Young Athletes Program Aims to Give Special Needs Kids a Place to Play

A new and unique youth sports program is ready to take off in Tiverton.

Under the enthusiastic organization of a small group of parents of special needs children, the Tiverton Young Athletes Program – a version of Special Olympics Rhode Island specifically designed for younger children – has been organized and will shortly operate its first season of athletic and recreational activities for boys and girls of ages 2 ½ to 8 years. Its programs will specifically target children with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities and unable to participate in traditional youth sports programs.

The fledgling Youth Athletes Program is headed by President Jennifer Landoch, Vice President Danielle Foltz, Secretary Jenny Sheppard, Treasurer Stephanie Viveiros, Volunteer Coordinator Genna Fernandes and Community Liaison Mike Miller, all of whom are dedicated to expanding community activities and programs for young people who presently have few choices.

No registration or participation fees will be charged to enrollees and residents of Tiverton, Little Compton, Portsmouth, Middletown and Newport are welcome to join.

The group held an information Open House on July 29 at Envy Gymnastics in Tiverton, during which one new enrollee and several new volunteers were accepted.

“We were hoping for a little higher turnout, but we were grateful for the people who attended,” Foltz said. “We’re still working on getting the word out about our programs and it will take time.”

They have created a Web site accessible at www.tivertonspecialsports.com., which will include complete and updated information about its programs and activities.

“Several of us have children with special needs in this age bracket and they need athletic activities, but there is nothing available for them right now in Tiverton,” Foltz said. “Special Olympics operates extensive programs for children of eight years and older and added the Youth Athletes Program in recent years to service younger children.”

According to Foltz, the focus of Tiverton Young Athletes will be to introduce special needs children to fundamentals of individual sports, while also providing them with opportunities for social interaction. Ideally, she said, graduates of this program will be interested in later entering Special Olympics competitions.

Sheppard said the group initially contacted the only local Special Olympics chapter – located at the Newport YMCA – and was advised to consider creating a Youth Athletes Program.

“People at the Newport YMCA gave us a template for organizing ourselves and Special Olympics Rhode Island gave us a small financial donation to get started, and we’re just learning now as we go along,” Sheppard said.

And garnering plenty of support as well. The organization has procured the use of fields at to operate fall programs in soccer, tennis and track and field, and facilities at Envy Gymnastics to sponsor a gymnastics program during its winter season.

The Father Joseph Boehr Council of the in Tiverton has also expressed its willingness to support the new group, which plans to offer sports sanctioned by Special Olympics in three separate seasons.

“Our programs will be non-competitive and will focus on skill-building and socialization skills,” Foltz said. “We will have instructional stations in all our programs and plenty of volunteers to help out.”

According to Sheppard, the Tiverton Young Athletes Program is hopeful of enrolling up to 15 children in its initial program, which starts Sunday, Aug. 28, at Tiverton High. Sessions will be held weekly on Sundays from 3 to 4 p.m. for nine weeks, culminating with an “Athletes Celebration” program in late October.

“We already have eight or nine youngsters committed to us now,” Sheppard said. “We will accept new registrants on a first-come, first-served basis. We still have openings available for the fall program.”

According to Foltz, program participants will wear T-shirts donated by Special Olympics Rhode Island. That organization, she said, will also donate awards to participants at the conclusion of program sessions.

Tiverton Young Athletes is also seeking male and female volunteers of ages 10 years and older to serve as volunteer instructors, “buddies” (supporters assigned to each participant) and even cheerleaders. Background checks for volunteers will be mandated and training programs for volunteers will be operated under the aegis of Special Olympics.

With the start of its first session less than one month away, Tiverton Young Athletes is hopeful its efforts will be duplicated in other local communities in the future.

“In Tiverton, enough people got together and decided to do something to help special needs children,” Sheppard said. “Anyone can do what we are doing in other communities.”

For more information, send inquiries to special.families@yahoo.com.