BOSTON (WBZ-AM) -- Each month, “WBZ Cares” highlights a worthy non-profit organization and tells the story of what that organization does for the community. This month WBZ is profiling The CORSE Foundation (Community of Resources for Special Education) which was established by a group of dedicated parents and educators to raise funds to provide high quality and affordable programming, training, and resources to benefit children with special needs (ages 3-22), their families, and educators throughout South Shore Massachusetts.
WBZ Cares features community of resources for special education, or the CORSE Foundation, serving the South Shore with its academic, social, therapeutic, work-skills and recreational programs.
Vice President Amy Pischel.
“We provide programming and activities for kids with special needs to be able to participate in the community, not just as a child with special needs, but as just a member of the community. And we allow them access into things that they might not necessarily have had access to or might not have wanted to because there might not have been the correct support and we provide the support whether it’s social, athletic, or academic,” said Pischel.
With customized staffing and teacher ratios and special ed expertise, they help those age 3 to 22 reach their full potential.
“Become more independent. Become more confident and step out of their comfort zone, and really kind of shine. I think through the help of CORSE they really just flourish and their personalities come to life and you see the spark in these kids,” outlined Pischel.
CORSE collaborates with the Scituate Recreation Department. Director Maura Glancy.
“We're running karate, basketball. Summertime we run camps. A one-week camp that goes from 8:30 in the morning to 1:30 in the afternoon. We also offer a sailing Maritime that has a sailing component. Now we're offering to everybody so everybody gets a chance in the whole community to be exposed to sailing. Now it's not just limited to somebody that does not have special needs,” said Glancy.
That unique model of opening its programs to those with and without special needs is an essential component of the CORSE Foundation.
“Integrated with all kinds of children. Doesn't matter what you are, but we do have a lot more staff on when we know that we have kids with special needs. It works very well. People want to come into the program to be around other children that have a lot of special things to offer. We see the children who are typical, I guess you would say, helping the other children, and I see that on a daily basis here now. We’ve been offering these programs for about 13, 14 years. It's kind of a way of life around here now. And it has changed the way people interact with each other,” concluded Glancy.
WBZ NewsRadio1030's Shari Small Reports