needs in the community. She said this event will allow Santa to visit with kids who otherwise might not be able to see him since usual gathering places have large crowds and lots of stimuli.

“If you don’t provide a unique opportunity with less stimuli and expectation, then these kids don’t get to participate,” Givens said. “We feel these children deserve the opportunity to enjoy some Christmas traditions.”

This is the first time Make A Way is hosting this event, but if it proves to be popular with the community, then Givens hopes to make it an annual affair.

If there ends up being a crowd for the event, Givens asks attendees to stay in their vehicles until they are called in, to help maintain social distancing. She said anyone who needs handicap accessibility can use a ramp at the back of the building, but she asks their driver let someone at the front door know first so aid can be provided at the rear entrance.

Another aspect of Make A Way’s mission is to help get sensory rooms installed in all Limestone County schools to aide special needs students. She said the organization raises money and even helps install these rooms in local schools, with the first two located at East Limestone High and Creekside Elementary.

“We are going to hold ribbon cuttings for those rooms next week,” Givens said. “We are working to identify two more schools to install sensory rooms in, with our goal to have one in all LCS schools. Once that is done, our organization will continue to work to assist special needs individuals in Limestone County.”