Laura Antonellis knows all too well how hard it is to find activities appropriate for children with disabilities on the South Coast.

Until recently, Antonellis drove her daughter Eve, who has Down’s Syndrome, to Tiverton, RI each week to participate in a Special Olympics program there.

“We were driving 40 minutes each way,” said Antonellis. “I wanted to start something closer to home.”

So she got to work.

Antonellis, a resident of Rochester, contacted the Special Olympics of Massachusetts and Mattapoisett Recreation to organize the Southcoast Special Olympics, a program for children ages two to seven.

“Normally kids have to be eight to compete,” said Antonellis. “This is more of a training so kids can learn the basic training of sports skills.”

The new program, which begins an eight-week session at Center School on September 23, will offer stations for soccer, basketball, field day and t-ball for children with intellectual or physical disabilities.

“I had a wonderful example that had been set in Tiverton,” said Antonellis. “Each station was set up so that children of varying abilities could all do something.”

Adult volunteers will man each station with high school aged “buddies” to provide one-on-one assistance for the kids and keep them on track. Peer models, such as siblings, will also help the children learn skills.

The free program has already gotten a boost from local donors who provided equipment, T-shirts and financial support.

So far, Antonellis has eight kids signed up for the program, including kids from Marion and Acushnet. She hopes to get a total of 12 to 16.

“I’m very excited about this. The kids are going to have a lot of fun. And it will be nice to have it so close to home, too,” said Antonellis.

For those interested in enrolling children or volunteering, contact Laura Antonellis at 508-212-8104 or lauraantonellis@ymail.com.