Lakeview RecPlex
Discovery Program

The Therapeutic Recreation program or Discovery Program is a one of a kind, community recreation program for youth and adults with disabilities located in Pleasant Prairie, WI. The Village of Pleasant Prairie was extremely progressive in offering programs and services to people with special needs.

What makes the Discovery Program unique is that it is partially funded with money received from cell tower leases through the Village of Pleasant Prairie. Pleasant Prairie is one of the only municipalities in the state of Wisconsin to make it a priority to offer therapeutic recreation programs and services and began doing so in 2003. Regardless of ability or disability, the Village wanted to make sure everyone had a place to play and recreate. Since then, the program has grown to offer a year-round adult day care programming for adults, summer day camp, respite services, private swim lessons, personal training and more.

In 2008, the Therapeutic Recreation Department provided 663 hours of respite care, provided summer camp for 46 youth and adults, had 12 adults utilize the adult Discovery program and 22 youth use the before and after school Discovery program. The number of clients served continues to grow.

While the benefits to the participants of the Discovery program are obvious; increased physical activity, social interaction, increased cognition and leisure skill exploration, it is the benefit to the family and community that is often overlooked. Without the Discovery Program, many families would not be able to have dual incomes, almost a necessity in these times. And for members and guests at the RecPlex, the opportunity to get to know someone with a disability and see them succeed is something special.

Kris Neiman is a parent of a 12 year old boy with autism. She shared how the Discovery program has helped her family:

"Working full-time outside of the home would be impossible without the Discovery Program. My son Seth has autism and has been a client of the Discovery Program since first grade. In second grade I thought the program offered through his public school would be sufficient enough for him since he is what most experts consider "high functioning". I could not have been more wrong. My son was miserable, excluded from activities and teased by the other students. He would come home repeating what the other kids said to him when he left, "Bye-Bye Dummy!" Staff at this program tried their best, but with a 15:1 staff to student ratio it was impossible for them to effectively care for Seth. At Discovery, I know that he is being cared for at a level that meets my own psychological needs as well as all of the needs of Seth. I am able to not only physically get to work, but once I get there I am able to stop worrying about my son and can focus on my job. I simply don’t know what we’d do without the program." – Kris Neiman

Sherry Schultz’ daughter Kimber is 22 years old and has Rhett syndrome.

"The Rec Plex programs are a god-send for parents of handicapped children. For 22 years, we’ve had our share of heartache trying to find the perfect caregivers for our daughter, Kimber. I work as a Realtor, and have hours that are all over the map. The Rec Plex Therapeutic Recreation programs cover 6 days a week. For many years we had to rely on family. But you wouldn’t believe the creative excuses relatives can come up with to avoid watching her. Once, one even said, "We’ll take the other two kids, but Kimber is just too much." I still remember the look on Kimber’s face as they drove off with her brother and sister and left her behind. Finding "strangers" (anyone not family) is even harder, due to the trust factor. But when we found Erin’s program at the Rec Plex it was the answer to our prayers. It is staffed by people far more qualified than even I, (her mother) am. Erin has the highest standards when it comes to selecting the perfect person to place our precious child with. They are OT’s, future therapists, teachers, students going into the medical field…each one bringing different talents to the table. Erin has designed a program where the children have unlimited possibilities, even with their limited abilities. Kimber comes home sometimes exhausted, but always happy! I am 100% comfortable leaving Kimber in their care. The peace of mind I have knowing that they treat her as if she is their own child, is something you cannot put a price tag on. There is just no other program that can take as good as care of my daughter, in a healthy, well-rounded environment, like I found at the Rec Plex. As a Realtor, I have brought people to the program many times, and "showed it off." One friend of mine, a mother, who NEVER had outside-of-the-family care for her handicapped son, thanks me all the time for helping her to find the Rec Plex. There are so many families out there who benefit from these programs. I hope they are around forever!” – Sherry Schultz

With the help of RecPlex and the Discovery program, Seth and Kimber are able to participate in many of the same activities as their peers. They swim, ice skate, go to the park, socializing with friends, go on field trips or community outings, ride a 3-wheeled bicycle, play basketball and more; just like everyone else!