Feeling like winners

For more than 55 years Arc of Butler County has been serving people who have family members with mental disabilities.
But the organization's biggest problem is still that people don't know their services are available.
"If you are the parent of a special needs child or the guardian of an adult with special needs, Arc of Butler is here to help," said Dave Matthews, president of the Arc program.
Matthews himself only found out about Arc of Butler County through a Special Olympics event four years ago.
"At Special Olympics, about 90 percent of the participants don't know what a case manager can do to help a family," Matthews said. "Arc helps people find the help they need."
One of the activities sponsored by the organization is tennis. Arc of Butler County hosted a tennis competition for special needs athletes Saturday in El Dorado. Members of the Butler team come from all across the county. They competed with athletes from Wichita and Salina.
All of the athletes, from 8-years old to 72, left feeling like winners. Given the opportunity to compete at their own level, the athletes stop thinking of themselves in terms of what they can't do and begin seeing the world in terms of what they can do.
Jennifer Stanyer works for the organization part-time.
"Events like this build coordination," Stanyer said. "They learn to do these difficult things and feel successful. It helps them develop a sense of pride."
The activities also help the students maintain their mental progress they gain during the school year.
"My son's teacher encourages this because if the students aren't challenged, they lose a lot of what they learn over the summer break," Matthews said.
There are many ways to help Arc of Butler County provide services. You can volunteer to teach or coach or you can donate to financially support the program.
Contact
info@arcofbutler.com for more information or to get involved.