PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — A Pinellas County woman is using her experience as the parent of a special needs child to help other special needs children and families.

Michelle Morales started the Mr. Strong Foundation. 

Morales’ son Landon Harrison was born prematurely and spent 56 days at All Children’s Hospital. She gave Landon the nickname Mr. Strong while he was in the hospital.

What You Need To Know

  • Michelle Morales' son Landon was born with many disabilities

  • Morales started the Mr. Strong Foundation to provide funding for special needs children to get therapy

  • The Mr. Strong Foundation is opening a FUNctional clubhouse for students at the Nina Harris Exceptional Student Education Center

  • Some Tampa Bay Rays and Tampa Bay Lightening players have supported the foundation

Landon, who is now 14-years-old, has severe brain damage, is visually impaired and has cerebral palsy among other conditions.

Morales said after she exhausted therapy benefits provided by her insurance, she learned that there were many other families in her same situation. So, she started the nonprofit Mr. Strong Foundation to raise funding for therapy services for special needs children.

She has gotten some Tampa Bay Rays players and Tampa Bay Lightning players involved with support and fundraising projects over the years.

Morales’ latest project is what she calls a FUNctional clubhouse for the special needs students at the Nina Harris Exceptional Student Education Center. Landon is a student at the school. The clubhouse is in a large room inside the school.

The clubhouse has toys and video game consoles that are designed for the students. There is a big screen TV with an Xbox console with an extra-large controller.

“It’s for the kids that don’t have the fine motor skills to play like on a regular controller,” said Morales.

There are also adaptive toys with switches and dials for the children to work on their dexterity. They will be engaging in therapy without realizing it.

There is also a large monitor that lays flat like a table to make it possible for a child in a wheelchair to play touchscreen games and activities.

Morales said her goal for the clubhouse is for a child to never hear the word “no.”

She’s spent countless hours dreaming up the features of the clubhouse with grant writing consultant Beatriz Maxson.

“Yes. I every day would come up with something new,” she said. “I was always texting B (Beatriz). ‘What do you think about this?’ ‘What do you think about that?’”

Maxson is inspired by Morales’ vision and enthusiasm. “She’s so creative. She has these beautiful dreams, and she stops at nothing to accomplish them,” said Maxson.

Morales hopes the clubhouse opens for students sometime in April.