Organization unmasks shame for special needs children

JACKSON, Tenn. — A newly-formed nonprofit in the Hub City took to downtown Jackson to raise awareness and “unmask the shame” for special needs children.

Masked philanthropists walked the red carpet in downtown Jackson.

“We’re going to unmask the shame of special needs kids having to feel ashamed of who they are because they are special children,” Delita Johnson said of Different and Unashamed.

This fund, which started in October, is part of West Tennessee Healthcare. The group said their goal is to assist with the financial and emotional adjustments families of special needs children have to make.

“There’s a high financial cost to having a special needs child, but we love them, we care for them, and it’s always good to know that families have help and support from the community,” Johnson explained.

“When someone’s around someone else and they are different, it kind of makes them ashamed to be themselves and that’s one thing that I did not want my daughter to have to go through,” Charity Clark, mother of a special needs child, said.

Clark said having an organization like this to reach out to families can have a huge impact.

“There’s somewhere for my daughter to belong. Now I feel like she is not by herself. There are other children that are like here and there are other parents that are going through the same thing that I’m going through, and they can see the same things they see in their child as I see in mine. Instead of them being in with a ‘normal ‘ child, they can come and we can all be together,” Clark explained.

Different and Unashamed said they plan to hold things like pageants, talent shows, and dancing classes for special needs children throughout the year.