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Meet Mose – A SANCA Student

Make your End-of-Year Gift today to change the life of a teen like Mose!

“When we first moved to Seattle, life was hard because it was a new place. At SANCA I felt included. Like I belonged.”

The first day in a new school can be really tough for almost any kid.

For youth who struggle with connections and social skills that others take for granted, moving to a new home and starting a new school where you don’t know anyone can be terrifying.That’s what it was like for Mose when he first moved to Seattle and started 5th grade at a new school. For Mose, everything seemed too loud and chaotic, and he retreated, covering his ears with headphones and pulling up his hoodie. He became more defensive and isolated.

Alex, Mose, and his mom, Valerie.

Alex, Mose, and his mom, Valerie.

At the same time though, Mose wanted to fit in and do things that other kids were doing like sports and summer camp activities. He really wanted to learn how to do flips, but he didn’t believe that he was physically capable of doing the things other kids were doing. So his mom, Valerie, started looking for options that would work for Mose.

And then his mom found out about SANCA.

Valerie spoke with Coach Alex about Mose’s challenges, and Alex had the perfect solution for acrobatic classes for Mose. Alex leads SANCA’s Every Body’s Circus (EBC) Program, which gives kids who have physical, emotional, or developmental disabilities the same opportunities to participate in fun, healthy, confidence-building circus activities that other kids do.

Mose started taking classes with Alex, and it wasn’t long before she discovered that Mose had a great imagination and that he really liked telling stories. Together they developed an epic story that let Mose and Alex play out parts of the story while they were doing circus activities and propelled their lessons from week to week.

Valerie and Alex noticed that Mose’s physical abilities improved, but more importantly, he stopped comparing his abilities unfavorably to others, and he became excited about the new things he was learning.

At the same time, Alex was working with several other boys whose challenges were similar to Mose’s. She discovered that they all shared a passion for the same video game and decided that forming a group class for the kids based on their shared interests would be a great way for them to build friendships and social connections while they learn circus skills.

“Being at SANCA is the best part of the week because it starts the weekend!” – Mose

Now, Mose takes a weekly group circus class and a class with Alex. In the group classes, in addition to learning circus, the kids get to:

  • Learn to work as a team, and take turns being the leader.
  • Learn to express their feelings, and learn how to say “no.”
  • Develop a sense of personal space.

Mose is learning to trust people, and now he has a safe place to reflect and talk through things that are happening in his life.

Circus can change lives — and you can help be part of that change too! Alex’s EBC program is in such high demand that more than 10 kids are on a waitlist, and some may have to wait as long as a year before they can take EBC classes at SANCA.

The only way we can help these kids is by hiring and training more coaches to work with them. With a larger team of trained coaches SANCA will be able to provide more group classes, summer camps, and one-to-one lessons for youth who need extra support. Often this includes joining regular circus session classes with peers in their age group, with just an extra coach on hand to help out when needed.

Make your gift to SANCA today to guarantee life-changing opportunities for kids like Mose.
$41.89 — covers the cost of two 1-hour circus classes.
$253 — underwrites a 12-week session of circus classes.
$1,005 — gives a student circus classes for an entire year!

We cannot do this work without your help.

With deepest gratitude,

Kristina Wicke
Executive Director

P.S. Send your gift of $41.89 or more before December 31st to cover the cost of two 1-hour circus classes for kids like Mose. If your employer matches, you can double the power of your gift! You can also give online or set up a monthly giving plan.