Senior living community supports little girl’s love for dance

Elaina Antoine, age 6, recently discovered a love for dance. But for the Kissimmee resident, dance is more than an activity, it’s therapy. At age 3, Elaina was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. After her parents divorced, her mother moved to Kissimmee to live with Elaina’s grandparents and Elaina started getting behind in school.

Concerned, her mother looked for an outlet to help Elaina develop and thrive and found Chance 2 Dance, a local non-profit that offers dance classes to children, youth and adults with varying disabilities and special needs. Yet, the funds were not there to pay for her dance classes.

That’s where The Watermark at Vistawilla came in. The upscale assisted living and memory care community, which welcomed residents in Winter Springs earlier this week, nominated Elaina to be their first Watermark Kid and sponsored her dance classes through December 2018.

“As a Watermark community we support youth in our area through Watermark for Kids. When I learned about Chance 2 Dance I knew we had a perfect opportunity to help a deserving child thrive,” said Lisa Celona, community life director for The Watermark at Vistawilla. “I loved the inclusivity of the organization and reached out to see if there were any children who needed financial support. They put me in touch with Elaina’s mother and the rest is history.”

Watermark for Kids is a national nonprofit associated with Watermark Retirement Communities, which owns and operates The Watermark at Vistawilla and 51 other communities nationwide. The organization is committed to empowering underserved kids from ages 6 through 22 to express their character, leadership, creativity, compassion and spirit.

“Dance is so much more than an activity for Elaina,” said her mother, Altagrace Simon. “Since starting the classes, I’ve noticed a change in her behavior. She tries to sing and play with the other children. She can follow instructions and remembers the routine. This is progress from when she started, and I’m so happy she gets to continue dance classes.”

Supporting children like Elaina is an important part of Chance 2 Dance’s mission. Yet, as a new nonprofit the funds are not there to offer scholarships of their own.

“With all of the extra therapies and interventions, the cost of living is much different for families with a child with special needs,” said Nicole Warren, founder and executive director of Chance 2 Dance. “Our goal is to offer scholarships to dancers; however, as a new nonprofit, we aren’t there just yet. Watermark for Kids not only helped Elaina, it helped us in our endeavor to meet the needs of an underserved population.”

If you’re interested in supporting Chance 2 Dance and children like Elaina, donations can be made on their website, www.chance2dancefl.org.