Vincent's Clubhouse hosts first autism awareness fair

Festival offers information, activities for families of kids with autism.

By Alexis Miller
| 2:55 p.m. April 23, 2023

Sandra Matos, Eddie Lang, Eddie Velasquez, and Anthony Flores. Photo by Alexis Miller

Commander Michael Lutz, Shannon Sandberg, Teresa Shaw, and Deputy first class Marcos Dawson. Photo by Alexis Miller

Kona, Viking, and L with Biker's Against Child Abuse. Photo by Alexis Miller

Savvy Wells, Brook Stevens, and Nicolle Saurez with Daytona State College's Occupational Therapy Program. Photo by Alexis Miller

Josie Rivera with her painting. Photo by Alexis Miller

Maxwell Rivera with his painting. Photo by Alexis Miller

Bennet Johnson, Melea Cortmon, Kevin Ortiz, and Andrew Ward with the Flagler OARS. Photo by Alexis Miller

Brett Perry doing the firefighters obstacle course. Photo by Alexis Miller

Brett Perry using the hose from the firetruck. Photo by Alexis Miller

Erica and Hector Flores, Founders of Vincent's Clubhouse, with their son Vincent Flores. Photo by Alexis Miller

Rainbow Harris riding her pink hoverboard. Photo by Alexis Miller

Bounce houses provided by Flagler Bounce. Photo by Alexis Miller

Teresa Torres-Anderson making cannolis. Photo by Alexis Miller

Homemade cannolis from Mama Cannoli. Photo by Alexis Miller

Keaton Wilburn showing off his award after his performance with the DownRight Dancers. Photo by Alexis Miller

Nydia and Carlos Velez with the Munchies on the Run food truck. Photo by Alexis Miller

Beef empanadas and plantains from the Munchies on the Run food truck. Photo by Alexis Miller

Yvonne and Lisa Bianco with Heartspace Stones. Photo by Alexis Miller

Landon Fields riding a wooden horse. Photo by Alexis Miller

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

Vincent’s Clubhouse held its first Autism Awareness Festival and Resource Fair on Saturday, April 22.

The fair took place at Central Park at Town Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring booths from autism resource vendors, community resources and businesses, food vendors and local shops.

“What’s special about our festival is that there are three of our retail vendors who are small business owners with autism,” Vincent’s Clubhouse co-founder Erica Flores said. Vincent’s Clubhouse, a local nonprofit, offers summer camps for kids with autism and other sensory disorders.

The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office’s Mobile Command Station, the Flagler County Fire Department and the Bunnell Police Department made special appearances.

There were performances by the Vincent’s Clubhouse Flagler Cheer Team — whose members are all cheerleaders from the Special Olympics — the FunCoast Down Syndrome Association’s DownRight Dancers, and Xenia’s Dance Along.

The organization held a ceremony at noon to thank Flagler County Schools Exceptional Student Education teachers for their work for special needs children.

Flores and her husband, Hector, had founded Vincent’s Clubhouse in 2016 after their own son, Vincent, was unable to attend summer camp because general summer camps wouldn’t provide the extra care and attention a person with autism needs, Erica Flores said.

By the summer of 2017, Vincent’s Clubhouse hosted its first summer camp for children with disabilities, Flores said.

“We started out with summer camps for children with autism and special needs, but from there we have grown exponentially because of all of the need in the county,” Erica Flores said. “So, we started with a small group of parents and educators who were invested in trying to provide more services here in the county and we grew from there.”

Since 2017, Vincent’s Clubhouse organization has hosted events for holidays and summer, programs for children and adults with special disabilities, programs for parents with children that have special disabilities, and support groups, Flores said.