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We announced our grand opening, and then the world shut down. What should have been a month of excitement and anticipation turned into three months of unknown certainty. That month should have been filled with grand opening announcements; last minute ordering; conversations and visits with professionals, families, schools; and birthday party and event bookings. Instead, the three months were filled with waiting on amazon orders to finish things up; writing letters to government officials; revamping the entire business model to accommodate COVID19 precautions for when we were allowed to open, and praying that we would be able to open sooner than later.

We finally opened the new sensory kids’ gym, We Rock the Spectrum – Forest Hill, on June 1, 2020. Once we did open, it was apparent that families, especially families with kids with autism and other differing abilities, were in desperate need of more support and resources. Being at home and not being able to go anywhere was getting to be too much for some families. I heard over and over that being inside and even playing outside was getting redundant.

Once word got out that we were offering private facility rentals – one family at a time – we started seeing families coming in that had not taken their kids out anywhere since March. We are still one of the few places some families will take their kids to play. Business is much slower than the original plan…COVID19 has definitely not been very kind to us. However, our mission and purpose for We Rock the Spectrum – Forest Hill is being fulfilled each and every day. The connections and the relationships we have created with our customers are priceless. The joy we see on the kids’ faces and the relief we see in our parents’ eyes will always be one of the highlights of Year 1. Families are still struggling. Kids need to be around other kids. Parents are concerned that their kids are going to become more introverted and withdrawn. They are searching for places and activities where they can feel safe and allow their kids to be active and play with others…either friends they already know or new friends. This gym has been an outlet for families with kids of all ages and all abilities.

The business model looks very different than just the daily Open Play in the original plan and franchise model. However, I think it works much better for our families not only during this pandemic but overall. We offer sessions so that we can clean and sanitize in between. We are keeping everything at low capacity. As the governor has lifted restrictions, we’ve been able to add more options to make our services more available and meet time and budget needs of the families in the community. It makes me smile when the parents come in and say that they had to come because their kids won’t stop talking about coming back. We had one girl choose coming to the gym for her birthday instead of going to the zoo. It’s so worth the struggles that we continue to have to serve the families of the community…parents, kids, teens, adults…of all abilities.

As for me? Well, my husband and I opened a brand-new indoor kids place in the middle of a pandemic! I struggle with anxiety and ADHD in a non-COVID19 world. It’s been hard. We can’t hire employees, and my husband has a full-time job. I am literally responsible for the gym 24/7. I am thankful I have teenage kids as they help tremendously. We are still trying to figure out balance. We are still trying to find our rhythm. But, I can tell you that there is One who has given us the strength to continue and the hope that it is all going to work out in the long run. For our family, the faith we have in Jesus, is what’s keeping us going. The love Jesus shows us is how we can show love to the families of the community even when everything else seems to be falling apart. We will make it through. We are still seeing new families every week and welcoming back returning ones. That’s what makes it all worth it!