MANALAPAN — Providing adults who have special needs with the opportunity to enjoy a night out filled with fun and excitement is the mission of the Manalapan Special Needs Council and its Saturday Night Out program.
The program began in 2010 when a group of parents who had children with special needs approached municipal officials to request a program that would benefit their children socially as they got older, according to Lynn Becker, the coordinator of Saturday Night Out and a member of the Special Needs Council.
“When we went to [former Mayor] Drew Shapiro with our idea, we knew our kids already participated in the Special Olympics together, and we wanted to keep them together and provide them with more social opportunities,” Becker said.
With the mayor’s support, the ball started rolling for Saturday Night Out. Today, the program attracts between 30 and 35 participants for a monthly social event that is held on a Saturday night.
“A lot of the events we do are so much fun for our participants, and they really enjoy it. We try to use [local] businesses like the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, where our participants recently saw ‘The Sound of Music,’ ” Becker said.
For an annual participation fee of $75 for residents of Manalapan and Englishtown, and $110 for people who do not live in either of those towns, participants in Saturday Night Out have a chance to enjoy many events, according to Township Committeeman Ryan Green.
“We have participants with cognitive delays and some who are handicapped. The Special Needs Council does all the legwork for the program, and all of the money we get is reallocated [to the program] so the town does not make a profit off of it,” Green said.
Money received from Saturday Night Out registration fees covers staff salaries, transportation and food, according to Green.
The Special Needs Council was established in 2005 and is a group of volunteers from the community, according to Green, who is the governing body’s liaison to the council. He said people are encouraged to join the panel.
The following Saturday Night Out events are scheduled for 2015: March, attendance at a high school play; April 25, dinner at a Chinese restaurant; and May 16, a bowling and pizza party.
The volunteers who dedicate their time to the program are what make it thrive, according to Mona Cholowinski, the superintendent of Manalapan Parks and Recreation.
“We have some paid staff for Saturday Night Out who are certified to care for people with special needs. Some study special education at Brookdale Community College. Other staff members are volunteers and learn about the program through word of mouth,” she said.
Cholowinski said feedback from the Saturday Night Out participants and their parents is very positive.
“A lot of the events involve dancing and karaoke, and the participants have so much fun when they engage with one another. There have even been times when they pull me onto the dance floor,” she said.
“We like to change it up a bit each year with the events we hold and the people who come out always have a blast.
“The Special Needs Council does terrific things, not just with this program, but for the entire community of people with special needs. We are always looking for additional volunteers.”
For more information about the Saturday Night Out program and the Manalapan Special Needs Council, visit www.mtnj.org or call 732-446-8355.