30 Jun 2025 Community Connections offers programs that serve kids with special needs

By Stefanie Brazile

In 2009, a Conway mother went to work each night in distribution and management and then drove one of her children to therapy five days a week. She sat in on the sessions and realized that she was in a new world with no connections.

“When Alex started getting therapy for what was later diagnosed as a chromosome deletion and autism, I didn’t know anybody who had a child with special needs, but during his sessions, I learned about Community Connections and fell in love with its mission,” said Courtney Leach. That year, she became the executive director of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit and continues leading the organization with drive and compassion for children with special needs and their families.

Community Connections was founded in 2007 in Conway and is dedicated to improving the lives of special needs children and their families by providing free extracurricular activities. Many children with developmental and intellectual disabilities live in a cycle of going to school and therapy, with little opportunity to pursue sports, the arts or hobbies. At the same time, their families often lack education and a support network.

All of this is offered through Community Connections, which started with 25 kids and a performing arts/theater program titled ACTS Jr. (Acting Creates Therapeutic Success). The program is designed to integrate children with and without disabilities through the performing arts.

From there, soccer and some autism resources were added. “Then we found out that families were driving more than an hour one way to Conway so their child could participate in soccer on a Saturday morning, and we serve families from all socioeconomic backgrounds. It kinda kept me up at night,” Leach said. “So, we expanded into Little Rock and Russellville. But then people were coming from further away, seeking support and activities for their special needs children.”

Now, Community Connections offers 17 programs for kids, teens and young adults with all functioning levels in 13 Arkansas communities. Last year, 1,302 individual kids and families participated. “So, we have kids with Down’s syndrome and cerebral palsy and spina bifida, lots of autism, kids who are nonverbal and immobile in electric wheelchairs, and then we serve kids with high-functioning autism and everything in between,” Leach said. “We adapt programs so that all kids succeed.”

With only four full-time staff members, they use the time and talents of hundreds of volunteers. The 17 programs are directed by teachers, business professionals and therapists who volunteer to lead a program in the evening or on weekends. “We do a lot with a little — we are big on stewardship of monies that are given,” she said. “We also collaborate with other groups that support kids with special needs.”

The programs are offered in places where neurotypical kids (those without special needs) are experiencing extracurricular activities. “You may see them at a local gymnasium like Sonshine Academy, at a martial arts school, or on the University of Central Arkansas’s stripes playing football,” Leach said. “We offer art and theater at local churches. Some programs are monthly, but many others last eight to 10 weeks. We do everything in the community and utilize volunteers like high school and college sports teams and civic groups to be buddies for the kids.

The programs are completely free and Community Connections does not bill Medicaid or insurance. To raise support, they host the Swing for Life golf tournament in the spring and the Good Night dinner/auction event in the fall and apply for grant funds. “We buy the uniforms, equipment and supplies so that kids can have the quality experience of being on a team, being exposed to the arts, etc.,” she said. “We are completely community-funded by grants, local individuals, businesses and service organizations who support what we’re doing.

“We have a million beautiful stories of kids and people whose lives have been changed,” Leach said. “Our survey responses say that kids have come out of their shells and made friends for the first time in their lives.”

On the “support for families” piece, Community Connections offers support groups at Share the Love Kids Club in Conway once a month, and they offer respite care in Bryant, Little Rock, Conway and Russellville. “For respite care, a nurse is hired and trained volunteers watch the children and their siblings so the parents can go on a date, take a nap, or do their grocery shopping,” she explained. “We hire a nurse because you cannot always call the teenager down the street to babysit, because a child may have a feeding tube or other healthcare needs and can’t be left without trained medical staff.”

Educational support workshops are also offered to families in English and a bilingual format.

“I love that everything we offer is free, and the community we’ve been able to forge — it’s just families supporting families. We are connecting the community to programs, to resources and to one another,” Alex’s mother said.

To learn about upcoming programs and support groups, along with times and registration links, visit communityconnectionsAR.org.