So Many Events, So Little Time!

That phrase “when it rains, it pours,” can bring so many mixed blessings.

Extra Special People that is no exception.

Excitement is building for our Fifth Annual Big Hearts Pageant for Special People of Northeast Georgia; our 50 contestants gathered at ESP's building in Watkinsville to rehearse this past Saturday. While these kids and young adults rehearsed, their parents and additional volunteers set up shop at the nearby cutting, painting, gluing and assembling set dressing for stage.

Load-in starts at 6 a.m., Feb. 4 at The Classic Center. The show starts at 7 that night, and a clean-up crew will start breaking everything down at 10 that evening.

In the midst of all of this, some of our staff will be leaving The Classic Center that Saturday morning, in spite of all that will need to be done, and the last-minute details that need smoothing over, to go work another event.

The 2012 Northeast Georgia Transition Expo and Conference runs from 9 a.m. To 1:30 p.m., at the Tate Center on the University of Georgia Campus. This event is an opportunity for families of children with disabilities to learn about programs, services and a whole range of options for their kids. It is sponsored by the Northeast Georgia Transition Team and the University of Georgia College of Education.

The theme of this year's expo is “Recruiting Your Team – For Life!”

Parents of kids with disabilities have to approach the idea of their children growing up from a completely different vantage point than parents of typical children.

Imagine that your child is confined to a wheelchair, or is verbal but has severe cognitive delays. Could your child ever live alone? If so, what would her quality of life be like? What preparation does she need to take that step?

The expo encourages parents to “recruit” a team that will help them line up post-secondary education options, learn about employment opportunities, find support groups and get educated about health care financing. It aims to help them plan for the future. For parents who have learned to get by one day at a time under some challenging circumstances, the value of this gift is incalculable.

So, while our staff could easily say that the day of the Big Hearts Pageant – our biggest fundraiser of the year – is just too hectic to take time out for another event, it's well worth the time.

ESP helps parents find a true sense of community and support for their children, and our programs enable children to be better socialized, give them self confidence, and keep them active and engaged. Of course that's something we want to share with families!

Also, with ESP's Capital Campaign, to be launched in February, we are hoping to secure a better future for our organization, in order to help even more families build a better future. With our planned campaign, , a teaching kitchen, and a fully-accessible garden. In other words, ESP is trying to grow to better meet the needs of the types of families who will attend to expo to learn how to make their special kids successful for their whole lives.

Admission to the Transition Expo is free, and it runs from 9 a.m. To 1:30 p.m. Workshops offered in both English and Spanish begin at 9:30 a.m. For more information, visit negaresa.org.

Then, for families and community members who still want more ESP (and who can blame them?), come on over to the Classic Center for our Fifth Annual Big Hearts Pageant at 7 p.m. A group of 50 kids and young adults will strut their stuff on stage, with a little help from Vince and Barbara Dooley and local celebrities like Aaron Murray.

We have a fabulous silent auction planned, with items like a goodie basket from Entourage Clothing & Gifts, autographed Colt Ford CD's, tickets to see Lady Antebellum and Darius Rucker live, gift certificates to local restaurants like Last Resort and one that plenty of people have their eye on: a football autographed by the Crimson Tide 2012 BCS championship team.

Tickets to the Big Hearts Pageant, which includes entry to the auction, are $12. They can be purchased at The Classic Center Box office or at classiccenter.com.

We wouldn't miss any of this for the world, and neither should you! We hope to see you Saturday, Feb. 4!