InclusionStartsHere.com
INTRODUCTION OUR CITY
STNETNOC
2021 GALA MORGAN'S WONDERLAND MORGAN'S INSPIRATION ISLAND MORGAN'S WONDERLAND CAMP MORGAN'S WONDERLAND SPORTS STRAPS THE MULTI-ASSISTANCE CENTER AT MORGAN'S WONDERLAND (THE MAC) THE FUTURE
PAGE 2 | MORGAN'S INCLUSION INITIATIVE IMPACT REPORT
4 5 6 8 11 14 17 18 20 22
STNETNOC
Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative is more than a nonprofit organization; it’s a movement of inclusion. Our organization oversees five fully-inclusive, Ultra-Accessible™ facilities where individuals of all ages and all abilities can come together for recreation and a better understanding of one another. At our core, we believe that everyone deserves the right to enjoy and experience life, regardless of cognitive or physical ability. By removing barriers, we can help bring together people of all abilities to understand each other better and build friendships and a better world.
Mission To improve the quality of life for individuals of all ages and all abilities through initiatives that produce fully-inclusive, Ultra-Accessible™ experiences.
Vision To spark cultural change in order to create a more inclusive world.
PAGE 4 | MORGAN'S INCLUSION INITIATIVE IMPACT REPORT
Gordon Hartman, the founder of Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative, receives a proclamation from San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg that commends Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative for its efforts to promote inclusion and accessibility throughout San Antonio. Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative is the nonprofit umbrella organization that coordinates planning, fundraising, and communications for world-renowned Morgan’s Wonderland theme park in San Antonio and related Ultra-Accessible™, fully-inclusive ventures. Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative also has championed accessibility improvements for the special-needs community at San Antonio City Hall, San Antonio International Airport, and other high-traffic locations throughout the community. PAGE 5 | WWW.INCLUSIONSTARTSHERE.COM
Our Annual Gala is a chance for people all around the world to support our mission with a virtual gala on KSAT12 and an in-person viewing party complete with a cocktail reception, a 4-course dinner, a super silent auction, and an after party with live music and dancing. In 2021, our in-person program was held at our brand new Morgan’s Wonderland Camp! All benefits from our gala go to Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative, a 501c3 nonprofit that improves the quality of life for individuals of all ages and abilities through initiatives that produce fully-inclusive, Ultra-Accessible™ experiences.
Total households reached on KSAT12: 25,000 save the date for our 2022 gala: October 1st PAGE 6 | MORGAN'S INCLUSION INITIATIVE IMPACT REPORT
MorgansWonderland.com
Experience the joy of what it means to have Ultra-Accessible™, fully-inclusive fun at Morgan’s Wonderland and Morgan’s Inspiration Island. Our 25+ accessible rides, playscapes, and interactive elements are spread out over a colorful 25-acre area that offers enough fun to keep your family entertained all day long.
67,762
18,781
Total Guests Welcomed
Total Kids Welcomed Ages 3-17
8,963
2,092
Free Admission Guests With Special Needs
Pounds of non-perishable food items collected for the San Antonio Food Bank
5,845 Free Admission for Guests 2 & Under
6,415 Military Guests Welcomed
PAGE 8 | MORGAN'S INCLUSION INITIATIVE IMPACT REPORT
"We have waited for 4 years and we drove all the way from Kansas to bring our son with Kernicterus and Cerebral Palsy to this park! It was AMAZING. I so wish we had something similar closer to home. It's the first time he's been able to ride and play WITH his siblings at a theme park. Thank you!" - Leah
"Took my special needs 10 year old a while back and we loved it. I'm so glad he got to play and not feel left out" - Lynn
"LOVE THIS PLACE! My son's had a blast here! The fact that this place even exists is a blessing! One of my sons is in a wheelchair and he rode EVERY RIDE...EVERY RIDE!!! Just seeing the smile on my baby(11 yrs) face and the smile on all the other kids, like my son. faces was so beautiful to witness. Pure joy, I witnessed pure joy that day on every kids face. I cried a lot of happy Mom tears :) We will definitely be back!!!!" -A Kmm
PAGE 9 | WWW.INCLUSIONSTARTSHERE.COM
PAGE 11 | WWW.INCLUSIONSTARTSHERE.COM
“It was exhilarating!” Powerful words from a man who experienced something most of us take for granted every day, swinging! Todd uses a wheelchair, and after only being able to watch from the sidelines for the first time in decades, he rolled his wheelchair right onto a specially designed swing at Morgan’s Wonderland and had the chance to experience the joy of swinging just like everyone else. “It made me feel free!” he explained. That in itself made for a monumental moment, but what he experienced next brought tears of joy to his wife, Stephanie. “The water helped take his mind off his disability. It eased his fears, relaxed him, gave him independence.” Enjoying water while in a wheelchair seemed unthinkable. But at Morgan’s Inspiration Island, it isn’t only thinkable, it happens every day the splash park is open. The wheelchair valet allows guests to trade in their chair so it isn’t damaged and use a pneumatic wheelchair, which is water safe! “It was therapy for him. Just being out in nature… especially during the pandemic, was therapeutic.” Stefanie said. The best part is Todd was afraid of water parks before he was disabled, now he can’t get enough of it. “This is the first place I have felt 100% safe! Whether in the swing, or the pneumatic wheelchair rolling through waterfalls, today I felt like anyone else. It was cool!” Todd said.
PAGE 12 | MORGAN'S INCLUSION INITIATIVE IMPACT REPORT
T o d d F.
MorgansWonderlandCamp.com
1,366 Campers Served 12+ UltraAccessible™ Activities 8+ Partner Camps On-site Community Partners: Edwards Aquifer Authority, San Antonio Food Bank, and Bexar County Sheriff's Office
Morgan’s Wonderland Camp is an Ultra-Accessible™ camp for everyone with a particular emphasis on giving people with physical and developmental disabilities an opportunity to enjoy summer-camp-type activities alongside guests without special needs. PAGE 14 | MORGAN'S INCLUSION INITIATIVE IMPACT REPORT
All Devyn wants is to be a kid like his older brothers who play football and run track. Or his sister who plays soccer, the next sport Devyn wants to master. The Harrigans just had to figure out a way to make that happen. “The biggest thing was he wanted normalcy,” Phyllis says. “He wanted normalcy so bad that he would cry and would make himself sick. ... And all I could do is give him something that will be as close to normal that I can give to him. He took it and ran with it. That’s where Morgan’s Wonderland and Morgan’s Wonderland Camp came in. He really liked the zip line – the “more faster one,” Devyn says, with excitement in his voice – and the “Big Swing” that suspends the campers in the air. He did some rock climbing, too. Those high-flying pursuits make him “happy,” Devyn says. “It’s fun.” “They have so many limitations in life, when they can do something to make feel free, it’s great for them,” Phyllis explains. “One thing about Morgan’s -- whether you go to the Camp or Wonderland in general -everything is accessible for them.” It’s that kind of inclusive atmosphere that prompted Valero to pledge $15 million over six years to the project. It is the largest single charitable contribution ever made by the company [...]. PGATOUR.COM MARCH 30, 2021
“And if you tell him he can't do something, he will do it.” - Phyllis Harrigan (Devyn's Mom)
PAGE 15 | WWW.INCLUSIONSTARTSHERE.COM
MorgansWonderlandSports.com
Inaugural Sports Expo held June 26th welcomed 200 guests
Hosted Texas Senior Games- 250 Attendance
Hosted Walk to End Epilepsy Event
Total Attendance Including Events and Programming: 1,530
Our 3-acre Ultra-Accessible™ complex offers fitness and fun for athletes of all ages and all abilities. Designed with maximum flexibility, Morgan’s Wonderland Sports can be configured to meet the needs of various programs at any given time. Our three main programs include STRAPS, a Paralympic-style sports program for both adults and children with physical disabilities, Open Play, which allows any and all to use our facility, and the upcoming Inclusive Sports program for athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
PAGE 17 | WWW.INCLUSIONSTARTSHERE.COM
Despite challenges presented by COVID-19, Morgan’s Wonderland Sports and STRAPS have demonstrated success in 2021. In 2021, STRAPS is honored to announce the service and support to over 358 unique athletes: 197 ill or wounded service members and 161 Community Members with disabilities. STRAPS offered a large increase in one-on-one training opportunities that assisted in supporting positive mental health and physical health outcomes with over 240 unique hour-long sessions over the course of 2021. Additionally, Morgan’s Wonderland and STRAPS were able to utilize the Morgan’s Wonderland Sports Complex to increase opportunities for group practices by successfully facilitating over 405 practices across 13 sports. In 2021, STRAPS totals over 7,700 attendee/impact hours. Additionally, through the support of Morgan’s Wonderland Sports, STRAPS was able to begin offering new community outreach opportunities through the free program: Super Sports Saturday. These opportunities we offered once per quarter with a total of over 45 athletes with disabilities in attendance. In addition to the above, STRAPS and Morgan’s Wonderland Sports offered nine clinics and tournaments that supported the inclusive community. Morgan’s Wonderland Sports and the STRAPS Program learned this year that the importance of adaptive sports in the lives of those we serve. Not only does Morgan’s Wonderland Sports and STRAPS positively support the physical health of athletes, but we were repeatedly reminded of the positive impact made in the mental health of all of those served through our programs.
358 TOTAL ATHLETES
197 Veteran Athletes 161 Community Athletes
PAGE 18 | MORGAN'S INCLUSION INITIATIVE IMPACT REPORT
MorgansWonderlandMac.com
The Multi-Assistance Center at Morgan’s Wonderland (The MAC), is housed in a new facility adjacent to Morgan’s Wonderland. The MAC is dedicated to ensuring Ultra-Accessible™, efficient and effective access to services throughout the South Texas region.
Mission To improve the lives of individuals with special needs through comprehensive and coordinated services in a centralized setting. Services are delivered through a family-centered approach with collaboration from the family, client, and community partners.
Vision To offer a new way of efficiently delivering an array of integrated and coordinated services that provide value to individuals with special needs and their families, as well as other relevant community stakeholders. PAGE 20 | MORGAN'S INCLUSION INITIATIVE IMPACT REPORT
Individuals with special needs face challenges identifying service options. If they do find service options, some providers may be spread too far to access. This fragmentation of services and lack of communication /coordination between providers are major obstacles for families trying to gain a streamline services for their loved ones.
Here is where “The MAC” steps in with its unique, one-stop-shop model that provides collaborative care and centralized services. Focusing on comprehensive medical and therapeutic and community support services for individuals with special needs of all ages.
The first of its kind in the nation, The MAC Care Model is focused on the population with special needs. The MAC Care Model will incorporate over 30 community partners providing coordinated services in one facility and communication through one platform. The focus of the MAC Care Model will be to identify and address Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) using our MAC Navigation System. Studies show that SDoH and behavioral factors are responsible for 70% of an individual’s overall health.
PAGE 21 | WWW.INCLUSIONSTARTSHERE.COM
While we have accomplished a lot in 2021, there is still MUCH more to do in 2022!
AVERAGE PARK GUESTS PER YEAR
1
ATHLETES SERVED THROUGH PROGRAMS AND EVENTS
DIFFERENT TYPES OF WATERPROOF WHEELCHAIRS
COMMUNITY PARTNERS
HAPPY CAMPERS SERVED TO DATE
PAGE 22 | MORGAN'S INCLUSION INITIATIVE IMPACT REPORT
What's Ne xt
clusion? f In
J o urney r u O on o