My Special Place: where everyone belongs

The parents who attended the My Special Place Open House on Aug. 11 at the East Meadow Benevolence Association Hall all sought the same thing for their teenagers with developmental disabilities — a place for them to belong.
   
“There’s a big area, a big gap there for teenagers of things for them to do,” said Seaford resident Cecilia Forster. Forster has a 16-year-old daughter with autism, and she finds it difficult to get her involved with any recreational or social activities.
   
The gap — between childhood and adulthood — for teenagers with developmental disabilities is the reason why Michelle Soodek developed My Special Place Inc. in 2008. Soodek, an East Meadow resident, has a teenage daughter with a disability. Watching her sit back as her brothers and sisters were busy with after-school activities inspired Soodek to create a special place for her and other teenagers like her.
   
The aim of the nonprofit organization, which was incorporated in 2008, is to create a hub where special-needs teenagers can learn and play beyond the typical school hours. The Town of Hempstead’s popular Camp Anchor, which operates throughout the summer and on weekends during the school year, offers an extensive program for special-needs kids. But the idea behind My Special Place was to offer them somewhere to go on all the other days, specifically after school.
   
“I knew there was a need for teenagers to have more of an opportunity for recreational activities,” said Soodek.
   
That is exactly what Denise Marino, of North Babylon, looks forward to for her 15-year-old autistic son. “There’s no recreation or fun,” said Marino, who would like to see her son make more friends and be around people his age who have similar interests. “It’s just hard to make friends.”