When COVID-19 forced much of the East End to shut down this summer, Kristin Teodoro launched Hudson’s Helping Hands. Named for her son who is on the spectrum, this welcome addition to the East End provides integrated learning experiences and support for children on the spectrum and their families. We recently spoke to Kristen about the importance of community, Sensory Santa at the Children’s Museum, and how you can get involved.
How did the idea of Hudson’s Helping Hands come about?
Hudson’s Helping Hands had always been something in the back of our minds. But something that we just wished there was, not that we ever thought we would be the ones providing it. Over the summer we were feeling so defeated with Hudson being out of school for so long. We looked around and saw so many summer programs and camps for typical children carrying on and we thought-well this just isn’t fair. I simply posted that we wanted to develop a safe, inclusion program to help kids get some school structure back and it kind of developed organically from there. Liz from CMEE was one of the first people to reach out to us actually!
What have you found most surprising about starting a non-profit?
How AMAZING our east end community is! I grew up here and never really understood how supportive everyone can be of one another because we all are connected. We know eachother through one person or another and we have that bond out here. How many people wanted to and were willing to help was and is so heartwarming to see. We are truly lucky to live in a place like this!
Can you tell us a little bit about what made Sensory Santa so special?
We strive to create events that are AWESOME. That is our goal. But in tandem with that, is the goal to create every corner, activity, and space with special needs children in mind. Sounds, safety, space, light stimulation, etc.. these were all things we considered when putting together this event. But our favorite part about what we are doing is the simple message of inclusion. To see the faces of both typical and nontypical children laughing and enjoying themselves all together was the best part.
Do you have any other special events planned?
We are beginning to put together a few upcoming things for our HHH family! We most certainly have an event cooking for the Spring but we are not quite ready to spill the beans!
How can someone get more involved with Hudson’s Helping Hands?
They can reach us through our website Hudsonshelpinghands.org! We are always looking for volunteers and extra hands on deck whether it be helping us fundraise or coming to our programs and events and helping us!