NON-PROFIT: Special needs students inspire Kate Weggeland to start her own non-profit organization, Uniquely Special.
By Ashley Gore, Staff Writer
Every school year brings all students new challenges. With tougher classes and added responsibility, many high school students struggle to get enough sleep, let alone start a successful non-profit organization. Despite her dedication to both sports and school, as a sophomore Kate Weggeland (11) found the time to start Uniquely Special, a charity to help educate special needs students. She may have started this organization a year ago, but she continues to devote her time to bringing it to its full potential.
Though Weggeland started the organization in the middle of her sophomore year, her passion for supporting special needs students bloomed five years before. “When I was in fifth grade, my brother and I became involved with special needs kids, and we got together a group to form the Special Olympics swim program in Riverside,” Weggeland said. They also got the Poly swim team involved in helping to train and coach the kids.
Weggeland’s journey continued when she joined Bear Pals her freshman year. She asked special education teachers how they helped the students, who have a wide variety of learning disabilities. While researching, she found an article describing the use of iPads in helping kids retain information. According to the article, the voice used in applications keeps a steady, consistent tone, unlike the wavering tones of individual human voices. The article sparked an idea in Weggeland’s head, and Uniquely Special was born. This non-profit organization aims to aid special needs students socially and academically through the use of advanced technology and simple kindness. “I asked my parents to help me start it, and I got a lawyer to process the necessary paperwork to make it a tax-exempt charity,” Weggeland said.
After a year of raising funds and talking to supervisors, Weggeland has reached the manifestation of her dream: she accrued ten thousand dollars to pay for fourteen iPads and launch a pilot program at Poly. She hopes to expand it to the rest of RUSD by doing more fundraising and getting in touch with board supervisors.
However, Weggeland plans to go much farther than the district. She hopes to take her dream to new heights: “I talked to Jose Medina, and he is going to try to pass a bill in June to make this pilot iPad-enhanced learning program a statewide initiative,” Weggeland said.
Weggeland hopes to assemble a board of students to “carry this initiative on” long after she graduates.
A running theme throughout Poly this year revolves around leaving behind a legacy that will inspire and challenge students to put their own plans into action. Weggeland personifies this theme and encourages others to do the same.
A perfect report card might make any student happy, but the joy Weggeland feels from supporting a cause for which she has the utmost passion has no parallel: “It truly makes me feel like I am creating a difference in people’s lives!”