Sebastian community comes together to build a unique playground for special children

As any parent can attest, there never seems to be enough hours in the day.

This truth is exacerbated when you have a child with special needs. In addition to the usual demands of parenthood, dedicated therapies take center stage and the stress level can soar dangerously high.

This reality was profoundly understood by Tim and Marie Kuck, co-founders of Nathaniel’s Hope, an Orlando-based non-profit providing hope and assistance to children with special needs and their families.

Their own son, Nathaniel, was born severely handicapped and passed away at just 4-years-old.

The 5 F’s

As Tim Kuck reflects in a web video he and his family were fortunate to have what he refers to as “The Five F’s” – Faith, Family, Friends, Finances, and Flexibility -- but even with those essentials they were barely making ends meet.

The physical and emotional toll of around-the-clock care of their son, and the expenses that came with it, was almost too much for them to bear. They couldn’t imagine what life would be like for a family with only one or two, or even three, of those critical F’s.

In that spirit, they dedicated themselves to the foundation of Nathaniel’s Hope, with the desire to make life easier for other families in their shoes.

When you’re a child affiliated with Nathaniel’s Hope, you are officially a VIP – a Very Important Person. The organization has several programs for the children, ranging from a birthday club, to community friendship strolls, to Christmas caroling events, and much more.

Buddy Break

One of the programs of which they are most proud is called Buddy Break, serving as a form of respite for the parents and caretakers of these special children. While it is a challenge for any parent to find a few hours of time for a break, it’s nearly impossible for one whose child has unique needs.

The Buddy Break program provides a safe place for children with special needs to come and play one day per month, with specially trained volunteers handling their care. During that time, mom and dad can tend to their own personal needs for a few hours.

United Church of Sebastian recently became a Buddy Break location, thanks to tremendous backing by the community. Nancy Collins, chair of the church council, learned about the program and brought it up at one of their meetings.

“The response was terrific,” she said. “We couldn’t wait to get started.”

There is a process involved in becoming an official Buddy Break location, which the Church immediately began to implement.

 “Volunteers need to be specially trained to handle certain situations, and of course, all volunteers need to undergo background checking procedures,” she explained. “Once we got those steps taken care of, we opened our doors to welcome our local VIPs.”

The program currently has ten such enrollees and siblings that regularly attend the Buddy Break play time.

“It’s such a joy to see the kids, and to watch them interact with their Buddy and their peers,” said Collins. “The children and their families have made such a tremendous difference in the lives of our volunteers.

“They have taught us how to love.”

While at the Church, the children enjoy playing on a special handicap-equipped playground, and participate in arts and crafts, songs, and games.

“It was apparent after the first few Buddy Breaks that a favorite activity of the kids was playing on the swings,” said Collins. “Our playground needed some upgrades so we sought the community’s help to make it better. We could never have imagined the tremendous amount of support we received.”

Through the Sebastian Clambake Foundation, the City of Sebastian, generous donations from the church and community and the help of Scout Troop 505, the playground renovation was soon realized.

A ribbon cutting was held last year to officially open the new playground.

“The City of Sebastian kindly donated playground equipment for the cause, and the Scouts did much of the hands-on work,” said Collins. “Alec Timm, the troop’s Eagle Scout candidate, planned and led the effort for the wheelchair and handicap swing area. It was a huge effort and they did a wonderful job!”

The park now features a wheelchair swing, a handicapped swing, slides, and other playground equipment, all set in a soft, safe ground cover.

“There is absolutely no way this would have been possible without the help of everyone who was involved,” said Collins. ”It was truly a community-wide effort.”

The Buddy Break is held on the first Saturday of each month and lasts for three hours. There is a need for more volunteers and those interested are encouraged to call the United Church of Sebastian at 772-388-0461.

 “The time spent with these children and their families will change your life,” said Collins. “We are always looking for volunteers to join us, as well as for families who would benefit from this. We have a lot more room in the program for anyone who would like to participate. Certainly make the call!”

Next on the horizon for the Church is to purchase sun shades for the playground. If you’d like to help with this, please call them at 772-388-0461. For more information about Nathaniel’s Hope, visit www.nathanielshope.org.