Steven Varvaras of Southport having fun at Harbor Lights Foundation Camp, which he was able to attend with a grant from the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation.
The Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation’s annual fund-raising Mother’s Day Luncheon will include an opportunity to support its camp-funding initiatives.
For a family raising a child with special needs, summer vacation can mean difficulty finding the appropriate program for the child and being able to afford it, organizers said. Not only are specialized camps more expensive but often the child needs additional adult support that would have to be funded by the family.
Over the past 11 years, the Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation has provided camp scholarships. Last year the foundation granted $25,000 in camp scholarships to families hoping to provide a camp experience for their child with special needs.
“These camp experiences are life changing for many children and their caregivers,” a spokesperson for the foundation said. “It may be the first time they are away from their families, they may have the opportunity to form lifelong friendships, and in many cases, it’s the only time they are not in ‘school’ or ‘therapy’ — they are just being kids!”
Last year, Eleni Varvaras reached out to the foundation for assistance in sending her son Steven, who is 11 and has Down syndrome, to Harbor Lights Foundation Camp in Fairfield. The camp specializes in serving individuals with special needs by designing a program specific to each child and including the child with typical children while addressing key social, emotional, and environmental issues for each child. The cost to attend this day camp for seven weeks was $2,250 and did not include the aide that Steven required. The Molly Ann Tango Memorial Foundation sent Steven for the entire seven weeks.
The foundation’s fund-raising Mother’s Day Luncheon is on Friday, May 8, at Rolling Hills Country Club in Wilton from 11:30 to 3. It will include a silent auction and an opportunity to support the camp initiative.
“Being able to provide a summer experience for a child with special needs that may not ordinarily have the chance is one of the many ways we are changing lives for children with special needs,” said Lisa Eckstrom, foundation board member.
For tickets, go to mollytango.org or contact Laura Schwartz, lschwartz@mollytango.org
