About us

Philosophy
The Happy Club is founded on the belief that people with developmental disabilities can, with proper instruction and encouragement, learn, enjoy, and benefit from participation in structured social activities. Happy believes that, through activities, people with developmental disabilities benefit physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually; families are strengthened, and the community at large, both through participation and observation, is united in understanding people with developmental disabilities in an environment of equality, respect, and acceptance.
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Goals
Provide the most enjoyable, beneficial, and challenging activities for teens and adults with developmental disabilities.
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Principles
Provide full participation for every participant, regardless of economic circumstances.

That, to the greatest extent possible, Happy activities will be run by and involve local volunteers, in order to create greater opportunities for public understanding of, and participation with, people with developmental disabilities.

That Happy activities take place in public, so that participants with developmental disabilities may reveal to the community those special qualities of the human spirit in which they excel - skill, courage, sharing and joy.
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Eligibility
Participants must complete all YMCA documentation of medical release, information, and waiver. Participants must observe and abide by the Happy Club rules.

The Happy Club was created to give teens and adults with developmental disabilities the opportunity to participate in social activities.

No person shall be excluded on any of the prohibited bases: race, sex, religion, and national origin.

Participants must be mildly mentally handicapped. Participants must be sixteen years or older. Younger participation may be allowed at the coordinator's discretion if he/she have appropriate social skills for group interaction.
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Background
The Happy Club (formerly known as the Handicapped Activities Program with the YMCA (HAPY)) was founded in January of 1992 by Lisa and Bruce Downs, with the direction and encouragement of the Decatur-Dekalb YMCA and AADD formerly known as RC/A (Retarded Citizens / Atlanta). The HAPY program changed its name to The Happy Club in October of 1998 and is now a program of the Metro Atlanta YMCA.
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on April, 26 2003 with an outing to the Atlanta Braves game. Our newest chapter is located at Harmony Grove United Methodist Church in Lilburn, GA. Warren Tuttle a long-time Happy Club volunteer is the coordinator.