New non-profit offers activities for children with special needs

It all started with a simple question.

At a conservatorship workshop, one parent stood up and asked who would take care of his child with special needs after he's gone.

That question stuck in the minds of three children with special-needs families, and after two years of living room meetings, paperwork and searching for a property, they finally have answered the question.

The families opened The Village Community, a nonprofit organization in West Branch that provides enrichment activities for young adults with special needs.

The families plan to open a residence in the future so their children can be cared for in a family environment while 'living, learning and working” for the rest of their lives.

'They really do recognize that this is potentially their future, and they do already have an ownership and pride,” said Brenda Kurtz, one of the founders, of the special-needs youth. 'We're just looking to nurture more than that because if they end up living here for the rest of their lives, we want them to look back and have great memories.”

The Village Community bought the West Branch property, which used to be a winery, last August. In November, the organization began offering an after-school program two days a week and on Saturdays. Starting this month, it will offer summer programs four afternoons per week to nine people.

Some activities will bring community organizations into The Village Community. Others will bring the youth out into the community to learn new skills. Such activities may include music therapy and yoga as well as trips to restaurants.

'A lot of it comes from what might already be happening in the community, but they just might not be successful going to those different spots in the community. So we do those activities here so that they're successful, and then we try it in the community,” said Joe Taylor, director of The Village Community.

The families said there are options for their children but knew there could be something better. In addition to a safe place for their children to live, the three founding families wanted The Village Community to offer even more to its members such as jobs, an extended family and interactions with the community.

The next step for The Village Community will be to develop a storefront on the property to provide its members with flexible vocational opportunities. Ann Brownsberger, one of the founders, said in addition to some of the produce that is grown on the property, selling local artisans' work in the storefront is a possibility.

'It's our kids' future, so having it not work has never been an option. We've maybe had to look at things differently, but having it not work has never been an option,” Brownsberger said.

Kayloni Moore, a staff member who has been with The Village Community since it began, said she was looking for a more fulfilling career opportunity when she found the organization. She said she wanted to work with the members of The Village Community because she admired what the founders had done for their children.

'The founding families are probably the most determined people I have ever encountered,” Moore said. 'They will do anything to make sure they have a place for the kids long term.”