As we approach Mother’s Day, we are reflecting on the hardworking mothers of children with special needs everywhere, but especially those who are part of our SPARC family.
It’s a difficult, often lonely job raising a child with developmental disabilities. In our community we pour billions into K-12 education and those years provide many services and opportunities. But when those children become young adults, all that support vanishes.
As one of our participants reminds us,
“When I aged out of high school, I felt like I aged out of life. Before SPARC, I didn’t fit into any program.”
That is why we are fiercely committed to making a difference in the lives of these mothers and their families. Our programs and advocacy on behalf of young adults with disabilities and their parents has been continuous for sixteen years.
The joy at Center is only possible thanks to friends like you. Please join us for a cup of tea and as you sip and relax, kindly take a moment to celebrate our mothers with a gift to SPARC.
“Over the years my son has brought home Mother’s Day gifts he made for me at SPARC: a spider plant that was barely visible over the potting soil, which is now in its fourth repotting; a hand-formed painted clay pot that I look at every day; a uniquely folded card with a heartfelt message of love; and so many more.
However, the most treasured Mother’s Day gifts come from those who have helped him create those objects: the hands that helped his hands mold the pot’s shape; the voices of encouragement as he struggled to scoop in the dirt; the eyes that noticed he needed assistance in folding the paper for the card. Those are the gifts that go unnoticed but are more precious than gold.
Thank you, SPARC, for giving me years and years and years of very special Mother’s Days.”