ORANGE PARK — In Clay County alone, more than 8,000 students have disabilities and need proper services. The small but mighty Henderson Haven is aiming to combat this daunting reality.

"They don't have the life you and I take for granted. They don't get to choose where they live, they don't always get to choose who they hang out with, what they want to do with their lives. They’re told by everybody," said Henderson Haven CEO Lee Henderson. 

The organization highlights this need for independence by providing a safe space for children and adults with special needs, including after-school care, summer camps and educational opportunities.

Lee and co-founder/COO Sherri Henderson own and operate the nonprofit haven on Foxridge Center Drive as husband and wife.

Lee said that he and Sherri came up with the idea of the program after experiencing difficulties in providing their son, Trey, with proper care. Lee said that Trey, who was born with Down Syndrome, was placed in a segregated classroom for the first time in his life when they moved to Florida with no real reason as to why. 

"Because we already had a background in the field, we knew that that wasn't going to fly with us. So, we kind of became the parents that the school system hates for a little while," Lee said.

Sherri said that finding services for their son was nearly impossible. With higher living costs than expected, she said working was necessary. But leaving her son at after-school programs wasn't financially viable.

"After-school programs are going to charge two to three times more for our son Trey because he had a diagnosis of Down Syndrome," Sherri said.

Advocating for their son was the main goal, but when others started inquiring about their work and resources, the Hendersons decided to take their advocacy a little further. 

Sherri began assisting families with their individualized education programs (IEP), and eventually, many parents began asking for direct care. In 2000, Sherri said she began helping a family whose adult daughter was abandoned by transportation in Northwest Jacksonville.

And, from there, it grew. 

"We saw how hard it was for us. We knew it was harder for others," Sherri said. 

Working to help more people, Sherri said she was able to hire others for some assistance, and the two figured they could potentially make a business out of their unique services. Lee said they made a plan and jumped in with both feet, officially incorporating in 2003.

Lee said that at first, Henderson Haven was mainly an in-home advocacy program. Staff would regularly meet families in their homes and provide care in five counties in Northeast Florida. 

However, Lee said when the state stopped working with the children, in-home families panicked.

"They didn't have anything to do with their kids after school anymore because they got kicked out of the regular afterschool and daycare programs. So, we started the Free 2 Be Me program to give them an option," Lee said. 

The Free 2 Be Me program is a center-based children's program encompassing private school and after-school care.

Open year-round, even during school breaks, Sherri said the center gets kids as young as four years old and will take them through their high school years up until 22 years old. 

"We are here for these families that don't have other options," Sherri said. 

Partnered with Broach Schools, the center provides students with an all-day private school option.

"We do spelling tests and things. We might find a different way to do it," Lee said. "(For) some people, we started using Scrabble tiles to be able to spell." 

Additionally, Camp Possible is the center's yearly summer program, providing engaging recreational summer activities. 

Sherri said the center is not babysitting but rather an approach to engaging the students and working through their social life and communication skills, depending on what each person needs. 

For Sherri and Lee, Henderson Haven also emphasizes each person's self-confidence. 

"They're capable, so we have to keep giving them the input until we can figure out the output for some of them," Sherri said. "And when we have that mentality, they seem to progress more."

The Metamorphoses program aims to help people 22 years old and older and provides support to adults with developmental disabilities. 

"No one is too old to stop learning. And, so we just keep working on that," Sherri said.

Lee said that Henderson Haven has given parents and children hope again, which keeps them going. 

"They just can't believe it when they don't get those phone calls and they can actually focus on work and not have to be sitting there stressing about what's going to happen next because someone's stepping up to help them out," Lee said. 

For Bridget Watkins, the center has brought her son Danny out of his shell. As a single parent, Watkins said it has just been them, and Danny's shyness has caused him to be a little stand-offish with others. 

"He was really able to belong, is the only way I can explain it. Danny really wants to be a part of the community, a part of the world," Watkins said.

Diagnosed with Down Syndrome and mostly non-verbal, Watkins said that it's hard for Danny to feel included. 

"He went to elementary and junior high through the Clay County School system, and it was very hard on him because he wanted to be like the other kids. He wanted to be able to have peers and go hang out and do things that you do when you're in school," Watkins said. 

Watkins added that after all he went through, Henderson Haven gave him that inclusion.

"He got picked on, and he was bullied. And it shut Danny down a lot," Watkins said. "But then he goes to Henderson Haven, and he's included." 

Corrine Johnson said that Henderson Haven had helped her son with potty training, behavior management, and his transition to the adult life program. 

"All of those things are huge milestones in a world where you really feel helpless and you don't have a lot of resources," Johnson said. 

Johnson said that getting services in Florida is astronomically hard, as the government doesn't see it as an issue. 

"It took me 11-and-a-half years to get my son on a Medicaid waiver list because we quote make too much money. It's sad," Johnson said. "I didn't ask for my child to come out disabled."

Johnson said that, because of this, having more facilities like Henderson Haven is much needed — not just for the support it provides for the child but also for the resources it provides for parents.

"When you have a special needs child, a lot of times you lose the support of everybody around you. And I say that with the nicest of intentions because your family dissipates when you have a child that has difficult needs or behaviors," Johnson said. "People don't step in to help, they don't give you a break and they don't have the answers for you."

The Hendersons said their son inspires them to give support, and it doesn't stop there. 

Currently running its Doors to Independence Campaign, the center hopes to raise funds to expand and build The Trey Henderson Center for Community Inclusion. The three-year campaign aims to raise $6 million.

Henderson Haven has many plans for the nonprofit, from purchasing the building and remodeling it to officially classifying it as a hurricane shelter. Lee said that the lack of public hurricane shelters that accommodate people with developmental disabilities is a problem.

"You get some of the individuals that we work with, that they're already have issues in trying to control some of their outbursts," Lee said. "You get them in a storm situation, in a new place, and those behaviors just really manifest, and they’re asked to leave those shelters." 

This year, Henderson Haven's 20th anniversary, the center aims to maximize its space and build more awareness in the community about its mission. Additionally, the center hopes to continue advocating for those who are disabled and teaching others how to do the same.

"Families have resources, families have support, families have peace of mind," Sherri said. "That would be the advocacy, what we hope to bring to Clay County and the surrounding communities."