Special Needs Cobb, Cobb’s original special needs nonprofit founded in 1956, is a local organization that provides residential and respite resources for special needs people and their families. This is a 70th-anniversary story of lifelong care, family heartbreak, community compassion and the leaders determined to keep the light shining for society’s most vulnerable adults. For many families, one question never stops echoing: What happens to my child when I am no longer here? For 70 years, Special Needs Cobb has helped answer this question with something both practical and profound — homes, belonging and lifelong care for adults with special needs. At a time when options often disappear after high school and families can spend years searching for help, Cobb’s original special needs nonprofit has become a steady light in moments of uncertainty, offering not just services, but security, dignity and hope.

“Seventy years of success tells a powerful story — but the real story is in the lives behind it,” said Debbie Day, CEO of Special Needs Cobb. “It is in the parent who can finally sleep at night knowing their son or daughter will be safe. It is in the resident who finds not just care, but community. It is in the neighbors, board members, donors and advocates who have kept that light burning for generations. Legacy is not just what we leave behind — it is the love, security and hope we pass forward.”

As Special Needs Cobb marks this milestone anniversary, it is celebrating more than a remarkable history. It is honoring the people who have made that history possible — families who entrusted their loved ones to its care, staff who served with devotion, board members who led with conviction, and supporters whose generosity turned compassion into permanence.

“Throughout the past few months, residents have been featured in the SNC “If I Could Tell You…” campaign, part of a Cobb Chamber-sponsored billboard discount program for members across metro Atlanta, says Amy Selby, Executive Vice President, Marketing & Communications. The campaign offers heartfelt messages of gratitude that reflect the spirit of many residents, including those who are nonverbal, and giving the public a moving glimpse into lives too often overlooked.”

Today, Special Needs Cobb provides safe, stable, lifelong homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities through a network of 23 group homes across the community. These homes are more than residences. They are places where daily routines become anchors, caregivers become extended family, and vulnerable adults are seen, known and loved. For families facing the painful reality of aging, illness or uncertainty — and for the 43% of residents who are orphans with no family connection — that promise is not simply comforting, it is life-changing.

“In celebration of this 70-year milestone, Special Needs Cobb is putting its supporters and the wider community ‘Up in Lights’ throughout the remainder of the year — a joyful, visible expression of gratitude for the donors, advocates, volunteers and neighbors whose generosity has sustained the mission for generations,” says Kay Hiott, a past board president and Honorary Event Chair of the upcoming August ‘Up in Lights’ Golden Age of Hollywood celebration. “The campaign offers a compelling public image: a community literally illuminated in honor of the people who chose to care,” continues Hiott. It is both a thank-you and an invitation — to recognize those who have faithfully helped carry this work and to inspire new supporters to invest in a legacy of visible, lasting change. As part of the celebration, individuals and businesses are invited to sponsor a congratulatory message to be featured “Up in Lights” on the marquee at The Earl & Rachel Smith Strand Theatre on the Marietta Square throughout the remainder of the year. This opportunity is open to the public. Contact [email protected] for details.

Hiott’s, whose son, Phillip, has lived in an SNC home for more than 20 years, and other board members are helping bring the “Up in Lights” theme to life through an evening that blends Old Hollywood glamour with modern sophistication and heartfelt nostalgia. Special Needs Cobb is also drawing special attention to its current and former Board of Directors, whose leadership, stewardship and belief in the mission have helped sustain the organization across generations.

“Their vision has protected a legacy of compassion and accountability, strengthened community trust and positioned Special Needs Cobb for continued impact in the decades ahead,” says Seema Patel, current Board President.

For philanthropic partners seeking meaningful, enduring impact, Special  Needs Cobb offers a rare opportunity to invest in both proven legacy and urgent need. Families often wait 10 years or more to receive a housing waiver from the State — years filled with worry, exhaustion and unanswered questions about the future. Supporting Special Needs Cobb means preserving homes, protecting vulnerable adults and strengthening a model of care that has served the community with consistency, heart and accountability for seven decades. It is an investment not only in a trusted institution, but in the belief that every person deserves safety, dignity, belonging and the chance to live a life surrounded by care.

As it marks this milestone anniversary, Special Needs Cobb is honoring the remarkable legacy that brought it here while looking ahead with gratitude, urgency and hope.

The light first kindled 70 years ago continues to shine — through every home, every resident, every family served and every donor who believes in what is possible. In this anniversary year, that light shines not only on the organization’s past, but on a future still waiting to be built — one in which no family has to face the question of “what happens next” alone.