Since our book club is just gearing up this month we thought we’d interview member Barb who has spearheaded the whole campaign. A wife and mother, Barb not only helps out at Support for Special Needs, she also runs a ministry for families parenting kids with special needs.

Can you tell us about your personal interest in supporting families with special needs children?

My interest in supporting parents with children who have special needs really began when our son was 2 years old. Diagnosed at birth with Severe Hemophilia A, a bleeding disorder, we found that our faith life had everything to do with how we were surviving daily life with his diagnosis. There really wasn’t anything out there for parents. We also found that we had much in common with families whose children had different diagnoses than ours.

Can you tell us about Snappin’ Ministries — what your purpose is and how it got started?

We really wanted to be served and cared for, but after attending a Bible study by Henry Blackaby called EXPERIENCING GOD, it was obvious that we were being called to do the serving. We knew next to nothing, but I will contend that this what exactly what God wanted so we wouldn’t get in His way. In 2002 we began a small group with monthly meetings through our supportive church with the intent of moving beyond the four walls in time.

There is such a need that things moved much faster than we ever could have imagined. In 2007, we incorporated as a free-standing 501(c)(3) non-profit with the mission statement: Our pursuit is to continuously support and encourage those living with the daily challenge of parenting a child with special needs so that the genuine love and hope of Jesus will be experienced and shared in their everyday lives.

We minister to parents of EVERY parent of a child with special needs regardless of religious affiliation or beliefs. Of course, we would like to share the hope that we have, but that doesn’t impede our service. We aim to love as Jesus loved. You can learn more about us and find extremely helpful resources, an event calendar, links to our blog and other social media at our website http://snappin.org. Of course, you can always make a donation via PayPal on our homepage as well, which is essential to keeping our work going.

Besides the online tools we offer parents, we also send our signature gift baskets for moms and dads all around the country, offer self-published books and support parents through hospitalizations or financial difficulties with our gift card program.

What was your inspiration for starting the book club?

I was already facilitating the Faith & Disabilities Group here. I am a voracious reader and find that reading fillls my soul whether it be on special needs topics or just for fun. I sought to start a book club within our group, but so much of what I read is not merely limited to issues of faith. I thought it would be really helpful to open a book club forum up to all of those who participate in the website. Besides that, parents of kids with special needs so often don’t have the time available to participate in local book clubs in their community. This venue would offer these terrific parents a delight that they would otherwise not have because of their parenting circumstances.

How will the book club work in a practical way? How can people join?

In a practical way, this book club will be even more user friendly to parents who have a child with a special need. We will move at a slower pace than typical book clubs, reading one book per month. The selections will alternate between fiction and non-fiction. And the participants can post comments for discussion at their leisure with a final live-chat at the end of each month regarding the book. We are hoping to choose books that a parent can obtain through a local library so that it will save parents money too. To participate, parents only need follow us at the Support for Special Needs’ Group.

Do you have future plans for the book club?

As far as future plans for the book club go, we all know that flexibility is key in parenting a child with special needs. The book club will be no different. Since it is so new, we will definitely be open to adaptation as things become more apparent to us. We would love for those interested to be willing to share their personal reviews of books or their “bookshelves” on GoodReads.com or LivingSocialBooks if they feel comfortable. Word of mouth can and often is the way many of us find our favorite books!

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