Vinnie Corbo and Jackie Castro didn’t have kids of their own, but their lives are filled with children seeking to learn, explore and play with no limitations.
As a special education teacher, Corbo quickly discovered he’s more of a fun person rather than a disciplinarian, so with the help of his creative mind and hobbies such as music and art, he built a safe place for children with disabilities to play freely.
On Saturday, the couple held the third annual “Here 4 Fun Day,” a free event in the Santa Clarita Valley hosted by Multivium, a nonprofit they both founded aimed to deliver accessible events and enrichment programs that support development, confidence and wellbeing for children with disabilities.
“We want every child leaving here knowing that they belong, that they are seen, and that this community cares about them,” Castro said.
“Some people like boating and golfing. We just see value in these kids,” Corbo added.
As 200 guests spent their day at the Canyon Country Community Center engaging in facepainting, Lego car building, planting, and other forms of fun, the couple just wanted the general public to know that children with disabilities are brilliant in their own way and have a lot to offer the world.
They’re “little miracles,” Corbo said. “We have one child who remembers everybody’s birthday … He’s brilliant. I think a kid like that is going to probably cure cancer.”
In a world where accommodations for children with disabilities must be made to follow the law, the duo wants the children to feel like everybody else and not be singled out due to a socializing challenge or speech delay.
“I don’t think there’s really that many limitations, as long as we’re helping them out, we just have to count them in,” Corbo said.
Castro, who is a private practice psychotherapist, works closely with neurodivergent young adults and parents of children with disabilities with the goal of helping them navigate everyday challenges and form a community with others.
Reima Saleem was watching her 6-year-old son Sage indulge in ice cream and run from station to station to engage with games and other children.
Diagnosed with autism, Saleem described him as shy and quiet before he started going to Multivium’s monthly “Happy You’re Here Lego Club” designed specifically for neurodivergent children.
Now, Sage is more confident and talks with others, Saleem said, adding that the Lego building club has become a safe place for him to tap into his own creativity, learn to collaborate with others, and, “It’s brought peace to him.”
“He builds the most incredible buildings out of magnet tiles. I would never even think to put together the stuff he builds,” she said. “He’s really good with soccer, basketball. He’ll shoot every shot.”
As his mother, Saleem has learned to slow down and be patient, since children like Sage sometimes need more time to reach milestones that others achieve quickly.
Robin Ayala was watching her two sons Tucker and Tanner-Jayce play with their dad and run around the empty space of the Community Center.
Five-year-old Tucker has Down syndrome and is also nonverbal, she said, and the Here 4 Fun event isn’t just a safe place for children but also for the parents who can feel isolated and alone.
“We have no family and friends that really have special needs. Even though they love him, like any other kid, so it’s nice to be able to see other families and that they’re enduring the same thing,” Ayala said.
“Our struggles are different with him, but we learn, and he’s learning, too,” she said, adding that her family is learning American Sign Language to communicate with Tucker better.
“He can be stubborn, but he’s outgoing and overall, he’s definitely a happy child. He’s tough,” she added.
“They are the most loving, kindhearted kids and they deserve to be treated just as good as anybody else,” Saleem said. “They deserve everything. They shouldn’t be looked at different, because they’re not.”