Friends of Special Children 501(c)3 | P.O. Box 5718, Chattanooga, TN. 37406
About Us
Our Mission & Work
FRIENDS OF SPECIAL CHILDREN (FOSC) works to improve the lives of special needs children of all ages in our community. With over 25 enthusiastic volunteers, the group has proudly served children with special needs in and around Chattanooga since 2002. FOSC has hosted the ABC, All aBout Children Event for the past 15 years, raising nearly $2 million for Signal Centers School. Signal Centers offer day programs and referral services for children and adults with special needs. In addition, FOSC has proudly sponsored Families Forward, which supports expectant mothers; Chatter Camp, Signal Centers’ summer camp for non-verbal children; SPARC, Chattanooga's chapter of Disabled Sports and Marty’s Center, an early learning center for children with hearing impairments.
Past ABC Fundraising efforts benefiting Signal Centers
- 2006 was the 1st Annual ABC Event. Raised funding for computer interactive learning tools: Intellitool Suite software, devices, hardware, and Internet server upgrades.
- 2007 was the 2nd Annual ABC Event, “Build a Better Classroom.” Provided a state-of-the-art classroom conducive to assistive therapies: speech, language, hearing, and vision. and more.
- 2008 was the 3rd Annual ABC Event, “Early Intervention = Early Education.” Chaired by Bill and Nancy Underwood, Raised funds for establishing an endowment fund to bring the youngest children to Signal Centers. Additional funding was used to support school readiness intervention programming.
- 2009 was the 4th Annual ABC Event. Chaired by Chet and Janet Logan. Raised funding for the construction of an all-inclusive playground at Signal Centers. With the Chattem pavilion, riding tracks, swings, slides, and landscaping.
- 2010 was the 5th Annual ABC Event, “All aBout the Babies.” Chaired by Alfredia Rhodes and Dawn Shea, with Honorary Chair, Maxine Alper, funds were raised to build a new “babies walk,” providing easy access to the playground from the building, and remodeling the baby's nurseries.
- 2011 was the 6th Annual ABC Event, “All aBout Our Children.” Chaired by Friends of Special Children, funds were raised to ensure babies, toddlers, and preschoolers have equal access to the highest quality early childhood education experience possible.
- 2012 was the 7th Annual ABC Event, “Keep the Children Warm.” Chaired by Jim and Marion Steffner, funds were raised to replace all the school windows with new energy-efficient windows allowing Signal Centers to be part of a green community and make more efficient use of natural resources
- 2013 was the 8th Annual ABC Event, “Rain or Shine, It’s Playtime.” Chaired by Will and Katherine Sutton, phase one fundraising began to build an indoor recreational center adjacent to the Friends Playground.
- 2014 was the 9th Annual ABC Event, “Rain or Shine, It’s Playtime.” Completed phase two funding for the Maxine Block Alper, Friends of Special Children Recreation Center, and recreational space for the children at Signal Centers. This new facility allows for a large indoor play area and place for special events.
- 2015 was the 10th Annual ABC Event, “Moving on Up...and down.” Chaired by Janet and Mark Neighbors, funds were raised to install an elevator for our special needs children to access the Recreational Center from the main school building.
- 2016 was the 11th Annual ABC Event, “Back to the Future.” Chaired by Barbie Standefer and Jack Riggar, funds were raised for upgrades to Intellitools and all interactive learning software and hardware and Internet secure server. Excess funds were used to purchase a music system for the baby playground.
- 2017 was the 12th Annual ABC Event, “Keep the Children Safer.” Chaired by Cynthia Hall and Rosemarie Hill, funds were raised for safety and security for the campus and classrooms, including new fencing, video cameras, and the installation of 2 classroom bathrooms.
Whether you've helped through monetary donations, volunteering your time, or spreading our mission through word-of-mouth, thank you! We couldn't accomplish our goals without the help of supporters like you. Thank You
President: Lynn Reese 423 505 7061
- 2018 was the 13th Annual ABC Event, “Point and Paint the Schoolhouse.” Chaired by Marc Barclay and Bill Lloyd, funds were raised to repair the façade of Signal Centers facility. We repointed the brick, repaired window sills and frames, replaced stone cladding, and painted the entire exterior. FOSC Sponsored one complete façade to get the project kicked off.
- 2019 was the 14th Annual ABC Event, “Children’s Gateway.” Chaired by Russ and Tracie Blakey, we raised funds to create a new, safer traffic environment and added parking and a new welcoming, secure gated front entrance. An additional $15,000 was used to refresh and update the hallways of the children’s program. Painted brick halls and replaced flooring.
- 2020 was the 15th Annual ABC (Virtual) Event - 2020, "Helping Our Children Thrive.” Chaired by Jim and Susan Reynolds, we raised funds for Children’s Programming during the pandemic crisis. An additional $40,000 was used to increase the value of the Friends Endowed Scholarship Fund.
- 2021, the 16th annual ABC Event raised $175,000 for playground improvements. Replaced the poured-in-place surface for the main playground, expand the size of the baby Music & Art playground, add three sail-shade structures, replace the swings and install several landscape items. These improvements will ensure the children have a safe and creative outdoor space to play, learn and grow into the future.