About the Nonprofit
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Open Door Sports Inc. (ODS) was founded in the Fall of 2016 to fill a gap in after-school offerings for children who are often missed - kids with disabilities and kids struggling with a lack of financial resources. ODS provides adapted soccer, basketball, and bocce programs to children with disabilities at eight Montgomery County, Maryland middle and elementary schools. The majority of our programs are in an after-school format with the support of a large network of middle and high-schooled aged volunteer peer buddies who work one-on-one with the players.
ODS programs are focused on serving all children with disabilities including kids with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Spina Bifida, Down Syndrome, ADHD, and other intellectual or developmental disabilities. Without ODS, these children are often left on the sidelines because traditional providers don’t provide one-on-one peer buddy support or appropriate adaptations to make their experience one of empowerment and not failure. For financially disadvantaged families, the cost of the program may be the barrier. In other cases, without a car or without the ability to leave work, the fact that they have to be transported to a location other than simply staying after school may be the limiting factor.
