A southern Colorado nonprofit is providing free exercise and recreation programs for children with special needs, filling a crucial gap in the community.Kevin Blunt founded Autism Mana five years ago after moving from Hawaii. He realized there was a lack of therapeutic and recreational activities for youth in the area, including his 13-year-old nonverbal son."There's a lot of families like ours that can't go and sign up for regular softball, baseball, soccer, or any of those events," said Blunt.The organization hosts a free 10-week exercise program in the spring and fall. Classes are currently held every Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at E.P.I.C. Fitness, which is located near the I-25 and West 29th Street interchange, and will run until May 30. Autism Mana also offers paddleboarding, equine-assisted learning and sensory-friendly roller skating."Getting them out, getting them active, getting them away from those tablets, making friends in a non-judgmental, all-inclusive environment is especially important for our special needs kiddos," said Blunt.Laurie Duran has brought her son, Dane Rice, to the program for three years.She said the free classes are vital for families and have helped her 12-year-old son come out of his shell and learn to stand up for himself."He recognizes his friends. He goes and greets his friends, you know, because we've known these kiddos for like three years, so they're part of our family now," said Duran.Duran added that the program also provides a support system for parents to share resources and connect with others facing similar challenges.Jayden Miller, 12, has been participating in the exercise classes since 2020. He said the workouts help him build physical strength."Because I need to get stronger and got to get my bones strong too," said Miller.Miller also enjoys welcoming new participants, remembering how nervous he felt during his first class.Autism Mana will host its first annual autism walk and resource fair at the Pueblo Riverwalk on April 25. _______Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching. ...read more read less