The Sean Michels School for Special Needs is a new project adopted by Koins for Kenya. Here is the Michels family story:

Every parent knows the joy and love felt when a new baby joins their family and home.  Sean was no exception.  He came into the world with a sweet smile and love that was indescribable.  He was welcomed by three big sisters who jumped at his every whim.  Sean filled our lives with more joy and meaning than one could possibly imagine. Sean didn’t only wrap his love around our hearts, but everyone who knew him felt the same special peace and calm that radiated from his little spirit.

Sean’s life was perfect up until the age of four when seizures took over his bright smile and robbed him of his laugh.  Sean never was able to communicate with words, but it’s amazing how much a touch or pat on the back says to another person!

Thankfully, most parents don’t ever have to experience the pain of falling asleep each night longing for the touch, the smell, the sweetness of a lost child.  Sean was called home after a very brief six years on the earth.  The grief that a parent and family member feels for the loss of a child can’t be softened or diminished, but it can be shared by special friends.

When Sean departed, it was the love of those around us that helped us adjust to a life without our beautiful son.  It was the love of these friends that began the tradition of doing for other children like our little Sean who had similar handicaps. Sean was never diagnosed, but he had multiple syndromes that kept him from growing and developing properly. 

The Michels, Potter and Murphy families had been vacationing together for over a decade.  It began as a fun cruise or trip to the Caribbean to stay on the various beaches and enjoy the sun.  It wasn't until 2003 when our son Sean passed away during one of these vacations that our purpose changed. It all began with trips to a hospital or homes for special needs children on Sean’s birthday or the anniversary of his death.  It wasn’t until our families traveled to Belize and we worked in an orphanage that the bigger ideas began to emerge. It turned out to be the most rewarding and delightful trip we have had, particularly for our own children.  As we left the orphanage, we had new friends and a love for the volunteers and children that lived there. I think all three families knew that the "service-vacation" was from then on going to become an annual event to commemorate Sean.  Our only parameter was that we work with English speaking children so that we could really bond and communicate with them.

It was a complete surprise to the Michels family when a phone call came late one night that the Potter and Murphy families had been working with Bret from Koins for Kenya.  We found that the orphanages in Kenya didn't need as much help, but that the children in certain parts of Kenya needed a school.  Since Sean had been handicapped and unable to learn in a typical classroom, the idea of a school for special needs children was born.  Given Kenya's poverty, the idea of a special needs school for the handicapped had apparently never even been addressed as even the "typical kids" were mostly without proper facilities, books and teachers.  When we realized that special needs children are not able to attend school, the idea of a special needs school in memory of Sean made even more sense.  The children who will attend the special needs school will come from five surrounding villages and will live in the dorms, which will be built especially for them, as it would be unfeasible for them to return home each night.  There will be on going need of funding to house these children in the dorms.

The school will be built in the village of Miyani and will shelter and educate thirty special needs children that live in the surrounding villages.  Never before has there been  a facility or teachers to educate special needs children in this part of Kenya.  Most are confined to their impoverished homes, lacking electricity, water, books or any type of intellectual stimulation.  The Sean Michels School will break ground in the fall of 2007 and begin to operate in January of 2008.

With this purpose, our families have planned a trip in April 2008 to visit Kenya and the school.  Our dream is to see the school and be able to visit the special needs children that once lay in their homes unable to go to school and learn.  Without even having done our first trip to Kenya, we think that various efforts for Koins for Kenya will be our life-long project.  We love the idea of building a school in Sean's name, providing education, social interaction and intellectual stimulus for Kenya's special children.

We will have updates on the status of this project as it progresses. If you would like to donate specifically to this project, click here and in the drop down box select Sean Michels School for Special Needs as your donation destination. This is a unique and forward thinking project that will provide opportunities to Kenya’s special needs children in a way that has never been considered or done before.