- IndustryEducation
- LocationWatkinsville, Georgia
- Completion DateJune 4, 2016
- Project Executive(s)Amon Deuley
- Materials UsedHardwood: Unfinished 3' Red Oak Engineered Wood ; Truplank Montanta, Timber Tile: DalTile Semigloss, Almond ; 3x6 Matte Subway, White ; Castle Gate, Grey ; Quarry Naturals, Shadow Gray ; Yorkshire Manor, Deep Walnut ;
Extra Special People (ESP) provides opportunities for individuals with disabilities and their families to engage, connect, and thrive. The people ESP serves have behavior disorders, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Autism, Asperger’s, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome, Spina Bifida, and many more. ESP refuses to turn away a child with a disability. This organization generates opportunities for individuals of all ages and abilities to thrive year-round through summer camp, after school enrichment programs, and family support. Since the creation of the organization, children in more than 300 families in 26 counties in two states have been supported by the programs offered by ESP. In accord with Extra Special People’s mission statement, those children have been able to “cultivate skills, self-confidence, and relationships through recreational therapy, community involvement, and the arts.” For years, though, Extra Special People dealt with space limitations in meeting its mission. All of that changed in June 2016 however, as ESP celebrated its 30 and Thriving anniversary by opening a new 14,000-square-foot building in Watkinsville, Georgia. With the new facility, ESP hopes to serve more of the anticipated 2,000 young people in the area with special needs, and to better serve the individuals and families who are already a part of the flourishing program. A focal point of ESP’s new grounds is a 26-foot tall tree. This tree serves to offer families a first impression that their child will be served in an atmosphere that is about “thriving, fun, and enjoying life.” Through fundraising efforts and a substantial donation of land by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, along with other donations from companies including DCO Commercial Floors, ESP was able to break ground and build the new facility only a year before opening. This new building is a continuation of the ESP mission to empower and encourage individuals of all abilities that ESP’s founder, Martha Willey, began more than 30 years ago with the first camp.
