Fremont father voice for children with special needs

FREMONT, Calif. (KGO) -- Kanit Therdsteerasukdi volunteers and supports everyone at Friends of Children with Special Needs (FCSN), a nonprofit on a mission to help individuals with special needs and their families find love, hope, respect, and support through integrated community involvement.

After enrolling his daughter Lily at FCSN, Kanit has since been an active volunteer and advocate for all the children by attending and speaking at events and hosting Muay Thai martial arts lessons.

Kanit describes the supportive environment at FCSN: "We're all helping each other... if there's one kid struggling with stage fright, then one parent might step up and try to relieve the anxiety... so I see that support in every activity that FCSN sends us... I see all the parents cheering each other on."

Friends of Children with Special Needs was founded by 10 Asian American families of children with special needs in 1996. To support one another and educate the community about those with special needs, they successfully built a community center in 2006 that instills a sense of belonging, love, hope, and respect for the special needs community. FCSN now provides opportunities for both children and adults from all backgrounds with special needs to give back to their community through volunteer work and jobs. The organization believes in the power of families helping families and emphasizes fostering collaboration among families, volunteers, and staff to provide a caring and fun environment for all.

Anna Wang, VP of Outreach and Enrichment Programs, is one of the co-founders and explains that they "have evolved (the) organization to helping... families know that there are resources... (and) to help all the individuals with special needs, be proud of themselves and grow their own wings."

FCSN currently has three facilities across the Bay Area with an additional center opening in Fremont on August 23rd. According to their website: "FCSN has connected and aided more than 800 multi-ethnic families. With two centers, FCSN now provides 40+ comprehensive programs for special needs individuals of all ages and their families. By 2014, FCSN has over 200 students in its Vendorized Day Programs, 100 staff (including full and part time), and over 800 family members."

Kanit reflects on his experiences with his daughter Lily in the program: "You hear the kids are supportive of her. And then once she started the after-school program here, I could see she completely blossomed. I mean, she made friends. She became really social... And she overcame her stage fright... I'm so proud of what she's able to accomplish after being here because before she did try to do performances in the Thai community where she would freeze on stage... But for somehow, whatever magic is going on here... it encouraged her to actually be brave enough to perform on stage and not freeze... It's her supportive peers which she didn't necessarily have in another environment... it's really the staff that creates this nurturing environment for everyone... she feels safe (and) is comfortable in her own skin"

For more information, visit Friends of Children with Special Needs or email outreach@fcsn1996.org.

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