Our Vision

At Maryland Cool K!ds, we believe every adult with intellectual and developmental disabilities deserves opportunities to build friendships, develop life skills, and be an active member of their community.

The Cool K!ds Club House

Over the next year, we plan to establish The Cool K!ds Club House, a dedicated gathering space where members and their one-on-one support staff can come together in a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment. The Club House will provide opportunities for socialization, life-skills development, recreation, educational programs, and community engagement while fostering meaningful friendships and a sense of belonging.

Looking Toward the Future

Our vision extends beyond activities and programming. We are working toward creating a community-centered housing model that promotes both independence and connection for adults with special needs.

We envision an apartment-style community where residents have their own private living spaces while also enjoying shared common areas designed to encourage friendship, collaboration, and mutual support. In this environment, individuals can live with greater independence while benefiting from a built-in community and access to appropriate supervision and support services.

Our goal is to create a place where adults with disabilities can thrive, forming lasting relationships, developing greater self-confidence, and enjoying the security of being part of a caring community that values and supports them.

The Cool K!ds Club House is the first step toward turning this vision into reality and creating new opportunities for adults with disabilities throughout our community.

MEET THE TEAM

Our Founders and Board of Directors

  • My name is Amy Masser, affectionately known as Katie’s mom. 

    Katie was born with Down syndrome in March 1996, completely changing the trajectory of my life for the better. She has always been such a happy soul. When she didn’t like what I was making for dinner, she’d stand in the kitchen and sing a song about it! 

    We had a wonderful experience with Frederick County Public Schools’ special needs programs, from Kindergarten through her graduation from the SUCCESS Program. But when Katie aged out of the public school system, things changed dramatically. We tried three different agencies, and unfortunately, Katie experienced both neglect and abuse. I worked tirelessly with each agency, held all the right meetings, and spoke with all the right people, but nothing improved. 

    Thankfully, I owned a boutique photography studio that I ran from home, which allowed me to pull her out of those harmful situations and keep her safe. In 2020, after three failed attempts with local agencies, we turned to DDA’s Self-Direction program, right as COVID hit. Katie had wonderful support staff whom she adored, but she deeply missed connecting with friends. 

    By 2022, as the world began reopening, Katie’s staff moved on to other careers, and I set out to find new ways for her to make friends. We started attending a special needs dance class and sharing information with other parents about the benefits of self-direction. Soon, families began switching over in droves. 

    To help us stay connected, I started a Facebook group for self-directed families so we could plan gatherings and activities. Little by little, we built a thriving weekly routine of fun, friendship, and connection. I made sure to capture plenty of photos and tag friends along the way, and soon started calling our group the Cool Kids (because, let’s be honest, they’re pretty darn cool). The name stuck. 

    I wasn’t alone in my frustration with the lack of quality services available for adults with developmental disabilities. Other parents shared my passion, and our group grew rapidly. Encouraged by the incredible progress we had made together, we decided to establish a nonprofit organization to ensure our community has the resources, structure, and sustainability to continue growing. 

    Along the way I sold off my studio, and downsized so I could afford to work fulltime with my daughter in the Cool Kids community and insure that this community continues to thrive and grow. Today, I’m beyond excited to work alongside a team of like-minded, passionate, can-do parents who are determined to create a better world for the special needs community. After all, there’s no greater motivation than your own child.

  • I am Maria Brockman. I first moved to Frederick with my husband about 25 years ago. My 23 year old son (and Cool Kid) Jack was born here. When he was two, we moved to the Kansas City area for my husband’s work.

     While in Kansas, my daughter, Evelyn, 17 was born. I stayed at home with my two children. Navigating and accessing the limited resources and services available to children with autism led to me founding a non-profit, The Lawrence Autism Society. I also served on the board of the Arc of Douglas County. These experiences ignited a passion for working with people with disabilities and their families. I went back to school for a Masters in special education and began my teaching career. During the pandemic, my husband and I were working remotely. This gave us the opportunity to return to Frederick. We love Frederick and are very happy to be back!

    I have recently retired from full-time teaching, and currently work as a substitute teacher. I am thrilled to be serving as Vice President on the Cool Kids Board. It is exciting to feel a part of something that is so impactful and needed in our community. Along with serving on the board, I lead the Cool Kids Flash Mobbers, Wednesday Bingo and Cool Kids Zumba on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In my spare time, I love to read and do ballroom dance

  • As a 25yr+ resident of western Frederick County, Kat brings a heart for community and a wealth of experience to her role as Secretary for Maryland Cool Kids. Her personal journey with special needs runs deep—growing up with a brother with cerebral palsy and autism, and then caring for her son with Asperger’s and other challenges. She is also the primary caregiver for JP, a familiar and beloved member of the Maryland Cool Kids community.With over 15 years in behavioral health and psychiatric care, and previous experience in leadership as the Western Maryland Regional Supervisor for the Maryland Coalition of Families, Kat has dedicated her career to supporting families navigating mental health, substance use, and related challenges. Her attention to detail, organizational skills, and Type-A drive make her a reliable and thoughtful presence in the group.


    Outside of her professional work, Kat is a certified personal trainer, yoga instructor, group fitness instructor, and nutritionist, running her own wellness business, Abundant Life Wellness, as a passion project. She has also spent the last nine years as a mortgage loan officer, combining her love for learning with a desire to help others in meaningful ways. 


    Above all, Kat credits her faith in God for the blessings in her life: over 21 years with her husband, raising four children,

    and the opportunity to serve and care for her community authentically. She believes in showing up with compassion, humility, and a genuine desire to make a positive difference and cannot wait to see how her time with Maryland Cool Kids will unfold.

  • My name is Leslie Poe, and I am the proud mother of my son, Matthew, who was born with Down Syndrome in 1992. For most of his life, we lived in Montgomery County, where we were fortunate to receive excellent support services. During the COVID pandemic, when Matthew’s day program could no longer provide support, we transitioned to DDA’s Self-Directed Services. A few months later, we relocated to Frederick County. 

    When programs for the special needs community began reopening after COVID, we planned to explore Frederick’s available day programs—but fate had something even better in store for us. In March 2022, we were introduced to the Frederick Cool Kids, and from that moment, Matthew and I found a welcoming community that has enriched our lives beyond measure. We have made so many wonderful friends and have seen firsthand the incredible impact of this growing group of special needs adults. 

    When the organization obtained its nonprofit status and asked me to serve on the board, I couldn’t have been more honored. I’m thrilled to work alongside this dedicated team to help ensure that these exceptional adults continue to have every opportunity to live their best and most fulfilling lives.

  • I am originally from Roanoke, Va but have made my home in Frederick County for the last 28 years.

    My son Connor was born with Carpenter Syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive disorder.  I Researched and found that the resources in Maryland better suited his needs. He is my inspiration for everything that I do. There wasn’t a ready-made support network for his condition, so I had to make one. I had him involved in Challenger Baseball, Special Olympics and other groups from a young age so that he could make friends and so could I.

    Connor was diagnosed at birth and, there was no established support network for his condition. As a result, I took on the responsibility of building one myself. From a young age, I ensured Connor was involved in Challenger Baseball, Special Olympics, and other groups. These experiences not only helped Connor make friends but also allowed me to connect with other families facing similar challenges.

    During the COVID-19 lockdown, Connor was unable to attend his day program for 18 months. To help him reconnect with the community, I took Family Medical Leave. This time was instrumental in discovering Self Directed services, which led me to transition his support structure. Through these changes, we became part of a vibrant community in Frederick, Maryland, where both Connor and I have formed meaningful friendships.

    The relationships and community we have built in Frederick are truly special to us. My hope is that The Frederick Cool Kids will foster these types of connections for everyone, providing support and friendship throughout the community.

FAQs

  • No. We do not plan to become DDA certified in any capacity. Our mission is to continue supporting the special needs community by offering low or no cost, fun, and safe opportunities for individuals to engage with one another and with the broader community in meaningful ways. We aim to help keep DDA’s Self-Direction Program a viable and rewarding option for families, just as we have for years.

  • When the Cool Kid movement began in 2022, making self-direction a viable option, many local agencies experienced a significant decline in clients and funding. This shift encouraged them to raise their standards of care, and many did. Newer agencies have since emerged with a stronger commitment to quality and individualized support. 

    Our concern was never with agency clients themselves, but with the low standard of care some agencies were providing. By welcoming agency-supported individuals to our events, we not only help the community they serve (our friends!) but also promote staff accountability and model a higher, needs-based standard of care. 

    That said, many individuals served by local agencies are still unable to attend our programs because we require one-on-one support staff. While DDA budgets allow agencies to charge their client’s budgets more than double the hourly rate of self-directed Direct Support Professionals, some still choose to assign one staff member to three or four clients, a practice we believe limits individualized care. 

    At the end of the day, our goal is simple: to help every special needs adult live their best life. We’re happy to help anyone else along the way.

  • To us, cool means being completely authentic, someone who embraces their true self, finds joy in what they love, and refuses to be weighed down by the opinions of others. Cool people love deeply, laugh loudly, and share their joy freely. They inspire everyone around them to be better, kinder, and more genuine. By that definition, the special needs adult community is arguably the coolest of them all. And yes, we’re also big fans of alliteration. “Cool Adults” just doesn’t have the same ring to it! On Thursdays (dance party day), many of them also proudly answer to “Party People”.

  • We’re actually both.

    Frederick Cool Kids is the name of the program that Maryland Cool K!ds, Inc. operates in Frederick County. Maryland Cool K!ds, Inc. is the legal name of our 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All of our contracts, bank accounts, tax filings, insurance policies, grants, and official legal documents are maintained under Maryland Cool K!ds, Inc.

    We intentionally chose the name Maryland Cool K!ds because our vision extends beyond Frederick County. Our goal is to create a model that can be replicated in communities across Maryland and eventually throughout the country, helping other counties establish Cool K!ds programs of their own.

    At the heart of everything we do is a simple mission: to ensure that adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities have opportunities to build friendships, participate in their communities, and live full, meaningful lives. Ultimately, we hope to see every intellectually and developmentally disabled adult in the United States living their best life.