CREATING A BETTER LIFE AND LASTING MEMORIES FOR ALL FAMILIES

SPECIAL NEEDS PROGRAMMING AT RANCHO SAHUARITA

In addition to offering unique amenities, events and programs to residents, Rancho Sahuarita is dedicated to continuously going above and beyond and to finding new and inventive ways to ensure that all residents are able to create a better life in the community.

For ten years, the Sahuarita Green Valley Family Support Network, now run by residents and community members, Jamie Comeau and Hania Medrano, has provided a support group for local families with kids, teen and adults with special needs.

In 2012, the group first started as a Facebook page for parents to connect, after personal experience showed them the lack of many resources in the area. After an initial partnership with the United Way ended, they reached out to the team at Club Rancho Sahuarita sharing what they wanted to do for families in and around the community, and the types of events they wanted to hold. The team at Rancho Sahuarita eagerly agreed to host the groups’ events and support the group’s efforts however possible.

Both Hania and Jamie have children of their own with special needs, and they share that “making this group something amazing was truly heartfelt and meant the world to us because we wanted to make a difference for families like our own!”

The partnership now allows for the occurrence of many special events throughout the year. Events over the years have included an annual Prom for Families of Children with Special Needs, a Holiday Party, an Easter Egg Hunt, an event for Autism Awareness Day (as Club Rancho Sahuarita is illuminated blue) a private Water Park Day at the Splash Park at Club Rancho Sahuarita, a fall Homecoming Dance and more. These events allow the families to enjoy the spaces and event activities, without the typical crowds and noise that come with them.

Hania and Jamie said that they rely tremendously on the help of the team at Rancho Sahuarita, as well as donations from local residents and groups. Club Rancho Sahuarita provides the group with the spaces needed to host, which vary depending on the event, as well as some financial support. “We cannot say enough just how amazing they have been!”

Venessa McAdams, Lifestyle Director for Rancho Sahuarita also shared that “Part of our team’s dedication to Creating a Better Life is to make sure we find ways to do that for ALL families. Because of these events, we are able to help give those families lasting memories and these positive experiences in a way that works for them. It is truly an honor to be a part of it all.”

Jamie and Hania conclude that “Once upon a time we all felt alone in our journeys and at times even helpless. But with this group, we have made some amazing connections with other families going through the same struggles, not knowing where to begin to find services, doctors, therapists, they need. We read each other’s posts about struggles & triumphs, great days & days we just want to be over, smiles we see for the first time, words spoken that we never thought we’d hear, guiding each other in the right paths for IEP’s, evaluations, medications and more. Even just asking for someone to meet up at McDonald’s to talk and laugh and cry and eat our feelings away.”

“We’ve made lifelong friends who just get it, and our kids have found a place where regardless of their different abilities and diagnosis, they simply belong!”