PORTAGE | Linda Marvel sees miracles in the things other parents take for granted.

She smiles, remembering when her 11-year-old son, Jonathan, took his first toddling steps. The gray forearm crutches propped against the desk where Jonathan hunches over his math homework are reminders of another victory. He walks without a walker.

"They work their whole lives on something other kids do so easily," Marvel said of the three special needs children she and her husband, Marty, adopted after their two biological children were nearly grown.

"Everything is a little more complicated, sometimes a lot more complicated. But it's so exciting to see them make it."

Marvel said the therapists at Jacob's Ladder Pediatric Rehabilitation Center in Portage were integral to the improvements in her children's speech, sensory and physical abilities.

The nonprofit organization is hosting its annual golf outing at 8 a.m. Friday at the White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point.

Finances for Jacob's Ladder have been tight. The center pulled money from its budget to repair damage from a storm that tore through Portage in May.

It has a waiting list of children who need its customized services.

Two of Marvel's children spent time on the list. All three receive services from Jacob's Ladder.

Jonathan was born premature and has cerebral palsy. Eight-year-old Jilli was the victim of child abuse before the Marvels took her in. Her skull cracked, causing a stroke.

Five-year-old Emily nearly died at birth. Doctors said she would have cerebral palsy and be mentally slow, but with therapy she has gone beyond what they thought possible.

"We're providing a service no one else is," said Noel Frigo, Jacob's Ladder board member. "To help the kids progress to be able to walk and run and increase their ability to learn and perform better in school."

Marvel said the biggest benefit of Jacob's Ladder is the network of families involved.

"One of the best things is the waiting room," she said. "When you realize you aren't the only one with special needs kids."

BREAKOUT

To help

Jacob's Ladder Pediatric Rehabilitation Center is hosting its annual golf outing at 8 a.m. Friday at White Hawk Country Club. Tee-off is at 9:30 a.m., followed by lunch. The cost is $400 for a group of four and it is $125 for an individual golfer. For more information, call (219) 764-4888.

Monetary donations can be sent to Jacob's Ladder at P.O. Box 2385, Portage, IN 46368.