Lake Co. group serving adults with disabilities

Twenty-two-year-old Shannon West of Antioch is an alumni of the Special Education District of Lake County, but she's making it a priority to continue her education.

Three times a week, she goes to the Round Lake Area Park District Robert Rolek Community Center to participate in the TODAY Club, which was started in September as an educational alternative for highly functioning adults with disabilities.

"We go places like the pool, the fitness center and the library," West said. "I love it."

"Together Opening Doors Around You" is a mantra Round Lake Park District Special Recreation Supervisor Jenni Weinstein said means gaining new skills, building friendships and creating educational opportunities.

"When kids transition out of SEDOL there are really no services in the Lake County area for them," Weinstein said. "Illinois is at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to funding programs like this. We offer families an alternative."

West, who Weinstein describes as "outgoing and energetic," was awarded along with several others a Certificate of Appreciation during a recent open house event.

"Since she started attending the TODAY Club, it's all she can talk about," said West's sister Stephanie Moore. "She's very excited about the learning she is doing."

Since SEDOL only accommodates children ages 3 to 21, local parents of young adults with disabilities are often left wondering how to continue their child's educational progress following their 22nd birthday.

So Kristen Johnson, herself the mother of a 22-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, helped start the TODAY Club in September 2008.

Since then, the TODAY Club has added new staff and tripled its membership.

Nine young adults from northern Lake County are now members of the club that Johnson said "helps to build lifelong skills and a relationship with the community."

She praised the members for "really getting into character" for a theatrical performance at a local art festival in February.

Each month activities are based on a new theme. May focused on outdoor recreation and the environment, and this month members will continue to cultivate a charity food garden at Renwood Golf Course in Round Lake Beach.

Weekly trips to the library and fitness center work to create healthy habits for the minds and bodies of TODAY Club members.

"The club has really taken off," Weinstein said. "It's great to work with these kids and to focus on the things they can do instead of focusing on what they can't."