Come strike up some fun at a charity bowling tournament that will benefit a new therapy program at the J.D. McCarty Center.
The Pins for Progess bowling tournament, formerly known as the Gutter Dance, is Friday, March 31 from 6-8 p.m. at Sooner Bowling Center, 550 24th Ave. NW in Norman.
Bring your family, friends or your bowling team for an evening of fun and prizes. We'll also have trophies for the top three teams who are playing competitively.

Registration is under way for Camp ClapHans, a summer camp in Norman for kids with disabilities.
The camp is open to kids 8 to 20 and is an outreach program of the J.D. McCarty Center for children with developmental disabilities. Applications are due March 3.
Six camp sessions are offered this summer, and the sessions are from Sunday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon. The camp is located on the center's campus at 2002 E. Robinson St. in Norman and features two cabins and an activities building that are located next to an 11-acre lake.

    Mike Powers learned early on about the joys of working with children with disabilities.
   He was 19 years old and started a job as a direct-care specialist at the J.D. McCarty Center. The specialists work one-on-one with patients assisting them with daily living skills and taking them to appointments and therapy sessions. The job also includes going on field trips with the kids and participating in recreational activities with them. The trips and activities with the kids were a highlight for Powers, and those interactions left a lasting impression.

   Serving children with disabilities and their families has guided Vicki Kuestersteffen’s career path.
   Kuestersteffen envisioned opportunities, programs and outreach efforts that could help kids. That desire to assist and advocate is what led to her work at the J.D. McCarty Center for children with developmental disabilities in Norman.
  Kuestersteffen, center director, retired this summer after working 31 years at the hospital. She served as the director for 12 years and also is the first female director in the center’s 76-year history.

   The physical therapy department at the J.D. McCarty Center is introducing new initiatives and innovative training to expand the work they do with children with disabilities.
   The efforts include new strategies for patient treatment and a new playground for kids to use in the rehab area of the center.
   “I think it’s going to do great things for the center as a whole and the families we serve,” said Beth Morton, director of physical therapy, said about the new initiatives.
   The training and programs include:

   Jackie DeSpain spent one day as a student at the J.D. McCarty Center and it proved to be a pivotal moment.
   “I decided that day that I wanted to work here,” DeSpain said. “I remember walking into the center and immediately falling in love with it.”
   True to her goal, she got a job at the center. Now, 12 years later, the occupational therapist is still passionate about the McCarty Center and the opportunity to work with patients and families.

Hailey Woods' quest for "Gold" led to a generous gift for the patients at the J.D. McCarty Center.
Woods, a Girl Scout, donated bicycles and games to the patients through a project to earn the Girl Scouts Gold Award, a prestigious award in the organization. Hailey was approved for the award in March.
Her project fundraiser resulted in 18 bikes, helmets and games for the patients.
Hailey is a student at Norman North High School and is with Troop 3313 in Norman.
She has given back to the center before when the troop volunteered with a gardening project.

   Three physical therapists from the J.D. McCarty Center are skilled in a new therapeutic technique that can help children with disabilities achieve developmental milestones.
   Taylor Epling, Megan Mattox and Nicole McCarthy are registered practitioners in Dynamic Movement Intervention, a comprehensive intervention used by physical and occupational therapists to treat children with gross motor impairments. The three are among only a few in the state with the certification.

   Our C.A.R.E. Team is starting a new program to offer sensory toys and items as a therapy aid for children with disabilities.
   C.A.R.E. Team is an outreach program that assists families with children with disabilities from birth to 21 years old.
   The team is creating sensory packs for children to include such items as fanny packs, backpacks, kinetic sand, push-pop bubble toys, fidget toys, bubble wands, play tunnels, sorting and stacking toys and noise-canceling headphones.

Registration is now open for the 2022 sessions at Camp ClapHans, a summer camp in Norman for kids with disabilities.
The camp is open to kids ages 8 to 20 and is an outreach program of the J.D. McCarty Center for children with developmental disabilities.
Camp Director Bobbie Hunter said plans are to offer the same camp schedule as in years' past but "due to constant changes in circumstances involving COVID-19 and other factors that could affect our summer sessions, we have not scheduled specific dates for camp. We'll know more in the upcoming months," Hunter said.