Project Awareness and Special Sports (PAASS)
Project Awareness and Special Sports (PAASS), PO Box 138, Mill Valley, CA 94942-1713
About
Project Awareness and Special Sports (PAASS) offers baseball, basketball, soccer, tennis, lacrosse, after school classes, summer camps, sports skills, and other recreational activities. The program includes Challenger baseball and basketball, TOPSoccer, tennis clinics, and lacrosse clinics that use standard and smaller fiddlesticks and soft balls and are non-contact without helmets or other protective gear. PAASS also runs a picture sharing initiative where participants’ photos are compiled into a montage and offered with individual framing, and it sells Thinking Pictures Coasters with all proceeds supporting PAASS and Integrated Community Services.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Seasonal sports programs with basketball in January–February on Sundays, baseball March–May on Sundays, and soccer September–October on Sundays
Project Awareness and Special Sports (PAASS) was founded in 2008 by Janet Miller and Tyler Barbee and became a non-profit in 2014 as an evolution and expansion of two sports leagues known as Challenger baseball and basketball. The mission and goal of PAASS are to create an inclusive supportive environment for individuals with developmental delays and learning challenges and to allow them to participate in community-based sports and recreational programs, while also striving to raise understanding and acceptance. The Challenger baseball and basketball programs support children and young adults ages 5–21 with developmental delays and learning differences to participate in local community-based sports leagues, and PAASS partners with TOPSoccer, Mill Valley Recreation, and community members to expand programs to include soccer, tennis, after school classes, summer camps, and other recreational opportunities. Participants are supported by peer volunteers who facilitate socialization, engagement, and individual coaching, and the programs invite high school and middle school students to volunteer. PAASS has been featured in CBS Bay Area News, Pacific Sun, Marin IJ, Enjoy Mill Valley, and MNBC Bay Area, and it connects participants, volunteers, coaches, and parents to build a community of support, awareness, and acceptance. The leadership team includes Janet Miller (Executive Director and President), Jade Schoenhoeft (Vice President), Pam Sowerby (Treasurer), Steve Stewart (Director), Kristi DeBisschop (Director), Tyler Barbee (Advisor), and Jai Ryaru (Intern), and PAASS has created the PAASS Starter Playbook: Building Inclusive Communities Through Connection, Opportunity, and Belonging.
Last updated June 20, 2026.
• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Seasonal sports programs with basketball in January–February on Sundays, baseball March–May on Sundays, and soccer September–October on Sundays
Project Awareness and Special Sports (PAASS) was founded in 2008 by Janet Miller and Tyler Barbee and became a non-profit in 2014 as an evolution and expansion of two sports leagues known as Challenger baseball and basketball. The mission and goal of PAASS are to create an inclusive supportive environment for individuals with developmental delays and learning challenges and to allow them to participate in community-based sports and recreational programs, while also striving to raise understanding and acceptance. The Challenger baseball and basketball programs support children and young adults ages 5–21 with developmental delays and learning differences to participate in local community-based sports leagues, and PAASS partners with TOPSoccer, Mill Valley Recreation, and community members to expand programs to include soccer, tennis, after school classes, summer camps, and other recreational opportunities. Participants are supported by peer volunteers who facilitate socialization, engagement, and individual coaching, and the programs invite high school and middle school students to volunteer. PAASS has been featured in CBS Bay Area News, Pacific Sun, Marin IJ, Enjoy Mill Valley, and MNBC Bay Area, and it connects participants, volunteers, coaches, and parents to build a community of support, awareness, and acceptance. The leadership team includes Janet Miller (Executive Director and President), Jade Schoenhoeft (Vice President), Pam Sowerby (Treasurer), Steve Stewart (Director), Kristi DeBisschop (Director), Tyler Barbee (Advisor), and Jai Ryaru (Intern), and PAASS has created the PAASS Starter Playbook: Building Inclusive Communities Through Connection, Opportunity, and Belonging.
Last updated June 20, 2026.
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