LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — You may have heard of the X Games. What about the A Games?
On Saturday, kids were ready to compete in the annual event, which is part of a partnership between F.E.A.T. of Southern Nevada and Sport-Social.
"Kids participate in inclusive sports like obstacle courses, race events, skills events, and then we have the rock wall," said Jennifer Strobel, the Executive Director of F.E.A.T. of Southern Nevada. "We have been planning this for over 10 months and over 100 volunteers are helping us today."
Strobel said F.E.A.T. has been around since 1996 and about six years ago, they decided to create the A Games.
"We were looking for a new fundraiser idea and we really wanted the kids to do involved," Strobel said. "We had done galas for years. We were tired of it. We wanted to incorporate the families and all of the kids and we came up with this."
In addition to the kids competing, there were family-friendly activities like face-painters and the chance to meet mascots like Chance from the Vegas Golden Knights. There were also 40 different resource providers that met with families on how they help and serve children on the autism spectrum and their families. It's a topic that hits close to home for Strobel.
"I am a parent of a child, actually an adult, a 25-year-old with autism and there was nothing like this for her. That's why this job is so important to me," Strobel said. "I want to make things easier for other families that have kids with autism. The fact that they have this amazing event, which a lot of them say this is the best day of their lives, it just makes me so happy and makes me feel so good about the work we do at F.E.A.T. and it's why we work so hard."
F.E.A.T. provides services to about 8,000 people every year and Strobel said the organization wants to do everything they can to get people the help they need.
"Having kids is tough. Having kids with special needs is even tougher," Strobel said. "The fight for services, the fight for support, the fight for help. Here at F.E.A.T., we just want to make it a little easier."
To learn more about F.E.A.T. of Southern Nevada, you can visit their website here. You can also learn more about Sport-Social by visiting their website here.
