Jaxon Roe and his friends would eat at a local restaurant every day if they could. It’s easily one of the top highlights of their week, and there isn’t a menu item they’re unwilling to try or a cashier they haven’t spent two or three minutes chatting with to ask about their day.
Sometimes, those playful conversations with cashiers are so effortless that they must be reminded to place an order.
“They love being active and just talking to people in the community. Jaxon has even said that he’s having the time of his life,” said Darin Heare, Jaxon’s stepdad and the founder of a new nonprofit community program for adults with special needs called SNAP & CLAP. “They want to get up and go to SNAP & CLAP to see their friends, and they know their schedule. They know tomorrow is Zumba and that they get to go to the Ross Perot Museum the next day. It means the world to them, and that means the world to us.”
Four months ago, there weren’t many day program options available in North Texas for adults with special needs. As a result, Heare, a former life skills teacher at Marcus High School, and his wife Jennifer, a special education administrator of 22 years, saw time and again where active and happy students like Jaxon, now 21, would graduate and suddenly have nothing to keep them busy during the day.
No social network. No ongoing activities or trips into the community with their peers. No continuing education of any kind.
That has changed with the creation of SNAP & CLAP. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization is a post-secondary special needs community learning program for adults 18 and up who are eager to recognize their full potential and contribute to the community in personally meaningful ways. They call participants “anchors” because they are faithful, steadfast, loyal, and they provide hope and love. In turn, SNAP & CLAP provides vocational skills, independent living, and community experiences from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Monday through Thursday so they can anchor themselves within the community.
Since August, anchors have traveled roughly 2,500 miles in their very own SNAP & CLAP 12-passenger van to take part in a litany of activities and events ranging from Zumba classes and trips to restaurants and museums to yoga classes, Dallas Stars practices, and afternoon movies. Their social media has pictures of anchors dressed up in Dallas Cowboys jerseys and pads, decorating pumpkins, playing Frisbee golf, volunteering at Meals on Wheels, and participating in the ever-popular Taco Tuesday at Rosa’s Cafe.
“They want to be out in the public, interacting and having fun with their peers,” Heare said. “This has been five years in the making for us. We don’t take any state funding, so our anchors pay for their tuition and activities each month. But we partner with local businesses to keep those costs very low. And thanks to a few generous donors, we secured a 12-passenger van to do what we need for them.”
He added, “I’d say 70% of what we do is in the community. This is just as much for the community as it is for our anchors.”
Double Oak resident Gina Davis agreed. Her 26-year-old son Stephen is a former student of Heare’s at Marcus and had been attending another program in Dallas before SNAP & CLAP.
“Stephen is deaf and can’t speak, but he loves being around people and staying busy,” Davis said. “He functions better as a result. When we heard this was community-based, that was the key for us. It’s not just about being out in the community — it’s a chance for the community to see them and benefit. We want it to be normal for people to see the SNAP & CLAP van driving around. It’s a quality program. We’ve seen plenty of different programs over the years, and this is exactly what our son needs.”
SNAP & CLAP strives to build relationships, establish community partnerships, and foster volunteering opportunities. And as far as Heare is concerned, the sky is the limit for what they can do moving forward. The organization utilizes RockPointe Church at Parker Square in Flower Mound as its hub, drop-off, and pick-up location. It also participated in North Texas Giving Day and raised roughly $6,000 to support its anchors and add more activities. Future donations from generous supporters and partnerships with area business owners will help fund essentials such as toll tags, gas, meals, community activities, and tuition reduction.
“We currently cap ourselves at 10 anchors per day, so we’d love to grow and add a second van to take on more,” Heare said. “We’d love to get to the point where there is little to no cost for our anchors and their families. Everything we do is for them.”
To learn more about SNAP & CLAP, including ways to register a new anchor, donate, become a corporate sponsor, or become a volunteer, please visit snapandclap.com. You can also follow their travels on Instagram and Facebook.
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