My name is Renee Green. My son, Adam, is the reason Adam’s Clubhouse – Quality Care For Special Needs Children, Inc. exists! (Yes, it is a long name for a business but there’s no doubt what we do!)
Adam’s life expectancy was 2 yrs old but we were blessed to have him a lot longer than anyone expected. Adam’s Obituary
Like all of us, he had good & bad days. A good day for Adam meant 5 seizures or less. He was considered to be medically fragile. He did not communicate verbally or hold eye contact for more than a few seconds at a time. The only sound he would make from time to time would be a huge belly-laugh. These were usually heard when his older sister was “getting in trouble”. He was wheelchair-bound, had low muscle tone (meaning unable to move his arms, legs or support his head) and was tube fed. Mentally he was still a newborn at the time of his passing. So he was still our “baby” in more of a way than the average parent refers to their child.
The vision of Adam’s Clubhouse became more in-focus each time another door was closed. It all started approximately two years before Adam was to start school, when I began my search for the perfect after school program for him to attend. I was disappointed time and time again to learn, that after school care and summer care for school aged, disabled children simply did not exist in Central Arkansas! I even expanded my search to include private schools in our area that cater to special needs children, as well as, alternative learning facilities but since Adam did not communicate, he did not qualify for the places I found online or that had been suggested to me.
How could there not be a place for Adam? Wouldn’t that be discriminating? As much as it sounds like it is – it was not. The average childcare center was unable to provide a “safe environment” for him. Any ONE of Adam’s conditions (seizures, feeding tube, wheelchair) would have been intimidating to the average person. They were to me before having him!
After 2+ years of stressing over what we were going to do, my husband and I came up with three options (1) private care in our home, (2) in-patient care or (3) quit my job. The first two were not desirable at all because Adam was nonverbal so that really left us with only one option! I had to quit my job of 16 years. It was hard going from a two-income family to managing a tight budget but we survived. It wasn’t optional. I had to be available to care for Adam in the afternoons, school holidays and during the summer.
Once Adam started school in August of 2015, I cannot count the number of people I met that had the same story as our family’s. It did not take long to realize ADAM’S PURPOSE was to make me take on the challenge of creating a safe, childcare environment for him and others in our area.
Today, ten years later, with an enormous amount of help from countless people, I’m proud to say Adam’s Clubhouse – Quality Care For Special Needs Children, Inc. is in the 6th year of providing care for children in central Arkansas that once had the same challenge my family did at the beginning of this journey.
We have come a long way and are still accomplishing one goal at a time.
In November 2017, we received our Letter of Determination from the IRS, approving Adam’s Clubhouse as a 501(c)(3), public charity (therefore, donations are tax-deductible).
In June 2019, we found the perfect location in Jacksonville, Arkansas, became a licensed childcare facility in the State of Arkansas.
In 2021 achieved our Level 2 (out of 3) Better Beginnings status, as well as, became an approved provider by the state to accept vouchers (now known as the School Readiness Assistance Program) that helps families pay for childcare.
In 2024 Better Beginnings changed their rating scale from 3 levels to 6. With a lot of hard work, Adam’s Clubhouse attained a Level 5. Currently there are only 28 facilities in the state of Arkansas at a Level 5 and 17 facilities above us at a Level 6.