Extra Special People Plans 25-year Reunion

The following is an edited news release from Extra Special People, Inc.:

For a quarter-century, ., (ESP) has helped enhance the lives of some of Northeast Georgia's most special families, forging its own extended family among the kids with disabilities and parents it serves.

ESP's first program was camp, started in 1986 to address a lack of social, recreational and therapeutic services for 55 children with disabilities. The next year, ESP gained 501(c)(3) status and has been expanding ever since, hosting camp for 150 children in Summer 2011, and .

Now, ESP is planning a reunion. But, as with any extended family, the ESP family has scattered significantly as children have aged out of the program, families have moved away and volunteers and board members have gone on to other ventures. The organization is seeking the community's help in finding those families, volunteers and board members who have lost touch with ESP, but whose lives were nonetheless touched forever by the nonprofit's summer camps and other services for children with disabilities.

On Dec. 2 at the , ESP will honor those families and volunteers whose love, support and special children helped build the organization over the past 25 years. It may seem early, but December is right around the corner and we need to start spreading the word now to ensure we find every family and individual that would like to take part.

“Twenty-five years is such a huge milestone, and it's really remarkable to see how far we have come and how many lives ESP has touched in that time,” said Laura Whitaker, executive director of Extra Special People. “We want to celebrate properly, and that means more than just celebrating the work a few people have done, or the work that goes on today – we want to make sure every family, every camp counselor, every donor ever involved with ESP has an opportunity to reminisce and rejoice together and look toward the next 25 years.”

Families and individuals with ties to ESP can contact the organization via extraspecialpeople.com or on Facebook, at fb.me/extraspecialpeople.