By: Carissa Lovvorn
School, pool parties, movies, and outdoor events are just a small part of everyday life in our community. However, for individuals with special needs and their families, these activities can present challenges that make staying home feel like the only option. A local nonprofit, the Make-A-Way Foundation (MAW), strives to change this dynamic. Its mission is “to provide resources to assist groups of two or more individuals with special needs in a learning or recreational environment.”
Founder Stacey Givens started the organization after her own son was diagnosed with autism at the age of three and a half. She saw how he benefited from sensory therapy and successfully advocated for the first sensory room at his elementary school. Soon, other children began using and benefiting from the room. The word spread, and Mrs. Givens was contacted by another school to build a similar room for their students. She explains, “What started out as a small seed intended to help my son, quickly grew into a beautiful garden.” This garden now includes twenty-one sensory rooms located throughout Athens City and Limestone County schools.
Even with its significant impact on the academic lives of children, the work of the MAW Foundation doesn’t end when the school day does. The organization hosts periodic community events tailored for special needs adults, teens, children, and their families. These include an annual Easter egg hunt, sensory-friendly haircuts, a night at the Lions Club Kiddie Carnival, movie nights at Cultivate Church, adult hula parties at the Athens Senior Center, and many more opportunities for inclusion. Thanks to generous donations and support from local and out-of-state individuals, businesses, churches, government agencies, and state legislators—as well as grants from organizations such as United Way—the MAW Foundation offers these activities at no cost to families.
To help others learn about the special needs community, the MAW Foundation provides informational books to newly diagnosed families and local libraries. It also partners with law enforcement to offer officer training and host a meet-and-greet event for special needs individuals to connect with first responders. Excitingly, through its partnership with the Athens City Parks and Recreation Center, adaptive sports will be coming to the area in late winter or early spring.
The Tutus on a Mission group and I have had the honor of volunteering at several MAW Foundation events, and I can say firsthand that this is one of the sweetest organizations around. Everyone is so gracious, the families are deeply appreciative, and the volunteers are proud to be part of something that truly changes the lives of others. The MAW Foundation has big dreams for the future, including a temperature-controlled mobile sensory unit for use at large public community events and an adaptive field for organized recreation—both of which would be a tremendous benefit to our community. I encourage everyone to learn more about their efforts and discover how you can lend a helping hand or contribute to the cause. Let’s make a way for everyone to enjoy our sweet community. Please visit: www.foundationmakeaway.org or email: info@foundationmakeaway.org
Blessings,
Carissa Lovvorn
June 20, 2025
