RIVERTON — Smiles were formed and tears were shed as a group of special needs people ranging in age from 10 to 50 were handed homemade teddy bears by the South Valley Rotary Club.
The teddy bear recipients were students at Bear-O-Care, a Riverton care and education facility for people with special needs.
Three members of the Rotary Club also donated money — $1,600 in total — to Bear-O-Care and received awards for their generosity Friday morning.
“I think there’s a time and place for all of us when we need help,” said Claudia Anderson, former Bluffdale mayor and member of the Rotary Club. "If we have a special child that needs special needs, we need some time as a break."
Seeing the Bear-O-Care students delightfully accept their teddy bears was rewarding for Anderson.
“It was exciting to see them,” she said. "They all have different characteristics of how they show their appreciation, and that’s fun to see.”
Anderson, who has two deaf children in their 40s, said she's been working with special needs children for more than 40 years. She currently conducts weekly activities for special needs children with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"It’s a fun thing to see people getting involved and getting excited,” she said.
Mikinsie Hysolli and her special needs sister, Celeste Hysolli, enjoyed the bear donations together.
Celeste Hysolli, 23, named her teddy bear Zack, and said her favorite thing about him was the heart sewn on his chest.
"He has a heart, just like you, Celeste," her sister said.
Mikinsie Hysolli also expressed her gratitude for Bear-O-Care.
"This is important because growing up in a home with a child with special needs, I can see that it would be a lot of help to have a safe and reliable place to take your child and for them to feel comfortable,” she said.
Bear-O-Care was founded after Michael and Ruth Braga could not find an adult transition center for their 22-year-old son, Brandon, who was diagnosed with CHARGE syndrome as a child.
“There are some great programs out there, but none are accepting of kids (with Brandon's condition)," Michael Braga said. "Once these kiddos turn 22, they age out of school.”
To solve their problem and help others in similar situations, the Bragas, along with Trudi O'Brien, who works as Brandon Braga's intervener, decided to open the facility.
Brandon Braga had great communication skills before he graduated from public school programs, O'Brien said, which is why she "didn't want him to lose what he had."
Most special needs students graduate public education programs at 22, and many do not continue their education after that, she said.
“We’ve seen kids who turn 22, and the communication and education we’ve worked with them since birth to develop, if it’s not practiced and used, it’s gone within a matter of months,” Michael Braga said.
One goal of Bear-O-Care, he said, is to challenge its attendees to continue their learning and growth, but at an individualized pace.
"We want to keep challenging them, but we also want to respect their means of communication and their abilities,” Michael Braga said.