For youngsters with disabilities living in Bellevue, there could soon be another option for mentoring.

Athletes for Kids, a wildly popular non-profit organization that started in 2001 and pairs prep athletes with youngsters with disabilities, has long been interested in integrating its program into the Bellevue School District in similar fashion to what it has done in Issaquah.

Sammamish resident and mother of three mentors Teresa Bretl has been the driving force behind the program in the years since taking over for founders Ken and Liz Moscaret.

“I look for someone who has a sense of compassion,” Bretl said. Not feeling sorry for someone, but having empathy.”Since Athletes for Kids began at Skyline High School, around 400 kids with disabilities have connected with 430 prep athletes from a host of Eastside high schools, building a life-altering friendship for both.

Bretl’s next mission is bringing the program to the Bellevue School District.

While Athletes for Kids already serves disabled youth in and around Bellevue, its work in the city is mostly concentrated on the east side of the city limits near Issaquah. Bretl hopes to soon extend beyond the few alcoves where the group is already present.

“We know the demand is there,” Bretl said.

“The community of parents of kids with special needs is large. They talk about things that have worked for their children.”

Bretl added that she has been in preliminary talks with the city of Bellevue and Eastside Pathways, an organization that connects those in need with outreach groups. She said talks with a newly formed PTA in the district specifically for parents of special needs children are also in the initial stages and could move forward as soon as the fall, when Athletes for Kids will make a formal presentation.

“Hopefully we can get there someday,” Bretl said. “Bellevue has always been one of the places we want to be.”

Contacts and submissions: jsuman@bellevuereporter.com