PINELLAS PARK, Fla. — Pinellas County students at the Nina Harris ESE Center have a brand new “FUNctionable Clubhouse,” thanks to the Mr. Strong Foundation. All the students have special needs and the clubhouse allows them to play and receive therapy, all at the same time.

What You Need To Know

  • The Mr. Strong Foundation created the FUNctionable Clubhouse, where students can play while receiving therapy

  • Michelle Morales, creator of the Mr. Strong Foundation, says being a parent to a special needs child has its challenges, but one of the hardest to overcome is the financial aspects of their care

  • The Mr. Strong Foundation is a nonprofit that provides funding for special needs children to get the therapy services they need, but often aren’t covered by insurance

“Are you going to do ‘shake, shake, shake?’” Michelle Morales asked her son, Landon, while he played a special new video game in the FUNctionable Clubhouse.

“Landon is 14 years old. He has cerebral palsy, cystic fibrosis, autism, sensory processing disorder — those are just his diagnoses — but it’s definitely not who he is. He is the happiest little kid. He makes my world,” she said.

Landon has attended the Nina Harris ESE Center since he was three years old. Morales says being a parent to a special needs child has its challenges, but one of the hardest to overcome is the financial aspects of their care.

“I was constantly sitting in waiting rooms and I would hear other parents talk about therapies that they needed for their kids, and they couldn’t afford it,” she said.

Which is why Morales started the Mr. Strong Foundation. It’s a nonprofit that provides funding for special needs children to get the therapy services they need, but often aren’t covered by insurance, and the brand new FUNctionable Clubhouse is one way to do that.

“A lot of them are adaptive equipment, so even though they’re fun things, they’re actually using their dexterity and fine motor skills, so it’s actually doing therapy in here, but they don’t know they’re doing it,” said Morales.

There are all kinds of fun and therapeutic activities, like the Rocket League video game Landon likes to play. It’s a co-pilot game where Landon is in charge of shaking his controller to kick the ball.

Morales says the FUNctionable Clubhouse provides these kids with a safe space where they don’t have to be on the sidelines — they’re in the game.

“It’s a great space for them to interact and just play with their peers and it’s a place that is safe, and just have fun with their therapist, but in a place where there’s no judgement,” she said.

The creation of the FUNctionable Clubhouse was made possible with support from several local nonprofits and private donors, like former Tampa Bay Rays player Evan Longoria.