LEWES, Del. - One beach house in Lewes offers more than just a nice stay by the water. The Children's Beach House works to serve under-resourced families with kids who have speech, language or hearing challenges, giving them new skills, mentors and friends to be thankful for on this thankful Tuesday.
Richard Garrett says he had a severe speech challenge when he was a child.
"My brothers and sisters acted as interpreters," Garrett says.
He sees the need for the resources the Children's Beach House has to offer.
"It's a pretty lonely, tough experience for kids in their regular school settings, so when they come here they get to form friendships and get to know each other," Garrett says.
Multiple programs aim to help children from age 3 through high school graduation, like the Educere Institute.
"We're out in the world offering up professional development, technical assistance to organizations focusing on youth serving organizations," Garrett says.
Volunteers work in many ways from taking care of the facility to taking care of the kids.
"We've got folks that help us put together fundraisers and special events to help pay for the programming and we've got a couple of folks that just come in and help us keep organized, so they might do things like laundry, folding sheets and towels, or they might do filing and office work," Garrett says.
Sometimes outside companies volunteer their time and equipment.
"More than anything it's all about the children and being able to support them and have a little fun," says Suburban Propane General Manager Brent Stubbs.
The company helped the kids plant a spring garden, which helps them to engage with people their own age, while learning how to introduce themselves to people in the community.
Families can click here for an application for one of the programs at the Children's Beach House.
Click here for volunteer opportunities.