Aug 10, 2024, WAVY, Portsmouth, VA: ‘Complete the Puzzle’ hosts sensory friendly soccer camp
Timiko Winn, Complete the Puzzle Founder & Executive Director, created the organization in 2018.
“I found out that my son Kamren, who is 12-years-old, was diagnosed with autism when he was 3-years-old. It was a difficult journey. I didn’t know which direction to go. I wasn’t getting a lot of help,” said Winn. “When he was first diagnosed, I had to educate and advocate. Then once I learned the ropes about the autism community, I’d like to share what I’ve learned with others.”
In just six years, the organization has grown from 50 to 300 participants with sports and STEM programs.
“I would love for them to just come out and get that experience. Trying to get acclimated with being around everyone and coming out of their shell,” said Winn. “They just want to be just like anyone else. You’d be surprised of the joy, the excitement, them getting acclimated and coming out of their shell. They really grow. The parents are very, very appreciative. We do get a lot of parents that travel from Williamsburg, North Carolina, Virginia Beach. We started out small but now we’re truly growing.”
On Sunday, Aug. 18, Complete the Puzzle will give away nearly 400 backpacks with a sensory friendly hour starting at 11a.m.
“It’s huge every year. We started out and we gave away 250 backpacks. This year, we anticipate it to be large, [and] will probably handout over 400 backpacks this year. We also will have 22 vendors on site as well and a sensory friendly DJ,” said Winn. “There’s no loud noise or anything to distract them. It’s very quiet for them. The sensory friendly time is no noise, no large crowd. It’s just opened up to them.”
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