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She Quit to Give Kids With Disabilities a Team | Open Door Sports · find your cause

• Joseph Smalzer: waiting to get our rental skis, she was pulling on my coat saying, mama, where are my skis? Yeah, obviously. Yeah, as a mom. And I had always been felt like I was such a big advocate for her that I felt like I failed her at that point. All righty. So thanks everyone for tuning into this episode of Find Your Cause. Today we have Sarah Albas, who is the founder and executive director of Open Door Sports. Sarah, thank you so much for your time tonight. Yeah, happy to be here. Yes. So we just had a long dialogue before hitting a record, but before we get into a lot of details, what is Open Door Sports? It's like how we like to start these interviews. Sure. So the mission of Open Door Sports is to provide high quality sports programs, positive experiences, and community building opportunities for individuals with disabilities and their peer buddy supporters. Started as an idea of coming to players, coming to individuals with disabilities in their local communities, offering them a chance to be a part of a team and the community that comes with it. Awesome. Why you? Why is this something that's very near and to your heart? You know, it's sort of a life journey. I was a college athlete, played at Vanderbilt, played soccer, played sports and coaching my whole life. And I am the mom of four daughters. My youngest of whom are twins who were born exceptionally early at 25 weeks with a host of challenges that kind of come along with that. Our daughter Hannah had ⁓ a major brain hemorrhage on day three of life, which subsequently led to hydrocephalus. Diagnosis of cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, she's legally blind, and yet she's like joy incarnate. She is a walking rainbow and also the most determined person I think I've ever met. And her determination and will and desire to do the things that her sisters were doing as a sporty family led me at a time in my life where I had kind of backed away from the first career that I started and kind of led me to think about what. I could do to help make those opportunities available to more kids like Hannah. So it was just that combination of a confidence in my ability to coach. had done, you know, very high levels outside of college, the rec kids, and I knew this population well from, you know, Hannah's upbringing. And so I felt confident in that area. And I just felt in my gut, especially in the afterschool space, that we were missing out on opportunities to provide that for kids so they could stay after school like their neurotypical peers. So that's how it all kind of came to be. Yeah. And I think you partially answered my second question already was why do you think Open Dura Sports was necessary? Like what wasn't being provided for kiddos that you saw the gap for? And when was that realization and how did you just transfer that into like create an organization to support that? Yeah. Wow, that's so funny. So when she was younger, you know, I think we had this, you know, this moment that I go back to where we took the whole family skiing and I had the three other girls in ski school. Mark and I were planning, my husband too, alternate time with Hannah and, you know, the lodge. And while we were waiting to get our rental skis, she was pulling on my coat saying, mama, where are my skis? Yeah, obviously. Yeah, as a mom and I had always been, felt like I was such a big advocate for her that I felt like I failed her at that point. And so that was one of those moments that I was like, okay, you know, the next time we went up, sure enough, it just so happened that there were a couple that had moved down from New Hampshire that were adaptive ski instructors that, you know, the little ski hill in Pennsylvania had had this there and man, she took to it. and loved it and did awesome. So that was sort of one of those things where it was like, all right, we got her skiing. And then she was in a ballet class and she did basketball and she horseback, you know, was horseback riding. And like, she was open to all of it, doing all of it. But when I had this career shift, no one was actually like, you know, all these kids, her sisters included, would stay after school for these aftercare programs and. You could do Legos and you could have a soccer class and you could, and there was never an opportunity for Hannah. So it was like, had a little time on my hands, know, quit my other job and I'm sitting there thinking like, what's missing? And this, you know, I always say like, I trusted my gut because it was only my experience that sort of told me that this wasn't there. You know, I'd been involved in the schools. knew a bunch of different schools. Hannah at this point had moved on to middle school. So like, knew her elementary school didn't have it. I knew her middle school didn't have it. And, you know, we're in a county that serves 175,000 students. huh. You know, it was like, I think that this piece of the pie is, is vacant. And, you know, I got some nudging from some friends who... were in the sport world and the, kind of were like, maybe we should do classes. And I was like, well, I have some ideas on that. Like if you're going to do classes for kids with special needs, like, you can't charge full free, you know, like these families already have to take on the exorbitant costs of raising a child with special needs. knew, you know, I gave them the example of like, Hey, we just had to get Hannah a new stroller because she's 12. So she does not shit in a typical stroller, but she needs it. And it was like, the stroller we have to get is medical grade and it's $3,500. PT is a mortgage payment. OT. Like, so, you know, you're looking at somewhere between four and eight times the cost of raising a neurotypical child when you're raising a child with disabilities. And to me, that part was really important, making it very low cost, if not free. And I also felt like very strongly watching some other programs that I will like these kids have potential and they will learn and they will grow. And I wanted to structure it differently too. So I wanted it to be a practice. know, we're going to work with a warmup and then we are going to do skillsets and it may be, you know, the drills, we may be repetitive. We may do them every week to work on it and the progress may be slow, but these are kids are going to improve and they're going to master some of these skills. so, you know, there were some things that I wanted to do a little bit differently that I didn't see out there. And that sort of drove me to like, okay, here we are 42 years old and I'm like in a certain nonprofit, which I've never done. And there was, there were a bunch of sleepless nights, but I felt, you know, I felt confident in my ability to do the right thing by these kids and make sure that they felt supported, included, that they would develop some pride in their abilities, that they would make friends, have a community and You know, my gut was that that was what was missing, at least here in, you know, Maryland suburbs. Yeah. 175,000 students in your area. Was there like initially a large demand for this? Like I'm not as familiar with like the percentage of special needs students as like a function of 175,000. I don't honestly know the percentage. Our county is huge. There are some issues with that, but I also started to think like where we live in the down county part of Montgomery County, there tends to be a lot of resources and we had nothing. These programs didn't exist and I kept going school to school. To me, it just seemed like, well, if it's not here, then it's probably not in the areas of the county. that have fewer resources. And my first instinct was to go to Hano's old elementary school and ask them, like, hey, this is what I'm doing. Launched a nonprofit. This is how we would structure it. they were like, they were yes. And they were like our first go. And the progression was kind of funny because I was like, awesome. Then I was like, all right, I'm going to go to five more schools that I know have. programs for special needs students. And then they all said yes. And then I was like, ⁓ boy. ⁓ gosh. It's just me and there's only five days in the week. Like, I'm not sure how I'm going to do this. So, but the one thing, the big takeaway, other than the panic was, okay, my gut was right and the need in there and let's see if we can do something about it. So. What were some of those initial programming that you decided folks on? Was it soccer because of your background or what were like some of the initial classes or courses or programs that you did? So when we started, which was the spring of 2017, started with the soccer class, I over-enrolled the players and under-enrolled our peer buddy volunteers who, you know, I don't know about other areas of the country, but here kids graduating high school need to have service hours. call them SSL hours. So I was like, okay, well, that's great. That's the structure I'll have. I'll go get approved to provide these hours. But you know, and high school students come out to support the players. But I overruled the players and under enrolled the peer buddies. the first lesson, know, with my, we definitely did, I definitely pivoted like after the first session with 14 players and only five volunteers and myself. So anyway, you know, there's always growing pains and you figure stuff. But yeah, the beginning was soccer and so fall and spring. So that next fall when we started again, we did soccer and then basketball came next. So that was winter and we kind of stayed a two sport family for a while. We added in summer programming because my You know, my previous occupation was related to research and surveying. So I love a survey. love like crunching numbers. So it was like, well, if you don't know, ask. So, you know, we would ask how we were doing, but we'd also ask like, what else can we do or what would you like to see? So summer programming came after that. And it was more like, kind of like this organic evolution where someone would hear about open door sports and then. You know, hey, have you met, you know, Lewis? He and his daughter are really into bocce and bocce is super accessible. I had never played bocce before. Now my husband and I are of adult league and I was also at it, but you know, that was probably the next sport that we started doing in the summers. That's so random. Bocce. Totally. But like, if you think about it, there is equipment and things like you. as a person could be quadriplegic and there is equipment to allow you to roll the ball. Yep. And I watch Hannah and it's like, you know, it's just, it's fascinating and the kids love it. And it's like giving an option to kids who maybe have sensory issues or on the spectrum, right? And maybe they don't want to be super close to other people or, or have that super fast paced. you know, environment, was like, okay, maybe we can offer something. Based like your turn and my turn that, yeah. Yeah. it's, and it is a slower pace, but there's strategy and these kids, it's the same thing. It's like watching these kids learn the game and then excel at it. And it's also a very unified thing. when, especially with Baji, we have players and peer buddies on teams together, alternate rolling. So everybody's participating and it's just, you know, it's cool. So. That was sort of the next evolution with sports. And then it all kind of blew up after there. We started tennis, we do tee ball, like adapted baseball and tee ball golf. I mean, so I think we're now at eight or nine sports and most of that growth is in the last, I would say four years. You know, I think we were like a soccer, basketball, bocce in the summer. for a while and then it was a little bit more staffing and then trying other things and having it be pretty awesome. Yeah. So in addition to obviously the advantage of having something for people with special needs to do after school, what have you seen evolve as some of the ancillary benefits that maybe you didn't think of initially other than just wanting to have something for folks to do? And it could be related to the volunteers as well that participate or just the experience of the kiddos and the adults that are going through the programs. I mean, I would say very early on, I recognized that there were these bonds of friendship happening. I think sometimes there was a misconception that individuals with intellectual disabilities cannot make those bonds amongst themselves, which is false. And they look for each other, they're psyched to see each other. And it kind of becomes this family, not just, you know, not just the players, but also the families, like the parents. It's, know, if you think of going to, you know, or growing up and playing sports and having all the parents on the sidelines and all talking and hanging out and cheering together. Like a lot of these families have never had that. And so there was a time where it's like ODS started, families would come and hang out and get to know each other and then have someone else who's walking a similar path, where you might've felt a little isolated. I know at times before that, you early on I felt that way. Whereas like, we didn't really know any other families who had a child with special needs. So, you know, there's this cool kind of community building component that happened that I was not planning on. It was not intentional, but it was like probably the best thing that came out of it. Like these kids are... running around or learning a sport, they're developing coordination and balance, they're having fun, it's healthy. They're proud of themselves and yet they're also now part of something bigger. They have someone to call, they have someone who's watching their back. It's been a cool thing. I have to say, locally, there's some schools where, say we have a high immigrant population and there's a large Ethiopian component to... a school and that these families have said to me, you know, I'd never met anyone else, especially from my culture, that had a child on the spectrum. And now I've met five and we can actually talk openly. you know, there were just cultural differences that, you know, they had never had anybody to talk to in their community that understood the path that they were walking and what they were trying to do. So. That, like I said, incredibly unintended and awesome. And then, know, we, the, the player peer buddy relationship too is part of this community, right? Like, I think a lot of our volunteers who came out, like, have never had an experience or don't know someone with special needs, don't know someone with CP or Down syndrome or, you know, on the, on the, you know, autism spectrum disorder. So. getting to know them and you're hanging out for seven weeks for an hour every day playing a sport, you end up chatting about all kinds of stuff and realizing like, they all play the same video games or they, you know, they have so much more and they'll say things to me. You know, like we come together before the game at the end of our each session. And I was like, all right, you guys, you're wearing the red penny. So red what? What's the team name? We're fruit a lot of times, but like sometimes they would throw out. you know, some, some character from a video game. And I'm like, I don't, I was like, they're like, it's a video game coach there on. I'd be like, ⁓ you know, I'm like, awesome, you know, but that thing was really cool. Cause then like I had parents telling me like their kids in middle school and walking down the hallway and he's got some friends who are volunteering at Odia's giving them high fives. Be like Anderson, can't wait to see you on Thursday. You know, like it's such. It's such a cool thing that just makes you feel like you're not alone. Like I said, that wasn't intended. It was like, I want to provide an opportunity for these kids to do something that, you know, other kids get to do. And, hey, we're going to run around and we're a little sport and we're going to feel good about ourselves. And yet like, wait, now it's like, now I have friends. Now I have a big group of friends. you know, like my daughter in middle school was invited to a birthday party at the mall by her peer buddy. And it was like her and 12 seventh graders walking around the mall getting ice cream and Hannah was on cloud nine. Like that would not have happened before. so anyway, that's ⁓ just like the cherry on top. So yeah. As you've continued to grow this, what do you think has fueled the engagement of volunteers of people that want to donate and contribute to the program to keep it going? Have there been stories or have there been data you've collected of the impact? Or what do you think is continuing the snowball effect of your organization? I really feel it comes down to every... Not every person with special needs is the same, right? Different challenges, different diagnoses, and I think also what they get from ODS is different. So for some families, it was, he wanted to be treated like an athlete. And, you know, we, as an organization, I'm like, that is, that is how ODS does it. Like there is a coach leading every practice and, you know, I'm not going to let you, you know, just sit on the, I like, Hey, you know, James, you want to be a soccer player? You got to get out here and work on your skills. You know, I'm like, This how we get better. so some kids, was that, right? Some kids, it was like, you know, she has cerebral palsy and she uses a wheelchair and we never thought that she'd be able to actually play soccer. Right. So we never would sign her up. Even when OV, ODS was around and they heard about it, they were hesitant. And, you know, the smile and the joy that this kid has out there, the high fives, like just being a part of that. was important to them. So I always feel like what strikes a chord with the people that support us is those testimonials, is those experiences. Like I have my own with Hannah and that is partly, you know, obviously why I started ODS, but it's like, are just one of many and the stories are all a little bit different as to what, you know, like. You know, Emily is so proud of herself. She never thought she could do it. It's like pride or confidence or my brothers all play soccer and I want to learn how to play and I want to be an athlete, but for every kid it's different. And I think the way that we come at the, you know, the structure and how we, how we teach the sports is to see potential, right? And so it's like every kid who comes out, they're all going to be different. And they're going to have different needs, but we always shoot for success. We want everybody to have a win and we see potential. And when kids need challenges, we'll give it to them. You know, if we need to up the game, like I've had three man weaves going on the basketball court and people are like, you did what? And I was like, And it's awesome. And you know, or we'll play games and they're shooting like, you know, we had to up the ante because some of our kids got so good at things that we had to do a more competitive program, right? like shooting three pointers and I'm just like, like, this is awesome. You know, so I think that these stories and I think that the, family telling their own impact or what they went through and what, what is important for their kid and how ODS has impacted their child or their family. I think that that's what resonates. You know, the beginning was sort of why we're doing it and you know, everybody knows Hannah and she's very prevalent. on ODS's website and social media and everybody gets that. it's like, now that we're up and running and have been for a while, it's the other people's stories that I think really hit home because they're all so different. There's two final things I want to ask about. One is because probably the Winter Olympics is here, but Special Olympics, do you have any talent funnels? that are potential candidates of the Special Olympics. Like have you worked with them at all or like what's that process like? you know, I know, I know when I've met in Maryland, the man who runs Special Olympics Maryland and we have like a Montgomery County chapter, but I do, there is one young man who's now probably 16. He is a nonverbal communicator. He is on the spectrum. He... rock climbs and it is, and I am not kidding when I tell you when he was in like second grade and started ODS, I verbatim told my mother who worked in a classroom years ago in elementary school in Michigan for kids with special needs. And I said, there's this young boy named Noah and he climbs me like a tree. Like I'm there coaching and he would like. climb up around my body, he would climb up onto the pull-up bar and be standing on top of it in like the elementary school gym. And I remember looking over at his mom and being like, mom's probably like, well, yep. No. And he's like, he's good. Just, he only falls if someone tries to pull him down. And I was like, I'm like, got it. You know, like I'm cool. If you're cool, I'm cool. And a number of years later, probably when he was in middle school, he started rock climbing and the kid is amazing. Amazing. I actually had a dream he was in the Olympics. So, yeah. And I told his mom and he's like, well, but so, so yeah, I don't know of any yet, but there's high potential. I mean, that kid stands out to me because I, he just, you know, And I always said to like his volunteers and stuff, was like, Noah is incredibly athletically coordinated. Like he may pop in and out of what we're doing on the basketball court or soccer field, but like this kid, like he can play and he, I think could probably do anything, but rock climbing was his jam and he is, he's amazing. So who knows? Yeah, who knows? Well, this, the, the future of ODS, what, what, you know, licking, 2017, looking forward eight, nine years, what do you hope to see? I think that the thing that I'm proud of is our growth has been kind of organic and that all comes down to staffing. It's like the hardest part of my job is finding the right people to put in front of these kids. I learned early on that you know, a good used soccer coach or good used basketball coach is not necessarily a good ODS coach. Cause our practices don't always go the way you expect or not every kid can line up. you know, so if we have the right staffing and that is honestly why over the last four or five years, we, I've lucked out with some just absolute gems of human beings and That is why, you know, we probably went from having nine or 10 programs a season to 16 to 20. And I would hope that, you know, in time and as we continue to do what we do well and put the right people out there. Cause like, now it's a lot in this area. It's just a lot of word of mouth, right? Like we opened our spring registration on Friday and you know, it's, it's. fascinating how quickly things fill up, kind of feel bad about it, because I've never wanted this to be like a stressful, you know, kind of thing. But the programs are free. And, you know, I think word of mouth is like we were organized, we do a good job. You know, the kids are walking away feeling good about themselves. And I would hope that as long as we can continue to find the right people to lead our programs. that we'll be able to fill the need that I know is out there. Because every season, every time we open up anything, it's a great problem to have, but we have wait lists. And that means we're not reaching all of the kids that want to do it. We diversified from just after school to now we have 12 programs running on the weekends. We do evening programs because we're trying to see if we can reach as many kids as possible. I would hope that in time with the right people coming on board that we can just continue that trajectory because the need is real and needs there. That's fine. So people that are listening that are inspired and want to get engaged, what type of engagement do you look for and where could they go to get engaged? Well, I mean, I think that I always say I'm open to everything. You know, depending on what a person's talents are, like, obviously, as I just said, like, Hey, if someone's a former coach or they've retired and they, you know, want to work with this population, that's all. We have events that come up. actually, think, cause we're small, where I feel like we're a little scrappy. We do a lot of like smaller things, smaller fundraiser events. We're always looking for help with those. So we just did a pickleball tournament last weekend, which was great. We had our first Mahjong tournament in December, which was so great. We're going to have another one in April. So we have events throughout the year, golf tournament, know, annual celebrations. So that thing's always great. You know, obviously, you know, you can't fulfill a mission without funding. So if people are so inclined, obviously donating to us is super helpful. You know, we don't have any huge institutional or corporate funders, so we're pretty grassroots and we have to. really scrap for what we get. So that kind of thing is also super helpful. On our website, you can kind of find everything from enrolling kids to volunteering to the fundraising events and the donation stuff is all there. Awesome. Great. Well, Sarah, you cover a lot and what y'all are doing is amazing. Is there anything that we missed or anything you want to leave us with before we wrap up here? No, I think it's just, you know, We set out, Odi has set out with this mission that everybody can play, right? Like give kids a shot, get them off the sidelines, get them out there. And, you know, I think for those of us who participated in team sports our whole lives, like a team is a community. And that's what we're hoping to give these kids. Yeah. Well, awesome. Folks are listening to open doorsports.org. Sarah, thank you so much for your time. We're honored to share the amazing work you're doing and me being having a sports background as well. know. the impact sports has had on my life and the community that it's built, lifelong relationships. So, really amazing what you're doing and we're really happy and cheering for you on the sidelines here as you continue evolving the organization. Thank you. I appreciate it. All right. Thank you, Sarah. Thanks. Take care.