Extra Special People, Inc.

ESP is a Georgia-based nonprofit that began as a one-week summer program in 1986 but has grown into an organization that serves over 600 participants with disabilities from over 25 counties in Georgia and from out of state year-round. What stemmed from a desire to improve the opportunities available for children with disabilities has transformed into an inclusive, welcoming community where participants of all ages and abilities are celebrated for exactly who they are. We welcome participants with diagnoses of Down Syndrome, Autism, Traumatic Brain Injury, Spina Bifida, and more; no one is turned away from ESP. Our goal is to fulfill our mission and provide quality experiences and interactions for people with disabilities year-round through three foundational programs: 360, Java Joy, and Hooray.

Through 360, ESP aims to spark connection through wrap-around programs to enrich the lives of people of all abilities and their families. This is achieved through summer camp, weekly afternoon enrichment programs, and ongoing family support. Year-round, 360 aims for ESP to be a home and safe haven for hundreds of families with children with disabilities. Java Joy spreads unmatched joy through moments of engagement with people of all abilities. Through a mobile coffee cart. Java Joy provides individuals with disabilities the opportunity to gain confidence in the workplace, learn job applicable skills, and advance their own abilities. Finally, Hooray welcomes people of all abilities and their families to a place of belonging where they experience boundless adventure. Designed to be the country’s first universally accessible overnight camp, respite center, and recreation space built from the ground up, Hooray will one day give individuals of all abilities and their families the chance to experience an accessible atmosphere. The three ways that we fulfill our mission create the foundation of our organization to empower our participants and their families. Our vision is a world where every person, of every ability, in every community has universal access to transformative experiences.

ESP is a community agency granted with the support and confidence of hundreds of parents, community members, donors, and more. As an agency that started from the ground up, we have built meaningful connections with various local businesses, partnering nonprofit agencies, and community leaders throughout the Athens and Oconee area and throughout Northeast Georgia. Our agency has grown with diligence over the years, and continues to responsibly and thoughtfully expand our programs due to the increased need of our region. Our Executive Director, Laura Whitaker, has lead ESP through our growth for the past 13 years, from raising $50,000 in the first months of her employment at the age of 19 to successfully managing a capital campaign to create our new building. Additionally, as our programs have grown, we have increased our staff and volunteer support to accommodate our increased opportunities, with 19 full-time staff, 12 full-time AmeriCorps national service Members, 40 part-time staff and interns, 75 seasonal summer counselors, and thousands of volunteers serving over 20,000 hours.

For more than 20 years, ESP operated programs in a 1,600 square foot gym. This space significantly limited the scope of our services, created accessibility barriers, impacted the dignity of our participants with only two small bathroom stalls and other facility inadequacies, and created a daunting waiting list of families in need of recreational programs for their children with disabilities. In June of 2016, after a $3 million capital campaign supported by our incredible community and companies who sponsored over $900,000 of in-kind materials and services, we opened to doors to a new 14,000 square foot Activity Building right next door to our previous space. Our previous home was then renovated back to its original purpose as a gym. With both accessible program spaces, enrollment in ESP programs grew an immediate 25% and eliminated our waiting list, and we now have new participants and families becoming part of our community every day. The need to provide quality recreation programs to individuals with disabilities continues to grow, with ESP the only program of its kind in our region. The Georgia Department of Education identifies over 2,000 individuals with disabilities in the Northeast Georgia region. We continually strive to grow in our capacity to serve more of these 2,000 individuals and provide new, innovative, and accessible experiences for kids and adults of all abilities in our community to thrive.