If you’ve been around the Burlington, South Burlington, or UVM area, you’ve likely seen hats or t-shirts that say Big Willy Style. Our household has numerous t-shirts from Big Willy Style and I recently purchased some winter hats. Not only are the t-shirts of highest quality, but the winter hats are so warm that my head was nice and toasty even during our recent sub-zero days. But there is far more to Big Willy Style than the amazing clothing brand. Big Willy Style is inspired by a special needs athlete with an enormous love of sports. Will is an amazing young boy who has a passion for sports. Although Will is unable to compete with his peers athletically, he is always at sporting events supporting his teams. Whether he is watching his siblings or peers participate in sport at South Burlington or supporting the teams at UVM, his love of sports is abundantly clear. Along with providing a clothing awareness brand, Big Willy Style … [Read more...]
A year in review
Over the last 12 months Kayla’s Directory has continued to have a positive impact on children with special needs and their families. We have purchased adaptive equipment, created venues and programs for children with special needs, and continued to update our website with information about community resources. We also have made some great connections with local agencies that are working with us to make things more accessible for everyone. Things achieved in 2017: In memory of Mitzie Marinovich, purchased an all-terrain adaptive stroller for Echo Leahy Center for families to have access to the Burlington waterfront Purchased 2 pairs of noise-cancelling headphones for the Echo Center Purchased an adaptive sled for Catamount Family Center Purchased an all-terrain adaptive stroller for Shelburne Museum Purchased an adaptive-bike trailer for Partners in Adventure Purchased 6 “ice-walkers” for children to have access … [Read more...]
Successful Skating program is more than skating
Our “Successful Skating” class is wrapped up its first session this season. As I look back to last year’s program (which was our first), we made some changes in order to make this program more successful for both the skaters and the mentors. I also recognize that this program’s growth allows it to expand well beyond skating skills. First, we lengthened our program to eight weeks rather than the standard six-week class. This allows the children more ice-time and more time and exposure to the routine. We also changed the class time to mitigate the number of people and amount of chaos in the lobby while the kids get ready to skate. It can be utter chaos in the lobby with hockey programs and learn-to-skate programs going on simultaneously (which is usually not good for the kids we work with). We started to incorporate a skill checklist (courtesy of Full Strides), so we can work on specific skills with kids if needed. And we added … [Read more...]
Kindness, acceptance & more
Over the last four years, the facility staff at UVM Gutterson Fieldhouse has gone above and beyond to form a relationship with Kayla. They have all accepted her quirkiness, rigidness, and physical limitations. Before every game, Kayla rides the Zamboni after the team warms up. Mike Little is the guy that gets her on the Zamboni and drives her around. Kayla has been to every game and so has Mike. Mike was not a recent game and Kayla immediately asked what was going to happen. As I came down the stairs, I see Thad McCuin sitting next to Kayla telling her that he was going to drive her that night. Kayla sat there with him and told him exactly what the routine was. Tears were brought to my eyes seeing the kindness, acceptance, understanding, and empathy that was shown that night. … [Read more...]
And another outstanding program is……
Kayla’s Directory strongly believes that community is an important component of the human experience and that a fulfilled and happy life is one that is shared. When designing our programs, we rely on mentors to help make our programs successful. Whether they are adults from within our community, local high school students, or college students, these individuals have a positive impact on children with special needs. For the last three years, Kayla has participated in a program that is designed to foster positive interactions between collegiate athletes and individuals with special needs. The EDD Memorial Fund is a local non-profit that provides recreational and competitive sports programs for young people with disabilities. Kayla has been fortunate to attend clinics held with the St. Michael’s Women’s Soccer Team. Gretchen Owens, who runs the EDD Memorial Fund, has organized several yearly clinics with the women’s soccer team. … [Read more...]