Adam, right, one of Joe’s Kids, spends some time with his therapist McKayla. Joe’s Kids recently moved to a new, larger space, allowing the nonprofit to serve more children. Photo courtesy of Joe’s Kids.
By Lauren Zeugner
Ink-free news
WARSAW – One of the late James Earl Jones’s famous movie lines was: “If you build it, they will come.” And for Joe’s Kids that is certainly true. Joe’s Kids has been serving special needs children ages 0 to 18 living in Kosciusko and 11 surrounding counties for 10 years.
The nonprofit organization provides occupational, physical and speech therapy, as well as tutoring for children with dyslexia.
Last year, Joe’s Kids had the opportunity to purchase the former Lutheran Redeemer School. The building offered Joe’s Kids more space and the ability to serve not only its current customers, but also the 200 on the waiting list.
That waiting list consists of children from across the state who are in need of the services Joe’s Kids provides.
Millie, one of Joe’s Kids, laughs while spending time in the Spider Cage. This is a new therapeutic device from Joe’s Kids that provides external body weight and postural support using a bungee system. Photo courtesy of Joe’s Kids.
The nonprofit’s mission is to equip children with diverse skills to realize their full potential through care, community and connection.
After obtaining a zoning exception and completing renovations, Joe’s Kids moved into its new facility on January 23. The new space offers 15 small treatment rooms, four large treatment rooms and four gyms serving children with a wide range of special needs. There is a sensory gym that helps children who are working on their posture and using large muscle groups, as well as children with balance problems and children who have difficulty sensing where their limbs are in space. Occupational therapy and physiotherapy also use the sensory fitness room.
There is also an accessible outdoor playground where clients can receive therapy to develop gross motor skills or simply play with their siblings.
There are still a number of rooms awaiting renovation in the new building. Rebecca Bazzoni, executive director of Joe’s Kids, wants to turn the old kitchen into a space similar to a studio apartment so children can learn life skills like making a bed, vacuuming, cooking and doing laundry.
“The goal is to help them become independent,” said Trish Nichols, director of development.
The other space is the old school gym, where children currently enjoy riding bikes or scooters. The gym also houses the new spider cage, which is used to provide external body weight and postural support using a dynamic bungee system that can be adjusted by the therapist to suit each child’s needs.
The space allowed Joe’s Kids to host both an arts camp and an inclusive sports camp.
“What we saw was a lot of joy… We’re looking at where we want to go (in the future),” Bazzoni said.
Bazzoni explained that pediatric therapies are often performed in a nonprofit setting. Bazzoni explained that 87% of Joe’s Kids customers have health or other insurance and said, “The only way to really do this is nonprofit.”
Similar services, if they are offered, are usually offered in a hospital setting, which Bazzoni says means the hospital system provides a financial umbrella. Attempts to offer these types of therapies to children in for-profit settings have typically failed because they are expensive.
Nichols explained that there are very few pediatric therapy centers.
Brantley and Cole, two of Joe’s Kids, have fun in the ball pit during a recent therapy session. Joe’s Kids offers a variety of therapies for children with special needs and guidance for children with dyslexia. Photo courtesy of Joe’s Kids.
Today, Joe’s Kids serves 600 children and still has a waiting list. “We’re not turning anyone away,” Bazzoni said.
The nonprofit will connect children who don’t fully qualify for First Steps Indiana with Hoosier families whose young children are experiencing developmental delays, connecting them with services to help them advance their child’s development.
The National Institutes of Health estimates that 20% or 1 in 5 children have some degree of dyslexia. Joe’s Kids has 12 teachers who are certified academic language practitioners in Orton Gillingham’s multisensory treatment of dyslexia. “We are also seeing great results,” Bazzoni said.
Those who want to help Joe’s Kids can help in several ways. The nonprofit needs volunteers for special events.
Joe’s Kids needs money because it costs about $40 per child per session. Community members can sponsor a child by donating $40 per month. “We have some parents who drive their kids an hour to bring them here,” Nichols said.
Another way to support Joe’s Kids is to follow it on social media and share its posts.
