Published February 25. 2026 02:45PM<\/p>\n
PA Inclusive announced the formal transition of its autism-focused sensory gym, formally Turn to Us, to Supporting Autism and Families Everywhere (S.A.F.E.), a long-standing nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering individuals with autism and their families.<\/p>\n
The transition ensures uninterrupted access to trusted resources, advocacy and inclusive programming for families throughout Northeastern Pennsylvania.<\/p>\n
S.A.F.E. Inc. will continue and expand this vital work by providing community resources, educational programs, family events, parent support groups and access to its sensory gym \u2014 serving as a welcoming hub for individuals on the autism spectrum and their caregivers.<\/p>\n
\u201cTransferring the sensory gym to S.A.F.E. reflects our commitment to long-term sustainability and impact,\u201d said Frank Bartoli, president and CEO of PA Inclusive. \u201cS.A.F.E.\u2019s history, deep community roots, and family-centered mission make them a natural steward of this work.\u201d<\/p>\n
Founded in 1995, S.A.F.E. began as a small group of families seeking connection, understanding and shared resources. Over the past three decades, the organization has grown into a robust regional support system offering education, advocacy, family programming, extracurricular activities and inclusive opportunities for children and families within the autism community.<\/p>\n
S.A.F.E.\u2019s mission is to support and empower families affected by autism spectrum disorders by identifying services and activities tailored to their unique needs while fostering inclusion within both the local community and the broader ASD community. This mission is grounded in the belief that individuals with autism can lead full, purposeful and fulfilling lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are incredibly excited to get the sensory gym back up and running and to continue providing meaningful support to our community,\u201d said Malinda Knipfer, executive director of S.A.F.E. Inc.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving empowering services available in Carbon County creates a space where families and individuals with autism can gather, learn and engage \u2014 knowing they are not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Families currently engaged with PA Inclusive \u2014 affiliated autism programming can expect a seamless transition, with continued collaboration between S.A.F.E. and PA Inclusive to ensure stability, continuity of services and long-term growth for the families they serve.<\/p>\n
PA Inclusive\u2019s mission is to help create and support inclusive and sustainable lives for people with disabilities. PA Inclusive supports individuals and families in Luzerne, Lackawanna, Wyoming, Carbon, Monroe, Pike, Berks, Montgomery, Bucks, Lehigh, Northampton and Columbia counties. To learn more, visit https:\/\/www.painclusive.org<\/p>\n
Supporting Autism and Families Everywhere is a nonprofit organization founded in 1995 to support and empower families affected by autism spectrum disorders through advocacy, education, resources, and inclusive community programming.<\/p>\n
To learn more, visit https:\/\/autismsafe.org<\/p>\n
Inside the Sensory Gym, the specially designed space that helps an individual with sensory issues learn to regulate their brain\u2019s negative reactions to external stimuli by developing coping skills for these experiences. The gym offers a variety of benefits: calming effects, stimulation, socialization, improved focus, motor skills development, cognitive development and sensory development. CONTRIBUTED PHOTOS<\/p>\n
From left: Michele Garis, S.A.F.E. board president; Frank Bartoli, PA Inclusive president\/CEO; Malinda Knipfer, S.A.F.E. executive director; Megan Valkenburg, PA Inclusive marketing and development director; and Brendan Karolchyk, PA Inclusive marketing coordinator.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published February 25. 2026 02:45PM PA Inclusive announced the formal transition of its autism-focused sensory gym, formally Turn…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":123394,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[178,180,179],"class_list":["post-123393","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-scranton","tag-scranton","tag-scranton-headlines","tag-scranton-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123393","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}