We help children with special needs attain more movement so that they can achieve physical fitness.
Without your support, over 85 children with developmental disabilities in our community would not have the opportunity to get a little sweaty, build muscle, and challenge themselves through physical fitness.
FlyTime is a program designed for children with special needs who may need assistance to move, climb, roll, communicate or interact in a traditional setting. MFGF has worked in partnership with our local schools to adopt a gymnastics based fitness and exercise program using specific equipment giving these children with disabilities the opportunity to get a little sweaty, build muscle, and challenge themselves through climbing, jumping, running, crawling, bouncing and many other fun activities, in an environment that is best for them.
Our certified personal trainer adapts activities so every child can reach goals, build strength, increase coordination and develop positive self-esteem.
Currently we are able to partner with many local special needs programs such as Rossman & Roosevelt Elementary, DLMS & DLHS, Frazee schools, and Lake Park schools. Next fall we are working on adding The DAC, DL Transitions (an after high school graduation program), the ALC, another DLMS group similar to the ALC, and Lincoln Education Center.
With limited options for how to participate in traditional PE classes at school many children with special needs struggle to burn effective energy throughout their day. Since most parents are not able to afford specialized adaptive equipment to help their children achieve movement this leaves many children with special needs behind when it comes to physical fitness. Since we began our FlyTime program we have heard time and time again from multiple paraprofessionals, teachers, and parents that when students come back to school after attending an hour of adaptive physical activity at FlyTime they have a much better ability to focus and pay attention in their classrooms!
We are hoping to grow this program in the future by being able to offer a paraprofessional free of charge to families of children with disabilities who want to enroll their child in regular recreational program classes here at our gymnastics and fitness facility. Not only would this be beneficial to the children, but we believe that it is so important for parents of these children to be able to have time for themselves. Providing a para for these children would allow parents to drop off their children for an hour one night a week, allowing them to go run errands, catch up on work at home, relax, and so many other things! However, being able to offer a para for recreational classes free of charge would in turn increase our overall cost of the FlyTime program and create a larger need for funding.
© Minnesota Flyers 2021 | 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization