This December I had the opportunity to attend the Brick Special Education PTA’s 10th anniversary “Meet and Greet.” It is an event which included various organizations devoted to helping those with special needs, a visit from Mayor Ducey, and a strong turn-out from parents, teachers, and administrators alike.
It also holds multiple raffles just for attending, and I win something cool every year (and trust me, I never win anything.)
I’m writing today about SEPTA in part to praise its president, Brenda Calderone (and the board too,) for putting together such a wonderful evening. I’m also writing about it to urge all parents of special needs students, whether they have a full-fledged IEP or just a 504, to get involved in the organization.
I began attending meetings in 2006 when SEPTA was just two years old, and my eldest son with severe autism was only three. I remember feeling so generally overwhelmed at the time, as we had just moved to Jersey from Washington, DC a few months earlier, and I had yet to really connect with any other parents. I recall knowing I’d found a safe haven when after the first meeting I attended Mary Tara Wurmser, SEPTA’s past president, came up to me afterwards with a welcome and an offer to help if I needed anything.
Since then I’ve met many helpful people through SEPTA, and those connections have been invaluable in helping both of my autistic sons.
SEPTA runs several fabulous events, including an annual Easter Egg Hunt, and Halloween Fest which my boys particularly love. While these events are wonderful, the best part of SEPTA is the opportunity to feel a part of a community, to know that help is not far away. I strongly encourage any parents of special needs children in Brick to consider joining (the membership fee is only $6.50 per person, a steal) and also consider attending their next meeting, which will be held on 2/24 at 7:00 PM at Civic Plaza, 270 Chambers Bridge Road (right corner of the strip mall.)
I hope to see all of you there, and thanks!
SEPTA Facebook page: Brick Township Special Education PTA (SEPTA)
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