We Rock the Spectrum - St. Augustine
Hello!
We are Jennifer and Mitesh Desai, owners of We Rock the Spectrum – St. Augustine! We are fundraising to complete our indoor sensory kids gym for our community. We would love to share a little about who we are, what we are doing, and how you can support us!
Our Story
We live in St. Augustine, Florida with our 3 year old daughter, Ariana, 2 year old son, Weston, and our fur pup, Tips. We are both Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) who each have over 10 years of experience in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) working with neurodivergent children, adolescents, and their families to foster meaningful and lasting growth and development! Jennifer currently owns her own ABA company where she provides ABA Therapy, with a focus on Caregiver Coaching throughout St. Augustine and the surrounding areas.
When we were afforded the opportunity to open a We Rock location, we were overjoyed to bring our passion to our local community where there are not currently many options for the population we have been so fortunate to serve. We very much value inclusivity, and are drawn to make an impact in our own community for neuro-divergent and neuro-typical families alike. As clinicians in the field of ABA, we know first hand the impact this gym will have and we can’t wait to share our vision and be a community hub where truly there is “Finally a place where you never have to say, I’m sorry”™ and allow ALL kids to “play with a purpose!”®
What We Are Doing
We are designing an inclusive indoor space where kids of all abilities can play, swing, jump, run, and most importantly have fun in a safe environment. The space is set up to meet the sensory needs of neuro-divergent individuals by having a predictable layout and equipment designed to meet the tactile, proprioceptive, and vestibular system. We will have a trampoline, zip slider, rock climbing wall, a multitude of swings, an arts and crafts area, soft play toddler area, a teen lounge, and much more! We’ll be offering open play, birthday parties, social skills classes, parents night out, drop off activities, field trips, private play dates, hosting community events, and other activities to meet the needs of our local community.
Our new kids gym will be a staple in the community for all individuals and we can’t wait to share it! After spending nearly two years searching for the perfect location, we finally signed our lease in October 2023 and were hoping to open our doors in early 2024. We had everything lined up and were ready to jump in head first! Unfortunately, things never go as planned and we were hit with a major setback of having to obtain a special use permit for our location. Although the permitting requirements have pushed out our timeline, we have not and will not give up on bringing our passion project to life. We are waiting anxiously in the wings ready to make our dream a reality and bring this to our community, who so desperately needs it.
How to Help
We would so very much appreciate any amount of donations you’re able to give! We are in need of financial assistance to help fund our build out, and financial obligations with the extended timeline we are now faced with due to the permitting barriers.
If you’re unable to donate, no worries at all! You can still help our efforts by spreading the word and sharing this page!
We can’t wait to rock with our community and appreciate any help you’re able to provide!
