SENSORY INCLUSION

We had a fantastic time the game! My daughter enjoyed celebrating her birthday there so much. The sweet birthday gift was so thoughtful and unexpected. Thank you so much! She was thrilled and cherishes everything.

Our other daughter also took advantage of the sensory bags and it made the experience so much better for her. She was able to be more relaxed and actually have fun without as much anxiety. It was our first game and we definitely hope to come back when we are able.

We have told everyone how much fun we had and recommend attending games to our friends. I also let my younger daughter's physical therapist know about the sensory bags because it was such a huge help. At their therapy network they have speech and occupational therapy as well and work with lots of kiddos with sensory needs and she said she would pass the info along to other clients as well.

Thank you again for a wonderful experience. I hope you all are doing well during all of the chaos of the coronavirus causing the season to be suspended. We will be keeping you all in our thoughts and hoping you all stay safe and that it doesn't cause too much disruption in your lives.

Thank you,
Amy Mackey

Happy New Year to You and the Whole Hornet Organization! We all thoroughly enjoyed our visit to North Carolina and especially to Charlotte for our first NBA Basketball game and HUGE Birthday surprise for Adam and the AWESOME Sensory Inclusion Bag of goodies for his younger brother Salem, which included, headphones, fidget toys, marble pusher and a weighted blanket.

Attention Families of Special Needs children: How AWESOME was it that Salem, who has Autism, was able attend a loud exciting venue and be a part of this once in a lifetime V.I.P. Event with his family. Please remember the Amazing Inclusion that The Charlotte Hornets have to offer for making GREAT lasting family memories for everyone!!

On a last note, but I could continue to go on...Every Single Person we encountered at The Spectrum Center were SUPER Friendly and VERY helpful.

Also, Ashley even came up to us on our V.I.P. experience before the 3rd quarter and reminded us a buzzer was going to be going off for that quarter.

From a VERY THANKFUL and BLESSED Mother,
Tammi

I am writing to provide you with feedback regarding our experience with your new Sensory Inclusion Initiative on Saturday January 19, 2019…We appreciate you and being part of the Hornets family…Prior to the Sensory Inclusion Initiative, we had to prepare Brandon physically and mentally before attending a Hornets game. He LOVES playing basketball. He plays at least four to five days per week at the Brace YMCA in Matthews. In order to prepare for a Hornets game he had to play basketball in order to receive the heavy sensory input in his hands and joints by shooting half court shots (90% accuracy) and playing aggressive defense during 5 on 5 or 3 on 3 games with other guys at the YMCA. Playing basketball helps him to focus and reduces anxieties caused by loud sounds. Brandon has acute hearing. He can hear the wings of a butterfly two minutes before it is physically visible to the eye. He could not deal with loud sounds and attend the Hornets games without physically preparing at the YMCA playing basketball for hours. Currently, using the sensory tools available at the Hornets game, the time spent preparing at the YMCA was cut in half! His favorite sensory tool is the stress ball. It seems to provide the best sensory input for Brandon.

When we arrived I asked the employee at the entrance, after she scanned my ticket, about being Sensory Friendly. She responded, “Yes”, in a quick, friendly and professional manner. Joy entered my heart! I felt such peace and assurance that we were destined for a great time at the game. Throughout Brandon’s life we have avoided many events due to Brandon’s sensory issues. Our journey with autism has been lonely. However, the Sensory Inclusion Initiative brings delight to my heart, because I am able to be out with my family and know the Hornets organization cares about the needs of our child. At the Hornets arena you are included and your life matters! We enjoyed the escort to the Guest Experience counter to pick up Brandon’s sensory tools. After we arrived I was completely impressed with the warm, gregarious and structured presentation. I was pleased with the variety of sensory tools contained in the bag. In addition, the lanyard was a great bonus! Brandon loves lanyards almost as much as bobbleheads. After the game the check in process of Brandon’s sensory tools was clear, organized and timely. I appreciate organization and structure. Structure and organization are absolutely necessary when supporting anyone on the autism spectrum.

Brandon could not stop smiling during the entire event. He loved the sweet employees who greeted him with love and kindness from start to finish... He loved his sensory lanyard, sensory stress ball, VIP seat, bobbleheads, taking pictures with the Honey Bees and giving the Hornets players high fives after their win. He was thrilled to receive a high five from the Hornets coach James Borrego. Brandon is spreading the news about his experience with the Sensory Inclusion Initiative with church members, friends, guys that he plays basketball with at the YMCA, his personal weight trainer, his barber and anyone else he meets. He felt loved and at peace during the event…

Have a wonderful week!
Linda