To provide quality recreation services which facilitate:
- Improvements in the leisure skills of people with disabilities.
- Inclusive experiences that promote ties between people with and without disabilities.
- Education of the community about people with disabilities.
- Advocacy for the rights of individuals with disabilities within our community.
- New experiences and freedom of choice
To provide as many recreational & leisure opportunities possible for people with disabilities to enhance quality of life while educating the residents of Jackson County.
The Dream Program was started for the sole purpose of serving and enhancing the leisure lifestyle of people with disabilities in Jackson County Mississippi and surrounding areas. The Dream Program is open to ALL citizens and is currently offering
six programs, free of charge , for people with and without disabilities. Our
newest program, Unified Canoeing began last summer. There are both activity roles and volunteer roles for those without disabilities. Our
5th season is well under way with Unified softball in the summer, Unified Flag football in the fall, Arts and Crafts and Unified Basketball in the winter, and Bowling in late winter. We periodically have special events. The dream program has hosted banquets, dances, and recently a trip to New Orleans to attend a Saints Game. Our annual golf tournament is both an activity for disabled citizens and a fund-raiser for the program. We hope the dream program will grow and be able to provide even more activities. We are supported strictly by donations and fundraising.
The Dream Program is modeled after one of the top Parks and Recreation Departments in the country in Boulder, CO. This program is called EXPAND and offers the most diverse opportunities for people with disabilities. Some that we have not attempted yet are camping, hiking, biking, and wheelchair water skiing. They offer any leisure and recreation activity that one could possibly imagine.
My wife and I, Lindsay and Troy Trigg both graduates of the University of Southern Mississippi are the Dream Program’s founders, organizers, and directors with the able help of our volunteer board of directors. We are natives of the Gulf Coast and Jackson County. After volunteer service with people with disabilities in my younger years I decided to try to make a career of this rewarding endeavor. My college internship in Recreation Therapy landed me in Boulder, CO where I learned from the best Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialists and the EXPAND program. Although those career plans never came to fruition, through my 8 years in Boulder and the surrounding area, I remained a volunteer with EXPAND coaching, sponsoring, playing softball, basketball, wheelchair water skiing, drum classes, dances, and many other activities. Alongside me Lindsay participated in these rewarding activities while teaching and earning her Master’s Degree in Elementary Education.
After our move back to the coast we decided that something was missing from our lives and we agreed this area needed a program that provided recreation and leisure activities for people with disabilities. It took us a couple years to get the idea rolling and begin this new program. We now look forward to the education and wonderful memories this program will provide for our community. Our goal is to employ a full time Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist who will be committed to running the program. We believe this can be done in two ways- 1) community involvement and support 2) local recreation departments’ recognition of a need for this type of program. Thank you for this opportunity to share a little about our program. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. Troy Trigg- Director
- South MS Heros 2008 WLOX
- Arc of MS Recreation Award 2008
- City of Ocean Springs recognized the Dream Program as an outstanding City program in 2008
- Pheonominal People Award -Phenominal Youth Organization- 2010
- Anchor Award Nominee from Jackson County Chamber of Commerce.