Kaitlin's Hideout holding fundraiser to keep doors open

Kaitlin's Hideout in Glen Ellyn gives kids with special needs and their parents a place to play and get support.

Founder Lisa Kelly says it's a safe haven for such families, free from the judgment that the children and parents might face elsewhere.

But unless Kelly finds more money for the center at 526 Crescent Blvd. in downtown Glen Ellyn, the little shop with a big purpose could close for good. To keep the doors open, the Hideout is holding an online fundraiser that ends Monday where those who want to help can purchase T-shirts and iPhone cases. A majority of the proceeds will go toward keeping the center open.

All the T-shirts and iPhone cases are adorned with artwork by Kelly's daughter, Kaitlin, who is the store's namesake and has autism.

To buy a T-shirt or iPhone case to support Kaitlin's Hideout, customers can visit wearelions.org.

The Hideout is a resource for kids with special needs, but Kelly said most of the kids who come to the center fall somewhere on the autism spectrum.

She said the space provides recreation opportunities for the children in a way that adapts to their needs.

"We believe that our kids with what I call special abilities deserve to be able to experience everything," Kelly said. "Maybe they just need a little guidance and maybe things need to be structured a little bit differently for them to participate, but they should have all the opportunities that a child without struggles should have."

The programming has changed over time, but the center has provided art, yoga and dance programs for kids, along with social opportunities such as play groups and parties.

Besides the resources for kids, Kaitlin's Hideout also provides a place where parents can meet and get support.

"We go to typical parties and parks and things and we feel a little left out because our children are different, so it's nice to be able to interact with others that are on the same journey," Kelly said.

Kelly lives in Lombard with her 13-year-old daughter. She said going out with Kaitlin has presented challenges.

She said Kaitlin loved to go to a McDonald's Playland, but when kids wanted to interact with her, her daughter would gently push them away.

"Parents would freak out," Kelly said. "I swear, sometimes parents look at our kids like they think their kids are going to get something. I've actually had people shield their child away."

"You just get so bitter and angry when you're always in those situations," Kelly said. "You go to the park and the moms are all talking about their massages and their hairdos and we're like, 'Did my child poop today? My child only eats two foods, they only slept an hour and a half the night before.' This is the kind of stuff that we're dealing with. It's like we live on another planet."

Kelly says she has made the center an affordable place for families, with visits for activities costing $10 per child. The price can go a little up or down depending on the program, she said. The center also provides respite care and volunteers help out at the space.

For the fundraiser, the Hideout is partnering with We Are Lions, an organization that puts the work of artists with disabilities on clothing.

Sandy Laxner of Winfield has taken her 7-year-old son Mike to Kaitlin's Hideout since he was 4. He has attended parties and social groups while Laxner has gone to the parent support groups.

She said she feels "devastated" and "destroyed" that Kaitlin's Hideout might close.

"No one would judge him here," Laxner said. "Pretty much any kind of activity or any kind of behavior that he exhibited would be not only accepted, they would try to understand it, they would say I've been there before."