North Texas nonprofit provides a safe and fun place for those with special needs

If Darlene Hollingsworth had been able to work just eight more hours per week for her employer years ago, a lot of youngsters might not have a clubhouse.

And kids of all ages love having a clubhouse. It’s their special place.

But Hollingsworth could not work the additional eight hours because she had to be home with her special needs son, Jonathan. She was let go, and now she calls it one of the greatest things that could have happened, not just to her family, but also for many other young people just like Jonathan.

From that challenging situation came The Clubhouse For Special Needs, a special place in Bedford for youths with special needs. Its mission statement: To provide a safe and fun place for teens and young adults with intellectual/physical challenges — an opportunity for education, socialization and independence in a recreational atmosphere.

“The Clubhouse wasn’t my idea. It was the Lord’s,” said Hollingsworth, The Clubhouse co-founder. “I have a son who was born with Down syndrome. Had no idea how the Lord would use him in my life, but 14 years later…”

Hollingsworth previously had a home-based typing business and hadn’t needed childcare for Jonathan. But then she had to get a 9-5 job, changing her situation drastically.

“I was praying and said, ‘Lord I am unemployed, what do you want me to do?’ He immediately prompted my heart and said, ‘What do other people do with their special needs child after school?’” Hollingsworth recalled.

“ ... “That caused me to do some research and found that there wasn’t anything like after school programs for teens and young adults still in the school system with intellectual/physical challenges.”

So, the quest to open The Clubhouse began. Along with co-founder and Treasurer Kent Hopkins, who has also been caring for a special needs youth in his home for a while, they were able to get the nonprofit organization started in 2006, less than one year after the idea was born.

The Clubhouse serves ages from about 13-22, Hollingsworth said. They have a membership of 60, and not all come on the same day. Some come during the summer only, some during the school year, after school, Christmas, spring breaks, or days when there is no school.

Clubhouse looking for donations, bigger facility

Martha Spahr stumbled across The Clubhouse while doing internet research to find someone to care for her son Ethan so she and her husband could continue to work. She admitted being apprehensive at first because she was afraid he wouldn’t fit in. She couldn’t have been more wrong as she said he absolutely loves going.

She recalled an occasion when she and Ethan were both home on MLK Day. He came in and asked her to take him to “fun,” which is his name for The Clubhouse.

“I said to him, ‘You don’t want to stay home with me?’ and he said, ‘No, I want to go to fun,’” she said in a testimonial. “Most recently, I showed up to pick him up at about 5:45 p.m., and he asked me to come back and get him later. He was in the middle of a Valentine party, sitting at a table and cutting up with his friends. He wasn’t ready to leave.”

Such stories are commonplace at The Clubhouse.

There is a small tuition to be part of The Clubhouse. Private pay is $500 per month. Agencies vary in pay and usually aren’t as much as private pay. Also, some scholarships are available, depending on how much funding can be raised.

“We rely on donations a lot,” Hollingsworth said.

For example, they receive donations from the annual North Texas Giving Day, which was held recently on Sept. 23. They also have fundraising events, such as a charity golf tournament in early October, an upcoming gospel concert in November and a dinner/silent auction in April. And, of course, donations can be made through their gofundme account.

But, as with most successful organizations, growth is necessary. It is no different with The Clubhouse. A capital campaign is underway to move into a larger facility and build even more on the land next to it. The COVID-19 pandemic put the campaign on hold and forced the facility to close for 14 months before reopening June 1.

Currently, The Clubhouse meets in a church on Harwood Road with just more than 1,700 square feet of space. Through the capital campaign the plan is to build a 22,000 square foot facility, complete with a full gymnasium, on almost three acres of land they purchased.

The completion date for the project, estimated to be between $4 to $5 million, is set for January 2023. However, Hollingsworth said that depends on the COVID-19 situation and funding. They need approximately $500,000 to get construction started, she said.