ADAPT Shop Open House
SOUTHWEST HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CELEBRATES THUNDERBIRDS
A $100,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities expands Southwest Human Development’s ADAPT Shop Family Resource Center. The ADAPT Shop is a unique facility where parents can take their young children with disabilities to receive customized products and support devices. A physical therapist works with each family in their home or at the ADAPT Shop to determine what equipment would be most helpful – such as custom foam seating and mobile scooters – and products are then designed and built based on the child’s individual needs.
“We are so grateful for the generous support of Thunderbirds Charities,” said Ginger Ward, CEO of Southwest Human Development, at the May 13, 2014, open house. “This commitment helps us continue providing this incredible and much-needed resource for Arizona’s young children and families, expand the ADAPT Shop’s work space and create an on-site family resource center.”
Children who can benefit from the ADAPT Shop include those with cerebral palsy, spinal muscular atrophy, Down syndrome, seizure disorders and a variety of other conditions.
“The ADAPT Shop has opened up our world to possibilities that we weren’t able to see, and we’ve been able to do things that we weren’t able to do before,” said Heather Magdelano, a mother of two children who both have a rare disorder that impacts their sight, hearing and muscle development. “They’re now able to sit upright and interact with others thanks to the ADAPT Shop’s support and their vision.”
The ADAPT Shop was started in 2011 with a $100,000 grant from Humana. The $100,000 grant from Thunderbirds Charities allowed Southwest Human Development to expand the ADAPT Shop program to serve more children and their families, moved the ADAPT Shop into a new, larger location, and created/opened the ADAPT Shop Family Resource Center.
Since opening in 2011, the ADAPT Shop has helped more than 300 young children who have disabilities that keep them from being able to fully participate in everyday activities at home, with their friends and at school.
“As Thunderbirds, we work hard all year planning and executing the Waste Management Phoenix Open,” said Thunderbirds Big Chief Tom Altieri. “The real satisfaction, though, comes from the ability to give back to so many great organizations such as Southwest Human Development for their ADAPT Shop. It makes everything we do feel so worthwhile.”
At top: Thunderbirds at the ribbon-cutting ceremony
Above left: One of Southwest Human Development's many families who receive services from the ADAPT Shop demonstrate their custom-fit supports.
Above right: Mark Anderson, Southwest Human Development's board president; Tina Martin, program manager; and Ginger Ward, CEO
