No Limitations Athletics teamed up with Elite Therapy Center to make sure children with special needs are included in all Easter celebrations, including an egg hunt. So they hosted an inclusive Easter egg hunt on Friday.
"No one should be left out of the fun of Easter. No child they should get every experience that their siblings get. They should be able to hunt eggs, see the Easter bunny do all of these things and celebrate like the other children get to do instead of just watching," Coleen Heaton, co-founder of No Limitations Athletics, said.
The first Easter Eggstravaganza was specifically geared towards children with special needs and their families.
There were about 200 children at the event on Friday, taking pictures with the Easter bunny, petting a goat and participating in an egg hunt.
"We want to offer them and their families the experiences that maybe they were told at some point by someone that they wouldn't get to have," Heaton said.
For children in wheelchairs or those who are equipment bound, tables with artificial turf, mulch, flower pots allowed the children to hunt for hidden Easter eggs.
"They can feel like they're getting eggs from the ground just like any other kid," Kari McKown, co-owner of Elite Therapy Center, said.
The event also had beeping eggs for the visually-impaired children.
For Sarah Mabe, a mother of a special needs child, an event like this helps her son, Myles.
"It's really important that he gets to participate in normal type of activities to make his life better," Mabe said.
Mabe notices an immediate difference in Myles whenever he is able to participate in similar inclusive events.
"His demeanor changes, he's happier he's more engaged which really helps," Mabe said.
"We're breaking down another barrier and a more inclusive community," Heaton said.
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