Our oldest daughter, Reagan, 14, has been diagnosed with Autism and severe ADHD.

She struggles with sensory problems and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder that can disrupt your life.

Because she was our first child, we didn’t realize there was anything different about her until she entered a local preschool.

Now with two more daughters, we can see the differences. I can look back and recognize signs of Reagan’s condition in infancy.

Reagan is an incredibly strong person. She has amazing tenacity, is highly intelligent, generous and fiercely loyal. She will move mountains one day. But her condition holds her back and causes dramatic social and emotional problems.

As Reagan made her way through school, we struggled to find adequate after-school care for her. Most after-school programs have no one trained to work with a child with special needs.

She often was in trouble for behaviors that should have been preventable. She picked up negative behaviors from peers. Her pre-schooling did not really helped her.

Reagan’s journey through school has been difficult, too. She entered the special education program in 1st grade, and since then she has attended 7 schools. None were right for her.

We enrolled Reagan in a virtual school last year and that has made a dramatic improvement. But the mom of a 14-year-old girl is not the best person to serve as her learning coach.

The behaviors associated with Autism and ADHD require a trained therapist, but none are available here.

4 years ago, I felt God calling me to start an after-school program for kids with special needs. But life happened including the birth of our 3rd child.

The project remained a dream with little hope of becoming reality.

Then, a friend introduced me to Civitan.

Civitan is a community service club devoted to helping people with intellectual and developmental disabilities such as Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, ADHD, and others.

I was excited. Maybe God needed me to organize a Civitan club whose members have the same passion.

In July of 2017 the Palmetto Civitan Club was chartered. Our primary project was to create an Inclusive After-School Program and Virtual Learning Lab for kids with special needs.

We built relationships with other non-profit organizations who serve our community, including the ARC of the Midlands, the Autism Academy of SC, the Tim Tebow Foundation, the Autism Society and Special Olympics.

Now the dream is closer than ever to becoming reality.

A local non-profit has agreed to consider creating the After-School Program and Virtual Learning Lab under their operating umbrella.

We are gauging interest from families for these programs and reviewing initial budget projections. We are also looking for appropriate space.

The Mission of the After-School Program is to provide a caring, safe, inclusive environment for students who have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Our program encourages individuals with ASD to work toward their developmental and social goals. It also teaches typically-developing people how to better understand and interact with their friends with ASD with care and compassion.

We strive to offer parents a place they can send their children with confidence that their needs will be met and they will be challenged to reach their individual goals. We give all individuals an opportunity to feel safe, loved and to have fun!

Our vision is to create After-School program sites in each school district in the Midlands. These would offer safe accommodations for students to receive the care they need and help them reach their goals.

All curriculum, instruction and testing will be administered via the Virtual School.

Parents are responsible for enrolling their child in the school of their choice and providing all technology and supplies required.

Our direct therapy team will provide support.

Families of children with special needs will finally have a place they can send their children with confidence. That is a huge stress-reliever for parents. The Palmetto Civitan Club continues to look for members to help us serve people with special needs.

For more information on the Palmetto Civitan Club’s Inclusive After-School Program and Virtual Learning Lab, contact Emily Wright at 803-606-8971 or emily@twgsc.com . The Palmetto Civitan Club may be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PalmettoCivitans .