A SPOT for special need families this Valentines Day

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - There was a special spot for special needs children this afternoon!

The SPOT organization, which stands for Special Place for Others to Thrive, hosted A V Valentine’s dance in Meridian today. Everyone was invited, but the event primarily caters to families of children with special needs.

“Tonight, we have our special needs valentine’s dance. We have a DJ set up. We have lots of food, and different crafts, and then we have games that are available. And then we also have our quiet room for anyone that gets overstimulated or just needs to take a break. So there is not a lot of events for the special needs community where they can come in and just feel completely in a safe atmosphere. So it doesn’t matter, you know, if they’re stimming, if they’re enjoying themselves, or maybe they’re, you know, they’re overstimulated and need to take a break. So, it’s important for us to have this event where they do have a place to come and enjoy valentine’s because valentines is just about spreading love, and that’s what we’re about as well.” said Haley Bratu, Volunteer Coordinator for the SPOT.

The event location took about a week to decorate with the help of volunteers but it was time well spent. Event organizers say the dance had about 200 people in attendance.

To learn more info about the SPOT you can visit their website here.