From gymnastics to indoor soccer, Champions For Life has been a bastion to many children, whether they are pursuing tennis lessons or just looking for a good healthy outlet to play some games.

Mike Henty, director of the facility, said that since Champions For Life was founded, providing a facility that offers a safe and friendly environment for children and families has always been the goal.

For more than 15 years, this has also included children with special needs and disabilities.

Henty said that it has been through a New York State grant, which was recently renewed, that Champions For Life has been able to continue to provide these services.

“It is for children and adults as well with special needs,” Henty said. “The only stipulation on the grant is that they live at home still, but otherwise all of these programs and services are open to anyone with special needs.”

Special needs can come in many shapes and forms.

Henty said that the programs offered at Champions For Life are designed to children with autism or Down's syndrome as well as children confined to wheelchairs or otherwise disabled.

This has given Henty and his staff the impetus to be creative in what they offer.

“We do a little bit of everything,” Henty said. “We have group classes, we have one on one. We really work with the children and their families to design something that is going to fit their needs or to get them involved in something that they are really going to have the opportunity to enjoy and get something out of the experience. We do everything that we normally do from tennis to gymnastics, to creative movement classes. We work with what ever the children need to make sure that they get the most out of being here.”

This has made things like indoor soccer and wheelchair soccer incredibly popular, but gymnastics and open gym classes have also been a big hit with children and their families.

This has been possible through the dedication and commitment of the staff at Champions For Life.

“We have a great staff of people here,” Henty said. “I like to get some of the younger staff involved in these groups and classes, they are very creative and they work very hard to make the time here a lot of fun and beneficial for the children involved.”

This dedication has led to more than one success story.

“There are a lot of physical benefits to getting involved in these kinds of activities,” Henty said. “The kids get a chance to learn more and work on their motor skills and things like that. We've had physical therapists talk to us and say they have been impressed by all the progress they have seen in the kids that come here, I think that really says a lot about how our staff works with the kids and how much effort they put in to the work they do.”

This spring Champions For Life will be offering a variety of sports and other activities like Power (wheelchair) soccer, indoor soccer, gymnastics, tennis and open gym class opportunities.

And they will also be incorporating some new activities in beginning in March.

“Friday we have an open gym from 9 to 11,” Henty said. “That is designed towards younger kids with disabilities, about five and under. There'll be soccer on Friday evenings from five to six. But we'll also be doing some new things like creative movement classes and dance classes beginning in March.”

And Henty said he and his staff are always open to working to create opportunities that will be specifically beneficial to the needs of disabled children.

“We're just happy to be able to provide something like this,” Henty said. “As long as the funds are there we are going to keep doing this. There is nothing like seeing the way kids enjoy themselves and we are happy to be involved with something like this that has been so beneficial and so enjoyable for so many children.”

For a schedule of up coming programs for disabled children and adults contact Champions For Life at 253-9305