LEHI — Ari Mathews would never call packing her 21-month-old up for a 70-minute commute from Eagle Mountain to Orem for therapy a burden — she'd do anything for her developmentally delayed son.

But "Oh my gosh!" said the mother of two, she's so excited that Kids on the Move, where her son gets treatment, is opening up a satellite center in Lehi this week. "It will save me so much time and money and hassle."

Mathews is just one of about 400 families living in northern Utah County who use the Kids on the Move early intervention program. The majority of work is done during personal home visits, where parents learn how to help their disabled children develop through daily activities, but patrons are encouraged to come to weekly group classes as well.

"The group classes allow parents of children with special needs and disabilities to be a support group for one another," said Stuart Collyer, Kids on the Move executive director. "If you're a parent with child with Down syndrome, you are probably the only one in your neighborhood. That can be very lonely."

Collyer said the nonprofit organization has toyed with the idea of building a satellite center in northern Utah County for several years, but money was always an issue.

"When we finally decided we were going to go ahead with the project, we had to take a leap of faith that we would be able to get funding," he said.

The $160,000 center, which is located on the campus of Snow Spring Elementary, was paid for entirely by donations.

Both Mathews and Collyer called the Lehi center a "blessing."

"Kids on the Move is really the best support system I have," Mathews said. "My son loves going to class, too. He just lights up every time."

For more information about Kids on the Move, visit www.kidsonthemove.org.

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E-mail: estuart@desnews.com