1. Extra Special People
Enhancing the lives of individuals with
developmental disabilities and their families

2. “I am only one, but still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
but still I can do something;
and because I cannot do everything,
I will not refuse to do something
that I can do.”
Helen Keller

3. A Message from the Executive Director
Sometimes you choose your job, other times it chooses you. At 20 years of age,
I wasn’t sure why the job as Executive Director of Extra Special People, Inc.,
had chosen me. Thrown into the position, I was without the skill set and experience.
But, I knew I had a mission to improve the lives of kids with special needs. I believed
that with a mission, a dream and the drive to change lives, anything was possible.
It was three years later that I sat in the hospital room with a widowed father of one
of our ESP campers, Caleb. He was bleeding internally. As this father cradled his
13-year-old son with a developmental disability in his arms, he told his story.
“The first five years of Caleb’s life I was a traveling, withdrawn, and hard-working father. I
was afraid of my son’s disability and too intimidated to communicate with him. One day, I
had a realization while sitting in the bed of a hotel room. I realized that I was not here on
earth for Caleb, Caleb was here for me. It was in that moment that I quit my job and began
to get to know Caleb. A short time later, I tragically became a single father when my wife was
killed in a car accident.”
In that experience, I realized why my job chose me: to enhance the lives of children with
disabilities as they change the lives of people without disabilities. I realized that these
children are here for the rest of us. They teach us to love life in its truest and purest
form – in relationships, memories and love.
There is a favorite song we sing and sign at ESP Camp. It is called “World’s Greatest”
I am a mountain Just stand up tall look ‘em in the face and say:
I am a tall tree I’m that star up in the sky
I am a river I’m that mountain peak up high
Down in the valley Hey, I made it
I am a vision I’m the worlds greatest
And I can see clearly And I’m that little bit of hope
If anybody asks you who I am When my back’s against the ropes
I can feel it. I’m the worlds greatest!
This message could not be any more appropriate for the individuals at ESP. We need them to teach us
the way life is meant to be lived. I invite you to become a partner with us in this venture, to provide
opportunities for children with disabilities. And in doing so, may you learn from them.
You can change our community alongside the world’s greatest – the heroes – the children of ESP.
Laura is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where she received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Special
Education with a concentration in Autism. She began her relationship with Extra Special People, Inc., as a counselor. In
January 2006, Laura was selected as the Executive Director following the sudden death of the founder, Martha Wyllie
in 2004. Laura has been awarded the Super Citizen Award, the 40 Under 40 Award by the Athens Banner Herald, and
the Community Four-Way Test Award by the Rotary Club of Oconee County. She is a member of L.E.A.D. Athens Class
of 2012, the Oconee County Civitan Club, and the Athens Church of Christ. She also enjoys her role as a wife to husband
Joseph and mother to Owen Patrick.

4. Our Mission
ESP empowers children with developmental disabilities to cultivate skills, self-confidence,
and relationships through recreational therapy, community involvement, and the arts.
With the support of volunteers and donors, the ESP team gives participants and their
families acceptance, hope, and the opportunity to not just survive, but to thrive.
ESP’s Board of Directors... Leaders Who Care
Joe Moon Carter Strickland Chris Griner Joan Baird Buddy Barfield
Chairman Campaign Chair Treasurer Board Member Board Member
Sallyanne Barrow Jake Berton Toni Swan Allison Nealy Courtney Davis
Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member
Steve Mason Beth Page Chuck Toney Chuck Williams
Board Member Board Member Board Member Board Member
“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance
and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Our Heritage
Extra Special People, Inc., is the legacy of one woman who had a passion for children
and young people with special needs, and a vision of a place where they and their
families could focus on their abilities instead of their disabilities. Martha Wyllie
founded ESP in 1986, offering high-quality affordable programs for “people with
different abilities.” Twenty-one children enrolled in that first summer camp, which
operated on a budget of $20,000. By the time Martha died in 2004, ESP was serving
130 campers with a budget of $150,000 and had acquired a small facility where
children could be served on-site. The year following Martha’s death, ESP Summer
Camp was in danger of being eliminated because of lack of funding. When a young
camp counselor, Laura Whitaker, heard this, she pulled together the families and
made a call to the community to save camp by raising $50,000 in just a matter
of months. The founder’s family appointed Laura as the new Executive Director in
January of 2006. Since becoming Executive Director, Laura has led ESP to expanded
programming, and the organization now serves more young people than ever before.

5. How We Make a Difference
ESP Camp
Summer Camp is a seven-week program currently serving more than 115 young people with disabilities. The
camp provides continuous learning as well as social and recreational opportunities. ESP Summer camp offers a
2:1 counselor ratio, which affords much-needed attention and support to our campers. Camp features a variety
of activities that create opportunities for each camper to build confidence and independence, while supplying
their families with a much-needed respite.
Year-Round Activities
ESP Club!
ESP Club meetings are held one Saturday per month for children with disabilities aged 4-15.
There are a variety of activities each month including sports and games, art therapy, music
therapy, lunch and special holiday activities.
NKA
NKA (also known as No Kids Allowed), is a twice monthly outing for ESP’s older members.
NKA provides opportunities for social interaction, recreation and supervised outings in
the community.
Super Skills
The goal of the Super Skills group is to teach students with Asperger’s Syndrome and
high-functioning autism a social skills curriculum focused on direct instruction in social
behaviors that most people learn through life experiences.
Family Connection
ESP hosts a variety of opportunities for families to meet each other, such as an annual holiday dinner and family
bowling nights. Parents’ Night Out is an evening when caretakers can be assured that their children are being
cared for at the ESP facility while they have much-needed respite. ESP also provides educational programs as
needed to aid families on Medicaid Waiver information and disability research-based best practices classes.
After-School Activities
ESPicassos: Art therapy is shown to give individuals with disabilities another gateway
of communication along with increasing various physical, social and emotional skills.
Our art students – the ESPicassos – create works of art using various mediums and then
work with ESP staff to plan an exhibit of their works at the Sciences & Arts Gallery at
Athens Academy.
ESPiranhas: The Extra Special Piranhas are ESP’s very own swim team. Whether they
are training for Special Olympics or simply enjoying the water, ESP provides opportunities
throughout the year for our independent swimmers to increase their skills while spending
time with their friends and learning the importance of teamwork.
ESProuts: The ESP Yoga Sprouts promote a fun and safe environment where
children with disabilities are guided through movements that develop physical
strength and flexibility, improve concentration, reduce hyperactivity, cultivate
confidence and self-esteem, enhance self-control and relaxation, refine creativity
and increase cognitive and motor skills.

6. At ESP, it’s not about what they can’t do...
IT’S ABOUT WHAT THEY CAN!
“For seven years we watched Megan’s behavior worsen and become more aggressive.
Then we found ESP. For the first time in years, we have hope for our daughter!”
“Our children want the same things other children want.
A chance to be loved and accepted for who they are,
to become all they can be, to be a respected part of
our community. ESP does that.”
“Of all the programs we have tried, ESP has
been the most beneficial to our daughter’s
growth, development and happiness.”
Thriving!
Because ESP provides services for the family
entity – focusing on abilities and building
confidence – individuals with disabilities do
not simply exist, they thrive.
“Once you’ve experienced ESP, you’ll never be the same!”
“Laura and the staff at ESP do not see limitations for our children, only their
potential. Their efforts amaze the families of campers and encourage us
to look outside our box and stretch for our children.”
“I cannot express in words the comfort I feel
when Janna attends ESP events. It is such a joy to
know that she has her ESP family for support.”
“At ESP, it feels that everything is going to be all
right. We are welcomed for who we were and
most of all, accepted! I feel so at home with ESP!”

7. “Do not cast me into an eternity of total dependency,
or lure me into a world of fantasy.
Certainly, I have a disability,
and I do not deny its reality.
Nevertheless, I must not resign to a life of pity,
or reside on the fringes of society.”
William E. Lightbourne

8. Opportunity Knocks...
Look forward.Think big.
Opportunity knocks. You can hear it when you look into the eyes of our
children. You can see it in the relieved expressions of moms and dads. You can
sense it in the disappointment on the face of a parent who has just been told, “We don’t have room for your child.”
The vision of a new facility in the rolling fields of Oconee County is the dream of our students, their parents,
and their counselors alike. Opportunity indeed knocks. Sometimes, in the case of this defining opportunity, it
pounds. Please listen! No one can make your choice… but you. Will you respond to this opportunity and help
ESP achieve its Great Dream? As you review the next few pages, consider the impact you could have on the lives
of the children and families we serve. Ask yourself what part you can play in this defining opportunity. Then, listen
to your heart. Listen to your reasoning as you consider how you should respond to the real needs of children
with disabilities and their families. Hear how, together, we can lift children to move beyond their limitations and
really achieve something more in life. Let’s look forward and think big… together.

9. The Dream
According the Georgia Department of Education, there are almost 50,000 children in the state of Georgia that
could be properly served by Extra Special People. In its present state, ESP does an excellent job of providing
services to a very limited number of local children and families...
but for every two children ESP serves, one child must be turned away.
There is a profound need within the greater region for quality services that provide unique opportunities
for education, recreation and socialization. Families in the region are desperate for programs and activities
that provide quality care for their children with disabilities and respite from the daily rigors of caring for
their children.
With ESP’s Three-Year Plan, the organization is poised to have a greater capacity
to serve children and families in surrounding counties as well as those
we are currently serving locally.
Increased program capacity...
- 50% increased enrollment for those programs currently available.
- Additional programs for those we currently serve and for those waiting.
- Afterschool Program
- Bridge of Family Support
- Sibling Support
- Regional Team Sports and Opportunities
An Endowment Fund to Ensure Sustainability for Generations to Come…
A properly funded Endowment means that ESP can help children thrive for decades to come.
A New Building at a New Location...
Our present facility and property has served us well for two decades. However, it no longer adequately supports
our present programming, and certainly not the vision for the future of the children and families. With 10 acres
and a 25,000 square foot fully accessible building, ESP can begin to provide space for activities that greatly
enhance the lives of those we serve and for those that are waiting.
- Music Art & Therapy Rooms - Therapy rooms for Private Therapists
- Teaching Kitchen - Classroom Space
- Wheelchair Accessible Garden - Family Counseling Space
- Sensory Room - Changing Rooms for Children in Wheelchairs
- Sports Fields

10. ESP 3 YEAR FINANCIAL PLAN
Program Expansion
Capital Investments
Endowment

11. “Extra Special People allows the opportunity to positively
impact and facilitate change in our community. It’s a chance to
touch the lives of someone you know or someone in need. The
leadership of ESP has been steadfast in its dedication to helping
children with developmental disabilities as well as helping their
families and educating the public about the wonderful qualities
of these very special children. With ESP you can be guaranteed
your dollars go directly into meaningful programming and
directly impact the children, the families and the community.”
Carter Strickland - Campaign Chair
“A true friend knows your weaknesses
but shows you your strengths;
feels your fears but fortifies your faith;
sees your anxieties but frees your spirit;
recognizes your disabilities
but emphasizes your possibilities.”
William Arthur Ward

12. “Placing one foot in front of the other,
I’ve climbed to higher lengths,
reaching beyond my own limitations,
to show my inner strength.
No obstacle too hard,
for this warrior to overcome.
I’m just a man on a mission,
to prove my disability hasn’t won.”
Robert M. Hensel
Physical address: 189 VFW Dr. Watkinsville, GA 30677 (706) 254-4850
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 615 Watkinsville, GA 3067 www.ExtraSpecialPeople.com