SNAP makes a splash for special needs kids in Greater Morristown

Ryan and MacKenzie May enoying the weekly swim program run by SNAP (Special Needs Athletic Programs) at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Madison. Photo by Berit Ollestad
Ryan and MacKenzie May enoying the weekly swim program run by SNAP (Special Needs Athletic Programs) at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Madison. Photo by Berit Ollestad
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By Berit A. Ollestad

Saturday means just one thing to Ryan May, a six-year veteran of  Special Needs Athletic Programs (SNAP) established in Morristown:

Wake up, put on swim trunks, eat breakfast, pack the car with swim gear, and head to the pool– in that order.

Ryan was diagnosed with autism at a young age and prior to getting involved with SNAP, his social prospects were  pretty bleak. Now, his calendar looks pretty much like any other teenager’s, crammed with activities that barely leave enough room to breathe.

Each Saturday, about 25 kids ranging in age from 5 to 15 join their SNAP mentors at St. Joseph’s Pool, on the campus of the College of Saint Elizabeth in Madison, for their weekly swim meet.

SNAP’s website defines the organization’s purpose as “providing autistic and special needs children with athletic and social programming in order to improve coordination, social skills, and self-esteem. We also want to raise awareness of special needs in the community to promote a culture of acceptance and combat bullying and discrimination in our schools.”

Photos by Berit Ollestad. Please click icon below for captions.

Who benefits most from this program? The student athletes who serve as mentors might say they are the clear winners. For their part, SNAP kids and their parents cannot say enough about how their lives have been transformed.

Either way, everyone seems to agree that this program by kids for kids is a winning formula.

Mackenzie “Mac” May, Ryan’s sister, is a Morristown Beard student with maturity well beyond her 12 years. She is SNAP’s vice president and director of the swim program.

Mac’s motivation is quite simple; she has seen firsthand the world of difference SNAP has made in her brother’s life, and in the life of her family.

She said it was important to educate others about autism.

“They may use different words or act slightly different, but they are just like you and I,” Mac states.

Some of Mac’s responsibilities include putting together spreadsheets for the various sports clinics SNAP offers. She also helps pair mentors with participants.

When asked what message she wanted to convey, she said without hesitation: “If you want to help make a difference for these kids, then join them for lunch and don’t allow others to bully them. We are all afraid of what we aren’t familiar with. But don’t be, because they are just like you and I. Prior to becoming involved in SNAP, my brother was always alone and didn’t have many friends. Now, he is always so busy.”

Ryan and MacKenzie May enoying the weekly swim program run by SNAP (Special Needs Athletic Programs) at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Madison. Photo by Berit Ollestad
Ryan and MacKenzie May enoying the weekly swim program run by SNAP (Special Needs Athletic Programs) at the College of Saint Elizabeth in Madison. Photo by Berit Ollestad

GETTING IN THE SWIM

You could say that a family that swims together stays together. That certainly seems true for the Hughes family, which includes Jack, 12, Aidan, 10, Sonny, 9, and Liam, 7.  It all started when the family matriarch, Linda, was seeking activities for her older children last summer.

“I saw the opportunity as a gift from God to give my children the opportunity to give back to the community,” she said. Her husband, Tom, agreed wholeheartedly.

“It is a gift on both sides and it is a perfect venue to teach empathy for others,” said the “Fab Four’s” dad.

When Jack’s classmate, Mackenzie May, suggested he get involved, she hardly could have known that his three siblings would be in tow.

Liam enjoys SNAP for several reasons. Most importantly, he says, it’s “a lot of fun.” The youngsters that he assists are “cool kids and I like to help them do things they wouldn’t be able to do. I like to share the gift that God gave me.”

Big brother Jack echoed those sentiments, and said he encourages friends to get involved with SNAP.

“I learn from them just as much as they learn from me,” added Aidan, never at a loss for words. “It feels really good to help others. They are so kind and really, really honest about everything! I am always so glad, after we get here, that I came.”

Conor Gaynor, father of 9-year-old SNAP participant Toby Gaynor, praised the Morris School District for keeping special needs in the mainstream, and in regular classrooms, exposing them to other children. This fosters an “atmosphere for positive change,” he believes.

When school athletes volunteer with SNAP kids, Gaynor said, it sends the message that “these are regular kids like you and me and they shouldn’t be treated any differently.”

SNAP was founded by brothers Zach and Matt Certner, who recognized the importance of allowing kids to be kids. Far too often, parents say, children with special needs are so busy being shuffled between therapy appointments that there isn’t much time left for kid stuff.

As Saturday’s swim event was wrapping up, a parent leaned over and whispered: “Over there, that’s him,” nodding towards Zach Certner.  It was almost like a rock star had entered the room.  Soon, the Certner brothers may be turning heads around the world. SNAP already can be found in other parts of New Jersey, and Zach and Matt plan to expand into China, Tanzania and Guatemala.

READ MORE ABOUT SNAP

1 COMMENT

  1. THis is wonderful. We have a program in fairfield county CT, called Angelfish Therapy and we are licensed OT’s and PT’s working with children with a wide range of sensory processing and motor coordination difficulties, from autism to more physical impairments. We started a program called Swim Whisperers where we educate swim instructors and parents on how to overcome some common obstacles when trying to teach a child with sensory motor difficulties. We are opening in Randolph NJ next month… and feel our programs complement each other well. Thanks so much. Feel free to visit our website http://www.angelfishtherapy.com. thanks so much
    ailene and cindy (co-owners of Angelish)

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