Sandy Cay, Inc. will be hosting its first annual Runway 5K fundraising event on Saturday, July 7, 2012 at the Williams County Airport on County Road D in Bryan. Sandy Cay, Inc. (SCI) has been in operation since 2000 and has benefited over 100 local Northwest Ohio families by assisting children ages three and up with their specific communication, educational, social or behavioral needs. SCI h as been supported by public and private donations, fundraising, the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund, Autism Speaks, the Autism Scholarship Program, FAST, Easter Seals, local businesses, civic clubs and volunteerism.
In 2003, Sandy Cay, Inc. formed The Bryan Center for children with an autism spectrum disorder. The first program of its kind in the Four County area, The Bryan Center offers a full day educational program and serves children with autism, PDD and Asperger’s Syndrome. The Bryan Center works together with local public and private schools to develop and implement Individual Educational Plans to make each child successful. The 1:1 and small group ratio is costly, but is often required for students with such intensive needs. There are about thirty students enrolled with The Bryan Center and SCI employs 23 staff members.
Autism is a growing concern nationwide with data now revealing 1 in 91 children affected. This figure comes from a study published October 5, 2009 in the American Academy of Pediatrics journal Pediatrics and is supported by The Center for Disease Control. Although autism is a spectrum disorder affecting each individual to varying degrees, its prevalence almost guarantees most people will eventually be touched by it in some way. The good news is that with intensive, research-based interventions, outcomes improve markedly. SCI and The Bryan Center have seen great success utilizing these effective interventions with their students. This success is the motivation to keep moving forward within this challenging field.
The Coral Reef Project (CRP) is another division of SCI which provides a mentoring program, some respite care and Sandy Cay Kids Summer Camp for students with and without disabilities. CRP’s objective is to provide services for children with special challenges such as those dealing with bullying, anger, academic failure, life skills deficits, behavior issues or emotional stress. There are typically 50 campers enrolled in summer camp. The choices that are made for children today can have a dramatic effect on what the future holds for them tomorrow. This is true not only in the financial realm of saving taxpayers millions of dollars in avoiding out of home placement, but also in the priceless category of self esteem, quality of life and safety issues that surround the ability to function. Prevention through education and skill building are the underlining themes of the Coral Reef Project.
On behalf of SCI and The Bryan Center, thank you for considering to become an event sponsor and helping some very special children in our community. Sponsorships are: Basic, up to $49, Bronze $50, Silver $100, Gold $250, Platinum $500 and Diamond $1,000 or more. Event sponsors starting at the Bronze level will have their names printed on the race t-shirts according to category and ALL sponsors will be listed on the website. Any size donation is truly appreciated and all donations are fully tax deductible. Visit the DONATE page of the website for more information on donating.
If you would like to join us on July 7th the Fun Run starts at 8am and the 5K starts at 8:30am. Hope to see you there!
Thank you,
Kathleen T. Ewonus
Executive Director