20-kids joined together this past Saturday at Special Haven in Antioch for a movie night to watch Cars 2 as a way to bring the special needs community together for an evening of fun.
“We were thinking about events that would bring families together and we thought a movie night would be great because of the cost to go to the movies these days. Theaters are too loud and sometimes offer too much stimulation and not enough space for children with special needs. This environment was flexible and easy for both the kids and the parents,” said Board Member Dave Chuey.
While everyone is invited, Chuey explained that the event was set up for families who can relate to one another where you don’t have people yelling “hey down in front” or “be quiet”. It was an event where families knew each other and could relate to one another.
While the movie was going, some kids wanted to hang out in the multi-sensory room which recently opened this year. It’s full of multi-sensory equipment which stimulates or calms the senses. Part of the goal of movie night was to encourage more kids to come out to see the room.
“Sometimes too much happening during a movie causes anxiety, so some kids wanted to hang in the multi-sensory room to calm down. The cool part about the night was we gave away a goody bag to all the kids with pencils and erasers to get ready for school. It was a little something, but it meant a lot to the kids. We also gave away a Dr. Seuss prize pack included Cat in the Hat DVD, flash cards, dry eraser board, pencils, and markers.,” explained Chuey.
Some of the posts via the organizations Facebook included cheers of support from the event.
“Thank you for a fun night,” said Shai Glosser.
“The kids had a great time! It was a big hit,” said Christine Schwab.
In total, the event had about 45-people and was held between 6:30-9:00 pm which included drinks and snacks. According to Chuey, Special Haven wants to do an art event in the future which is still in the works, but wants to use the art work created to decorate the room.
For more information about Special Haven, please visit their website
Special Haven is providing a multi-sensory environment for the benefit and development of children and adults with Special Needs in the local community of Antioch and the surrounding towns. You can contact them
Special Haven
213 G Street
Antioch, Ca 94509
phone – 925-222-5322
email – [email protected]
facebook – www.facebook.com/SpecialHaven
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I love hearing when kids are given a special night, especially special needs.