Functional Fitness 4 Special Needs

Who am I....
My name is Jennifer Judge and I am a Behavioral Specialist.  Over 10 years ago, I found love in working with individuals with Autism and other related disorders.  In those 10 years, I worked with many children and families and it was a young man named Nick that changed my thoughts about life.  He taught me how to become a better behavioral therapist, true friendship and the value of life despite one's obstacles.  
The Bigger Dream...
As I continued to work with Nick, I became challenged by his inability to communicate at times and the frustration he experienced became aggressive. It was during this challenging time that I decided if I wanted to continue to work with Nick that I needed to step up my physical strength. I began crossfitting about 4 years ago and fell in love with the process, the change in my body and how I felt. Most importantly it was my own outlet that I turned to when I felt challenged. I got stronger, set goals and achieved them, built friendships but I also found peace and balance. It was a year later that I went for my certification to become a level 1-CF trainer.
During that seminar, I knew my passion was to work with kids. I wanted to obtain a certification to train crossfit to kids but the first step was to be a level 1 trainer. During the last few years, I continued my work as a behavioral specialist and worked with Nick,  other children with Autism,  Asperger's, Attention Deficit Disorder and several other families; all while attending school to obtain my masters degree. I found out how exercise made me feel and wanted to see if exercise would help Nick. 
I implemented exercise like biking, swimming and running and learned the more he exercised the less he seized and incredibly observed a spike in communication.
Nick began talking more, requesting items and his cognitive skills appeared to improve. I took the little things and  included them in his workouts. Instead of box jumps, he did step ups. I got creative and used a resistance band to assist him with sit-ups.
Instead of rope climbs, we used them as battle ropes or as he called them "rope slams". In the summer we would go to the gym almost every day for 30 minutes and I would coach/assist and adapt exercise movements with him. It was then I learned how much he loved and improved mentally and physically. 
Nick requested "rope slams", "row machine" and "spin" regularly in addition to his musical preference to accompany his workout session.
Nick taught me more about exercise than I even knew at the time. He taught me that with a little encouragement, modificationa and patience; someone with special needs could reep the benefits of functional fitness.

Why you should fund me....
I want to teach individuals with special needs the joy of exercise and for them to be able to move more functionally. I need your help by donating to my dream. I want to merge special needs and functional fitness together. The donations will help me attend the seminar for the crossfit kids course and assist with the process of getting a non-profit set up to provide those with special needs a place to exercise, learn fitness and to feel accepted in a community where any disability is welcomed.
Imagine the outcome.....
Most importantly this is a place for them, a free environment to find peace, balance and to learn to build friendships in their community and bond with others in their own gym.