OUR STORY:
Jacob's Chance was founded to give area children, teens, and young adults who are differently abled an opportunity to participate in the social and recreational opportunities their peers often take for granted. River City Buddy Ball was the first program starting with a baseball league 7 years ago. Buddy Ball pairs a volunteer with each player to play alongside them, encourage them, and provide assistance if needed. This athletic model is now used to offer full seasons of flag football, soccer, tennis, basketball, bowling, and baseball providing year round opportunities for socialization and exercise. Special athletic events like surfing, skiing, and fishing are provided when sponsorship is available.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:
Over 200 volunteers a year join to play alongside these special players. Local businesses provide donations of food, playing venues, funding, and often bring teams of volunteers out. Virginia Commonwealth University sponsors Jacob's Chance at VCU, helping bring college students and young adults with disabilities together. VCU medical students provide a great source of volunteers. Local public and private schools sponsor fundraising and social events for Jacob's Chance. The annual St. Christopher's and Benedictine baseball game, Pass the Hat, helps to sponsor our full River City Buddy Ball baseball season and we receive guidance and support from Movement Mortgage, a corporation that believes in giving back. The Family Chance program is provided by networking nonprofits so that families are aware of their options and how to best support their child with challenges.
NO BARRIERS:
Playing with River City Buddy Ball and participating in Jacob's Chance programs are not limited by a diagnosis or specific disability. Anyone who may find playing in a recreation league or participating in more normalized classes or social programs uncomfortable or difficult is welcome to play. To prevent any barriers for kids to play, athletics are always free of charge. Players range in ability and learn to support each other; children, teens and young adults with autism, intellectual disabilities, medical limitations, ADHD, and physical disabilities find friends and become engaged and often reach out to support each other. Participants range from a child who may be non-ambulatory and non-verbal to a child with issues that cause them to have more of a social disability and everyone in between.
WHY THE CENTER?
In a recent survey to families caring for an individual with different abilities, the primary concern for their child was social isolation. They find that as a family they have limited opportunities for socialization because of the demands of caregiving and their child has limited social, fitness, and educational opportunities because they can't participate in programs geared toward the more normally abled child or teen. The Jacobs Chance Recreation center will offer social programs, classes (art, music, and cooking), game room, exercise and wellness, family resource events, and organized events as well as open center time for middle and high school age individuals who often feel socially isolated by their disability. At the center, volunteers in their age group will come to work and play alongside them, building friendships and educating all about inclusion. The center will be located in the City of Richmond in closer proximity to urban families who may not have the transportation or financial resources for accessing programs outside of the city.
TESTING THE WATERS
The Jacob's Chance United High School Board of Directors has brought together teens from diverse backgrounds and area high schools to learn about nonprofit management and to offer programming to their peers with different abilities. Basically, this program has established a "teen center" without a home. Monthly programs rotate to different locations where free space is available for their teen socials. The program is highly successful but needs a permanent home. Jacob's Chance at VCU (Virginia Commonwealth University) is a school sponsored club where young adults provide social opportunities to young adults with disabilities who find themselves socially isolated after high school.
FAMILY
The Family Chance program offers classes and resources to parents caring for a child with a disability at no cost. Plans are underway to offer sibling support and activities to help the brothers and sisters of a young person with a disability work through the unique issues they face. Often overlooked, siblings struggle with issues of guilt, frustration, over protection, embarrassment, feeling neglected at times, and coping with the family stresses that come from caring for a child with special needs. The center will also be a home for these programs.
OUR BUDGET
A location for the center has been identified but the space will need some renovations. In addition, funds will be used to furnish the facility for multipurpose use. The initial amount will cover basic renovations of paint, carpeting, physical construction (wall removal), and provide some furnishing and equipment. The stretch amount would help us to outfit a training kitchen, exercise space, computer station, and equipment for art, music and cooking classes as well as contribute to leasing costs.
AS WE GROW
These programs have been made possible through hundreds of hours of work by dedicated volunteers. As the programs grow, we are actively seeking grants, raising funds, and seeking corporate partners to bring on a small staff.
