Wave Staff Report
CULVER CITY — For three hours Oct. 8, the focus at Kayne Eras Center was on something familiar to any school dance: friends spending time together, eating, taking pictures and enjoying the night.
Students at Kayne Eras School gathered for Exceptional Children’s Foundation’s third annual Sneaker Ball, an evening that gave them a chance to celebrate together outside the classroom. The photo booth quickly became one of the popular stops, with students posing for pictures and returning throughout the event.
The event raised $90,000 for enrichment programs at the Kayne Eras School that help students with special needs develop skills and build confidence.
For students, however, the night was less about fundraising than being together.
The Sneaker Ball gave classmates time to talk, eat, dance and enjoy the photo booth with friends. Those ordinary moments of school life can carry particular meaning for students whose educational experience may also include specialized academic, behavioral or therapeutic support.
Kayne Eras School, operated by Exceptional Children’s Foundation, serves students with learning, emotional, behavioral and developmental needs in a specialized educational setting.
The Culver City campus brings teachers, counselors, and therapists together to help young people with autism, learning disabilities, and emotional challenges succeed academically and build relationships that can be hard to find elsewhere.
Now in its 80th year, Exceptional Children’s Foundation serves children and adults with developmental disabilities across Los Angeles County. Its work begins with young children and continues through school, employment, residential and other adult support services, allowing many families to remain connected to the organization as needs change over time.
The annual Sneaker Ball brings that larger mission into a much smaller frame: students having the chance to spend an evening with one another simply as classmates and friends.
