Adam, right, one of Joe’s Kids, spends some time with his therapist McKayla. Joe’s Kids recently moved into a new larger space that allows the nonprofit to help more kids. Photo provided by Joe’s Kids.

By Lauren Zeugner
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — One of the late James Earl Jones’ famous movie lines was “If you build it, they will come.” And for Joe’s Kids, that is certainly true. Joe’s Kids has been serving special needs children ages 0-18 who live in Kosciusko and 11 surrounding counties for 10 years.

The nonprofit offers occupational, physical and speech therapies, as well as tutoring to children with dyslexia.

Last year, Joe’s Kids had the opportunity to purchase the former Lutheran Redeemer School. The building offered more space and an opportunity for Joe’s Kids to be able to serve not only its current clients, but also the 200 on its waiting list.

That waiting list is of children from across the state who are in need of the services Joe’s Kids provides.

Millie, one of Joe’s Kids, laughs as she spends time in the Spider Cage. This is a new therapeutic tool at Joe’s Kids which provides external body weight and postural support using a bungee system. Photo provided by Joe’s Kids.

The nonprofit’s mission is to: equip children with diverse abilities to realize their full potential through care, community and connection.

After getting a zoning exception and doing renovations, Joe’s Kids moved into its new facility on Jan. 23. The new space offers 15 small treatment rooms, four large treatment rooms and four gyms which assist children with a wide variety of special needs. There is a sensory gym which assists children who are working on their posture and using large muscle groups, as well as children with balance issues and those who have issues feeling where their limbs are in space. Occupational and physical therapies also use the sensory gym.

There is also an accessible playground outside where clients can receive therapy to develop gross motor skills or just play with their siblings.

There are a few spaces awaiting renovation in the new facility. Rebecca Bazzoni, executive director of Joe’s Kids, wants to turn the old kitchen into a space resembling a studio apartment so kids can learn life skills such as making a bed, vacuuming, cooking and laundry.

“The goal is to help them gain independence,” said Trish Nichols, development director.

The other space is the old school gym, where currently kids enjoy riding bikes or scooters. The gym also houses the new spider cage, which is used to provide external body weight and postural support using a dynamic bungee system that can be tailored by the therapist to benefit each child, depending on their needs.

The space also allowed Joe’s Kids to host both an arts camp and an inclusive sports camp.

“What we saw was a whole lot of joy… We’re looking at where we want to go (in the future),” Bazzoni said.

Bazzoni explained pediatric therapies are often done in a nonprofit environment. Explaining that 87% of Joe’s Kids clients are on medicaid or some other insurance, Bazzoni said, “the only way to truly do this is nonprofit.”

Similar services, if they are offered, are offered usually in a hospital environment, which Bazzoni explained means the hospital system is offering a financial umbrella. Attempts to offer these types of therapies to children in a for-profit setting have typically failed because they are expensive.

Nichols explained there are very few pediatric therapy centers.

Brantley and Cole, two of Joe’s Kids, have some fun in the ball pit during a recent therapy session. Joe’s Kids provides a variety of therapies to special needs children and tutoring to children with dyslexia. Photo provided by Joe’s Kids.

Today, Joe’s Kids serves 600 children and is still addressing a waiting list. “We’re not turning anyone away,” Bazzoni said.

The nonprofit will see children who don’t quite qualify for First Steps Indiana which partner with Hoosier families whose young children are experiencing developmental delays and connect them with services that help them promote their child’s development.

The National Institutes of Health estimates that 20% or 1 in 5 children have some level of dyslexia. Joe’s Kids has 12 tutors who are certified academic language practitioners in Orton Gillingham multi-sensory treatment of dyslexia. “We’re seeing amazing results as well,” Bazzoni said.

Those wanting to help Joe’s Kids can help in a variety of ways. The nonprofit has a need for volunteers for special events.

Joe’s Kids has a fundraising need as it costs approximately $40 per child per session. Members of the community may sponsor a child by donating $40 a month. “We have some parents who drive their children an hour to bring them here,” Nichols said.

Another way of supporting Joe’s Kids is to follow it on social media and share its posts.