Extra Special People, Inc. CEO Laura Hope Whitaker and ESP, Inc. participant Megan Weaver smile at the Watkinsville, Georgia Headquarters on Nov. 9. When Whitaker joined ESP, Inc. as a freshman at the University of Georgia, she found her passion for changing the Athens community for the better. “I’m proud of our community and proud of the way that our participants inspire others because it’s not just about our participants and their families, it’s about the community and the community needs ESP just as much as the participants and families need it,” Whitaker said. “It’s been a story of faith, resilience, grit, gratitude and immense pressure, giving and philanthropy. There’s so many different stories that have string together how ESP has grown.” Photo by Aza Khan
Extra Special People (ESP), Inc is leaving lasting positive impacts on the Athens community through its dedication to providing opportunities for children and adults with special needs.
Tucked away, sheltered behind tall trees off of the busy streets of Watkinsville, Georgia, sits a home. Filled with laughter, fun and opportunities, this home is a haven for children with special needs.
This home is changing the way society views people with special needs.
This home is Extra Special People, Inc.
After volunteering in 1986 at an Athens-Clarke County summer program called “Project Start” for kids with disabilities, ESP founder Martha Wyllie noticed a definitive lack of other summer camp opportunities for children with special needs. Unsettled, Wyllie took matters into her own hand and began ESP with only 21 participants.
When the current CEO Laura Hope Whitaker joined ESP almost 20 years later in 2003 as an 18-year-old student at the University of Georgia, ESP was still only a summer camp with monthly activities during the school year. But, Whitaker had a dream of leaving a mark on the Athens community and ESP was the key.
“We had a once-a-month program and summer camp, so I (ran the music) to help run the club programs,” Whitaker said. “That summer, (I) worked on the leadership team to help run summer camp, and (Wyllie) was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. (At) the very end of the summer, she told 30 of us college students, ‘ESP, you and me. Take it where you can take it.’”
Laura Hope Whitaker, CEO of Extra Special People Inc., explains the founding and purpose of ESP at headquarters in Watkinsville, Georgia on Aug. 15. Founded in 1986, ESP has grown to serve more than 1000 families of children and adults with special needs in Athens/Watkinsville, Rome and Marietta Georgia. “We believe that our programs are not only changing the lives of people with disabilities and their families, but an entire community through volunteers that are coming through our summer staff (and) little kids who are playing on the playground in our backyard that learn about accessibility, and learn how to interact with people with disabilities.” Whitaker said. “We really believe our programs changed the entire community for the better.” Video by Janie Ripps
When Wyllie died in October 2004, her dream was suddenly passed along to Whitaker and fellow volunteers. Taking on the highest position of Camp Director, the future of ESP rested in Whitaker’s hands.
“I didn’t know that I was taking over a nonprofit organization, I just knew that it was the next right for me to do,” Whitaker said. “I was given four little sticky notes with the printer’s name on it and the police chief ’s name on it. There was no software system that had donors’ names. There was no guidebook. I had to really lean into the faith that this was the right decision and it turned out to be a really beautiful thing.”
Working with four other board members, Whitaker began raising money and pushing for more outreach with the community. Through every obstacle, she built a culture of mentorship among the staff.
“We continued the six weeks of camp and one Saturday a month, then we started doing some more after-school programming. We started a swim team and just grew slowly from there,” Whitaker said. “It was 2008-09 (when) we started to think we probably need a bigger building because we had a waitlist 100 (participants) deep at that point. That’s when we started trying to grow and (make) it more of a name within the community.”
Today, ESP has touched the lives of more than 1000 families of children and adults with special needs with locations in three cities in Georgia as of 2020: Athens, Rome and Atlanta.
The organization offers three main programs to participants: Hooray Summer Camp, 360 and Java Joy. Hooray Summer Camp is an eight-week day and overnight camp in both Athens and Rome. 360 is a year-round program that offers afternoon activities such as music therapy, fitness, arts and crafts, as well family support and a summer camp in June and July. Java Joy is a coffee cart and employment program for adults with disabilities.
Through each program, ESP’s goal is to transform the lives of children and adults with special needs one experience at a time. Magen Ferland is one.
“Magen is 20. She has a very rare chromosomal deletion. She’s the only documented case in the world. She also has autism, sensory processing disorder, cerebral palsy, seizures and hearing and vision loss,” Beth Ferland, Magen’s mother, said. “She has had a lot of challenges in her life. She’s not allowed to go (to programs with ACC Leisure Services) because she’s a liability. The only place she can go is Extra Special People.”
“Magen is 20. She has a very rare chromosomal deletion. She’s the only documented case in the world. She also has autism, sensory processing disorder, cerebral palsy, seizures and hearing and vision loss. She has had a lot of challenges in her life. She’s not allowed to go (to programs with ACC Leisure Services) because she’s a liability. The only place she can go is Extra Special People.”
Magen’s mother
Magen and her family have been a part of the ESP community since she was five years old. According to Beth, after Magen attended the second annual Big Hearts fundraiser, which featured a talent show, silent auction and gala, she fell in love with the program. Today, she is a participant in multiple ESP programs.
“She’ll have a one-on-one buddy (who is a) high school or college girl, about Magen’s age. They can get her into doing things like talking and gossiping,” Beth said. “Right now, she’s playing baseball through the Miracle League and then she’ll go to overnight camp, (Hooray Summer Camp).”
For all programs, ESP follows the buddy system. In every activity, participants are partnered with volunteers for weeks at a time to guide them and form a connection. Clarke Central High School sophomore Henry Abbe volunteered at 360 summer camp in 2023 and experienced firsthand the benefits of having a 1:1 volunteer to participant ratio.
“Every volunteer/staff member gets assigned a buddy and you stick with them throughout the entire week (and) help them out if they need help. You’re there for them. You’re responsible for them,” Abbe said. “(This helps) give (campers) a place where they can feel like they belong and come first because I think, in a lot of senses, it could feel like that’s not the case. (This camp is) made just for them. It’s a good thing all around.”
Extra Special People, Inc. participants and volunteers participate in a 360 after school program activity on Nov. 9 at the ESP headquarters in Watkinsville, Georgia. Since its founding in 1986, ESP, Inc. has offered transformative experiences to kids and adults with special needs. “Our mission is fulfilled in three ways,” ESP, Inc. CEO Laura Hope Whitaker said. “We have our hurray summer camp program, which is day camp and overnight camp. We have our 360 program, which is every day, that’s our after school programs and our family support. And then we have Java joy, which is our employment program for adults with disabilities.” Photo by Aza Khan
ESP participant Andreka Martin, a CCHS senior, has been attending after-school programs with 360 for almost four years. Martin has had the opportunity to learn how to cook in one of her on-site programs, as well as bond with volunteers and fellow participants.
“(I enjoy) hanging out with friends and meeting new people,” Martin said.
Beth has noticed the positive impact of the program’s support as well as the safe environment on Magen. She can see her daughter’s love for the activities and community grow every time she attends.
“It’s giving her typical experiences. She could do yoga, cheer, dance, she gets to meet UGA football players and (go to) camp,” Beth said. “She just loved it, the people she met and everything. She was included, she wasn’t being judged and she could just be herself and they would deal with her behaviors so she doesn’t feel as stressed.”
However, the impact hasn’t only reached Magen. ESP has become a community and support system for Beth and her family throughout Magen’s life. The program offers monthly family dinners throughout the year and family counseling, as well as an ESPsibs program where siblings of ESP participants can share experiences and bond.
“It’s a lot raising a child with a disability. You have a wide variety in the special needs world, so you don’t know what is out there for support,” Beth said. “I have learned so much from others that have older children and then I try and pass that knowledge along. It’s kind of everybody supporting others.”
ESP has touched the lives of many families, children and adults with special needs, but this mission doesn’t end in Athens, Rome or Atlanta. According to Whitaker, plans for expansion and the continuation of these positive impacts are underway.
“We’re kind of patching and putting together the pieces that we’re learning from (the) Rome and Atlanta (expansion), and then we’re looking forward to future cities,” Whitaker said. “We have four or five cities that have identified as desiring to have an ESP in their location (and) we’re gonna start raising money in Savannah and growing to the Savannah area.”
“We’re kind of patching and putting together the pieces that we’re learning from (the) Rome and Atlanta (expansion), and then we’re looking forward to future cities. We have four or five cities that have identified as desiring to have an ESP in their location (and) we’re gonna start raising money in Savannah and growing to the Savannah area.”
— Laura Hope Whitaker,
ESP CEO
What was once just Wyllie’s dream has spread throughout communities. Every expansion carries with it the hope of transforming the lives of children and adults with disabilities, being a support system for families, and challenging preconceived notions surrounding people with special needs.
Filled with laughter, fun and opportunities, ESP plans to continue changing communities for the better and growing their home.
“ESP is providing this opportunity for kids of all abilities to experience what typical kids experience. They get to play sports, they get to go to summer camp, they get to make best friends, they get to have boyfriends, all of those fun things that (are) a rite of passage,” Whitaker said. “We are teaching (communities) how to engage (with) people who are different than them. We’re teaching them what it looks like to be equitable. We’re teaching them what it looks like to be inclusive. We’re teaching them what it looks like to help individuals feel that they belong. Because they do.”
