Special needs organization serves Howell youngsters
BY TOYNETT HALL
Staff Writer

HOWELL - Angela Mastro Piero said her family moved to Howell from Staten Island, N.Y., for a good reason.

"We specifically moved to Howell because of the special needs programs and resources available for our son," said Piero, who is a member of the Howell K-8 school district's Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC).

Piero's son, who is 8, has pervasive development disorder, which is in the autism spectrum. She said her family made a collective decision to leave Staten Island and move to Howell.

"Monmouth County offers a lot more resources for special needs children, especially with the autism spectrum disorder. I have found that my son has grown much more here. There are opportunities here that he would not have in Staten Island," Piero said.

Piero, who has been a SEPAC member for more than a year, joined the organization as soon as she discovered that it existed.

"There are a multitude of things that would not happen without SEPAC and without the Howell community when we all pull together," she said.

Stephanie Cluney, another member, said SEPAC makes her feel welcome and not different than other parents.

"You don't always have to feel out of place. In SEPAC you feel in place," said Cluney, who has a 4-year-old daughter with special needs.

She said SEPAC serves as an emotional support network and gives her a place to enjoy fellowship with other parents who have children who deal with all kinds of disorders.

For nearly two decades SEPAC, a nonprofit organization, has been assisting the special needs community of Howell. According to Vinnie Anne Bartow, the current president of the SEPAC executive board, "In the Howell school district there are about 1,600 families receiving some type of special education."

SEPAC, which functions like a PTA or PTO, does not receive any government assistance. It is supported exclusively through fundraisers and donations. The group provides monthly information sessions, workshops and events that cater not only to the special needs community, but are inclusive to all of Howell.

SEPAC meetings are held on the third Thursday of each month at the Taunton School media center at 7:30 p.m.

According to Patricia Callander, the Howell school district's supervisor of special education, SEPAC is a proactive group that provides a range of services.

"They are wonderful people who are willing to lend a helping hand," Callan-der said.

Jada Alleruzzo, who has been a part of SEPAC for three years, said the members come together "to share our experiences and to help one another deal with special needs children. It's a tough job, but we as a family in the community need to stick together."

Cluney agreed with Alleruzzo, saying SEPAC "is an organization, but it's also a big family."

Bartow said SEPAC is all about families coming together to network. She said most people who participate with the organization leave with a greater sense of community.

"I think some people walk away with a feeling of community. There are other families in the same situation as themselves and it's a place where we can all come together as one big family," Bartow said.

Fiona Marinelli, who is the council's community relations officer, said the events SEPAC hosts "get special needs children out into the public and included in all different kinds of programs where people cannot judge them as special needs children."

Piero said the SEPAC events give special needs children a chance to be themselves.

"Coming to SEPAC events is one of the only opportunities these kids will have to play with other children who accept them just for themselves," Piero said.

Next up on SEPAC's agenda is Howell Mania, the council's version of a Special Olympics competition.

According to Bartow, SEPAC aspires to have more events that include the whole community.

"SEPAC wants to do more for the community. We are not really sure what that is yet, but we are looking to bring more of the community into our organization," Bartow said.