Benjamin Hall calls 11-year-old sister Aubree his inspiration.
Hall, a senior at Destrehan High School, experienced a milestone Monday night. His recently established nonprofit organization held its first-ever event, a sensory -friendly STEM learning night for area children that allowed them to experiment with science, explore electrical circuits, make friends and have fun in an accommodating environment.
It was, Hall said, exactly the type of scene he envisioned when he started the organization, which states a mission of strengthening the bonds between people with special needs and the community around them.
He’s named the nonprofit Aubree’s Dream Foundation. That was an easy call, he said – his passion for helping those with special needs and exploring cognitive science was fostered by his love for his little sister.
“She inspired my thinking and my love for special needs, and so I can only credit my love for special needs and the foundation to her,” Hall said.
Aubree has special needs due to a rare disorder in her PNPLA6 gene which causes muscular issues among other challenges.
Monday’s STEM night was held at St. Charles United Methodist Church in Destrehan. Hall aims for it to be the first of many events that will provide accessible activities and inspire the special needs community to engage with STEM programs.
The project meshes two of Hall’s passions, with science being another.
“The dream in Aubree’s Dream Foundation is that she and others can all be inspired by science,” Hall said.
Three months ago, this entire idea was confined to a red notebook, Hall said. In the weeks since, he and his fellow foundation members have brought that idea to life.
“It really started to become real when we started receiving branded items,” said Hall. “I’ve never done anything like this before. It was such a surreal thing for me to really have something and hold something that I know represents the positive change we’re going to make.”
Hall said the foundation aims to work closely with local school districts.
“We’re looking to primarily focus on St. Charles Parish, and as we get bigger and earn more funding, and more people start to trust us as an organization, we plan to branch out to Lafourche Parish, St. John, Jefferson Parish … we want everyone to be inspired. Anyone who wants to be inspired by science and have some fun, that’s who we’re there for.”
Some plans include taking classes on field trips and hosting a science fair for St. Charles Parish special education classrooms, as well as more STEM nights.
Planning the first STEM night, Hall said, was made far easier by who he’s surrounded with as he credited the foundation’s board for a strong collaborative effort. The foundation has a six-member board of directors, including a special needs adviser and members responsible for advertising and fundraising. The special needs adviser helps ensure activities accommodate children with physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The foundation’s slogan is “Curiosity has no limits.”
“To me, that is so important. It doesn’t matter what the disability is – all of our brains work,” Hall said. “Whether we can speak it or not, we’re all curious about something. We all have the ability to learn. Some have learning disorders, but they can still learn. That’s why it’s so important to me and the foundation that we incorporate learning for everybody. And science is where we saw a big need.
“So, we really believe curiosity has no limits. And we preach that to everyone, from volunteers to parents to students themselves that everyone has the ability to learn.”
