On Friday, August 8, the Activities Lawn at Club Rancho Sahuarita will host a dedicated movie screening for children who have special needs. The Special Needs Sensory Movie Night is an adaptation of Rancho Sahuarita’s popular Movies Under the Stars series. The event is organized in association with the Sahuarita-Green Valley Family Support Network, and is intended especially for children with special needs and their families.
The movie event is modified by lowering the volume, keeping the lights up, enclosing the area and allowing kids to run and move about. “Most of the kids are sensitive to loud noises, or afraid of the dark,” says Jamie Comeau of the Sahuarita-Green Valley Family Support Network. Adapting the event space and allowing the kids more freedom to move allows them to enjoy the movie in a way that suits them.
The Sahuarita-Green Valley Family Support Network is a local organization that is committed to promoting an inclusive community for families of children with exceptional needs. The all-volunteer group organizes one activity a month, which is usually themed according to the nearest holiday. “Families can come to any of our events and relax and have no worries about what someone may think of how their child may be acting,” says Comeau.
Rancho Sahuarita is a frequent host of the Network’s events, including their most recent activity, a special water park day at the Clubhouse Splash Park.
The Network began meeting in 2012, when five families with special needs kids came together for support meetings. According to Comeau, most parents brought their kids, so the group decided to have a standing play date on the second Saturday of each month.
Since that time, the group has grown to serve many families; around 70 people attended the Special Needs Water Park Day at Rancho Sahuarita.
Although three leaders provide administrative support and organization for the group, it is all volunteer- and donation-based. For more information about the services the Network provides to families in Sahuarita and Green Valley, visit SGVFamilySupport.org.