Venture Multi-Sensory Room Dedicated to Rick Hoyt

Donation from Hoyt Foundation Builds Sensory Room to Support People with Disabilities

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Sturbridge – Venture Community Services, one of the Commonwealth’s leading providers of innovative human services held a ribbon cutting & dedication of their new multi-sensory environment on Friday, December 4^th.  The space was constructed with funds from a donation made by the Hoyt Foundation, founded by the famed father-son running team of Dick and Rick Hoyt.  Located in their Sturbridge Day Habilitation program, this new treatment option was named and dedicated in honor of Rick Hoyt.

Sensory environments are a vital tool in supporting children and adults on the autism spectrum and with other disabilities who typically do not perceive their surroundings in the same way that most of us do.  Venture uses sensory rooms to give a person control of sensory experiences in a way that is not possible in public spaces.

“The sensory room is a great addition to our program,” said Kevin Hughes, Vice President of Day Services at Venture. “This room will allow the people we support to experience their environment in a way that is safe and meaningful to each person that uses it.  We are appreciative the generosity of the Hoyt Foundation that has made this possible.”

The Hoyt Foundation, founded by father-and-son team Dick and Rick Hoyt in 1989, helps build the individual character, self-confidence and self-esteem of America’s disabled young people through inclusion in all facets of daily life, including in family and community activities, especially sports, at home, in schools and in the workplace. Dick and Rick have run more than 1,000 road races together all across the world, including 30 Boston Marathons, inspiring countless people to achieve what they previously believed was impossible.

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