Thursday, February 29, 2024

Ruby Slippers Gala 2024

 This was our most successful Ruby Slippers Gala yet. With the support of our amazing community, we raised $167,000 for the Final Development of Rock Hill Miracle Park! 

31 attendees raised their paddles to say, "YES, I just want to give money to the park" and we raised $78,000 from that ask alone!  Thank you!


Want to join them if you couldn't be there?  You can always donate on our website or just click this link!

We want to thank all of our sponsors:


Also, thanks to:
Drew Jackson with Sign Innovations
O'Darby's on Heckle
B&B Distributors
The Band of Oz


Next, thank you to ALL who came and donated! Be sure to check our social media for photos from the evening. There is a link to the album in our Instagram profile, and the album itself is posted on Facebook. Find and tag yourself, then repost and use #theresnoplacelikemiraclepark!




At the event, we also shared more about what is coming in our final phase of development! Check back soon for a blog post with new renderings and updated information! 
Most exciting news to come - WE WILL BREAK GROUND IN 2024!

Monday, February 26, 2024

Sponsors of the Miracle Park

We have over 550 donors that have given in some way to build the Miracle Park!  We are so grateful to them!  We have raised over $8 million and need another $2 million.  Please reach out if you can help in any way.  There is no gift too small!

Please click here to see all our sponsors and consider joining them to help us build Phase 2!

List of Our Sponsors - Miracle Park Rock Hill 

$100,000+ Sponsors


$75,000 Sponsors

$50,000 Sponsors
$25,000 Sponsors
$10,000 Sponsors 

For sponsors less than $10,000 please visit our Website.










Thursday, December 7, 2023

They’ve Graduated! What Next?

 They’ve Graduated! What Next? by Paula Lowther



Having a child with a developmental disability is a journey many of us were not prepared to take. ”On the job learning” becomes the norm through each stage of our precious children’s lives. We read, take classes, meet other parents, join Facebook Groups, talk to therapists, teachers and school counselors, and surf the internet immersing ourselves in self-education. If we’ve done our homework, we know that federal regulations will permit a child with a disability to stay in public education until the end of the school year in which the child reaches the age of 22 (https://ed.sc.gov). This gives the family more time to plan and prepare. This also needs to be tailored to the needs and desires of the child. 


We are fortunate in South Carolina, as there are two model collegiate programs designed for young adults with special needs, one of which is located right in York County at Winthrop University: WinthropLife. The other is the ClemsonLife program at Clemson University. Both programs meet the requirements to be a federally designated Comprehensive Transition Program, which translates to dollars for school through grants and financial aid. Each of the programs have detailed web sites where they share all you need to know about your child’s eligibility. 


Not all children are eligible or interested in such programs, though. What then? Be sure to familiarize yourself with the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs website. There is tons of information there, including a page for the Home and Community Based Services waiver program. Did you know that prior to 1981, institutionalization was the only program available, because there were no services available in the community at that time. While we are thankful for the array of services and projects our children can participate in at this time in York County, it is not a perfect situation.  In this post-COVID era, staff shortages are common in the caregiving workforce, which creates a gap in care. There is much to be done in growing this workforce, and perhaps training programs can be cultivated for high school students who may be interested in these roles. Regardless, be sure to get your child enrolled for services by calling 1-800-289-7012 to begin the process.  


Some states have programs where family members can be paid caregivers for their loved ones. Sadly, the Carolinas have not joined their ranks. Currently the twelve states include Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin. There has never been a more opportune time for parents to become politically active on behalf of their children. Learn who your state legislators are, and write, call, and ask for an audience to present your case and petition for expansion of services.


Creativity is key as you brainstorm ways to meet the needs of your young adults. Pooling resources and services with other parents, seeking out HUD housing, and the creation of innovative models that may combine elder-care and young adults with special needs- Get creative! People need not live in isolated “mono-chromatic” communities.  UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health is creating a “Tiny Home Village” for those with mental health issues. 

https://www.med.unc.edu/psych/cecmh/services/community-services/tiny-homes-village/

This is just one example of creativity at work in the Carolinas. Another is the HOPE-NC organization, https://www.hopenorthcarolina.org  whose mission statement is “Creating inclusive communities where people of all abilities and ages experience a sense of belonging through community reimagined."


In South Carolina, there are currently multiple providers of residential services, including supportive and independent living offering different levels of support. Your local Adult Enrichment Center (AEC) can provide job training services. As a parent or caregiver, knock on doors and advocate for your young adult, and create opportunities at places of service that are open to hiring those with developmental disabilities. Our family secured positions for our daughter at both Harris Teeter, and then Publix. She was collectively employed at these two stores for seven years, before being trained for a job at the Humane Society of Kershaw County where she was the “Cat Lady!” She was responsible for the cat room, cleaning litterboxes, feeding and loving her four-legged wards.


SC Public Radio has a 4-minute piece on the push for disability housing communities in SC amid limited options. That was aired in March of this year. Here is the link: https://www.southcarolinapublicradio.org/sc-news/2023-03-07/renewed-push-for-disability-housing-communities-in-sc-amid-limited-options


The possibilities are endless, but it will take collaboration, creativity and innovation. Are you up for it?


List of resources:

ClemsonLife Program- https://www.clemson.edu/education/programs/programs/culife

Winthrop Life Program- https://www.winthrop.edu/coe/winthroplife/

SC Dept of Education- https://ed.sc.gov

SC Department of Disabilities and Special Needs- https://ddsn.sc.gov

UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health- Tiny Homes Village- https://www.med.unc.edu/psych/cecmh/services/community-services/tiny-homes-village/

HOPE-NC- https://www.hopenorthcarolina.org

SC Adult Enrichment Centers- Day programs and job training services plus!- https://www.adultenrichmentcenters.org/about/




Paula Lowther is a nurse practitioner, writer, and patient safety advocate currently based out of Fort Mill, South Carolina and is the mother of an adult daughter with special needs, and a typical young adult daughter.




Creating inclusive communities where people of all abilities and ages experience a sense of belonging 

COMMUNITY REIM


https://www.winthrop.edu/coe/winthroplife/


https://www.clemson.edu/education/programs/programs/culife




Tuesday, August 15, 2023

New Swag Coming SOON!

 We are excited to announce that we have ordered more of the ORIGINAL "I have a heart for Miracle Park" t-shirts that everyone loves! We will have navy and gray as well as a new light blue!


We will also have sweatshirts and hoodies with this design! We will have a FEW of these ready to purchase, and then we will take pre-orders.




We have NEW water bottles: the trendy 40 oz tumbler with handle and a design with kids of all abilities in mind, that can use either a straw or a spout!



We also plan to have new hats with leather patches!! The hope is to have all of this new gear available at the first fall Miracle League game on Saturday, September 9th!

Monday, July 10, 2023

Summer Fun!

Wow! What a GREAT start to the summer! We have instituted several new programs this summer and have served 134 members of our community in new and exciting ways - and we're only halfway through the summer! Read below to see all about our new programs:

Mosaics at Miracle: Participants came 4 weeks in a row to make different themed mosaic creations based on different themes. We had 9 participants each week. They enjoyed making mosaics of animals, beach scenes, Christmas scenes, and one week of free choice mosaics.


Dig and Discover: Eleven participants came to the park to dig and find raw rocks and minerals and then have them tumbled and polished to discover new treasures! They got to make and crack geodes, and dig for dinosaur fossils!



Fun Fridays: A new program for older teens and adults had 22 participants playing bingo in June! For July the plan is to do Music Bingo, and in August, they will have Trivia!

Salad Day with Miracle Park partners Growing Joy: We got together to sing and enjoy some freshly harvested aquaponic lettuce grown fresh by some of our favorite friends in the TR program when they went on a field trip to Growing Joy Farm! A good time was had by all, even in the rain!


Tea Time! 22 participants came to High Tea at the park. What a fancy, fun time complete with fancy table cloths, tea, finger foods, fancy hats, and, of course, teddy bears!


Sensory-Friendly Playtime: Perhaps our most needed and most popular new program so far! We had 52 participants at these two sessions! Miracle Park is for ALL, and we like to include everyone, but sometimes inclusion can look differently! In order to include some of our friends, we need to create protected spaces for them. Often times our beloved park is so crowded that it is too overstimulating for some of our friends, so we decided to close the playground for two short periods in order to give them the space they need to be able to enjoy our facilities. Our community was GREAT about this! While we did advertise on our sign and social media, inevitably, some people came to play and did not know that the playground area of the park was closed to the public. These families respected the need for some friends to need a smaller setting to enjoy the playground. THIS is inclusion!  


Stay tuned for an update at the end of summer on other new programs!
Thanks for supporting Miracle Park! If you'd like to donate to help aid our expansion and continued commitment to creating a place for EVERYONE to BELONG - donate on our website: miracleparkrockhill.com