We call upon area civic, charitable and public leaders to evaluate how they accommodate special needs children and adults when holding events.

The announcement this week — featured on Page A1 in today’s edition — that a new one-day Camp Cadet for special needs youth has opened our eyes.

Alyssa Lacy is a special needs young woman.

She was born with segmented chromosomes, inhibiting her speech and movement.

Her adoptive parents, Colleen Xetchakis and Gerald Lacy, believe keeping their daughter busy is the key to her growth and confidence.

Yet, there are virtually no events they are aware of that make accommodations for kids like Alyssa.

“She loves the skin that she’s in,” Colleen said of her daughter. “She’s happy with who she is, so we want to get her involved in the mainstream of things.”

Sadly, they said, that’s turning out to be quite the challenge.

“The county is lacking things to do for special needs kids,” Colleen said.

She mentioned, as an example, area egg hunts at Easter, or day camps that kids go to.

They applauded Charles Shoemaker and Harold “Dutch” Rinker, Jr., leaders of the Clinton County Camp Cadet, and their volunteer staff of law enforcement professionals and parents for developing an event tailored to their child and others like her.

“It will be difficult, I’m sure. Each child has different abilities and interests,” Gerald Lacy said.

Charles Shoemaker and his wife, Judy, understand the challenges parents or guardians face with special needs kids. Their granddaughter, Carley, 16, has Rett Syndrome.

It is Carley who motivated the couple to donate $1,000 toward “Lacy Day,” a new one-day Camp Cadet for challenged children in 2024.

Most folks take for granted the challenges that special needs children and adults face when trying to do simple things.

When trying to have fun — especially the young people.

We must show them that having fun is for everyone.

We must show them their community cares about them enough to accommodate them.

Yes, a lot of events tend to be held by nonprofits staffed by volunteers. (A challenge in and of itself.)

We urge each and every person involved to pause a moment and think about what can be done.

Are there areas set aside for people in wheelchairs, for example?

Can some activities be specialized for kids with special needs?

We must do whatever we can to make sure our special needs kids and adults feel welcome and appreciated.

— Lock Haven Express