Services you may be interested in:
National Programs
Explore this Web site to learn how the US Dept of Education and the National Association of the Deaf are working to promote and provide equal access to communication and learning for students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, or deaf-blind.
Accomplished song writer John Beltzer set out in 1996 to touch the life of one young child
with cancer by writing her a song. Over 10 years later, the Songs of Love foundation has over
350 songwriters across the nation help to create personalized songs for sick children.
The service is free for families of ill and disabled children.
”We grant the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy.”
A child’s medical eligibility is determined with the help of the treating physician. To receive a wish, the child must be diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition – i.e., a progressive, degenerative or malignant condition that has placed the child’s life in jeopardy.
MN Regional Programs
Vouchers for low income mothers with children under the age of 5. Foster children are automatically eligible for the WIC program. This link is for the MN program, but each state utilizes the WIC program. Contact your county social service agency for more information on the WIC program.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest, largest and most effective youth mentoring organization in the United States.
This is the coolest site for looking for programs that you may need. Do you have a youth who needs a job and help with money management? Do you have a child that has a disability and needs adaptive equipment cheap? Are you looking for a mentorship program? This site can walk you through all sorts of questions and help find the resources you need.
STAR's mission is to help ALL MINNESOTANS with disabilities gain access to and acquire the assistive technology they need to live, learn, work and play.
Assistive Technology is any device, item, piece of equipment or service that can be used to maintain or improve the functional abilities of children and adults with disabilities.
Here you can check in your county for a collaborating agency. You can try out adaptive equipment or borrow equipment for a short time. You may also be able to pre-owned equipment from another party.
Free Portrait sitting for new adoptive families
From JM: This photographer in the ACPCG (American Child photographers charity guild) that is a list of photographers that will come to the hospital, your home or a desired location to take your child's portrait if they have a life threatening illness.
She also participates in a program for newly adopted children where she will also take photos of your child if they have been adopted in the last year called celebratingadoption.org. They do this for no sitting fee and then they will either give you a CD of pictures, the proofs or prints. It is really incredible and Jessica that we used was so sweet and accommodating. We did a family portrait also and haven't seen that yet. Jessica is putting together a slide show for us and then sending us the proofs.
She has links on her website to both sites. Hope some of you can participate in these programs or refer some one to them.
http://expressionsbyjessica.typepad.com/expressions_by_jessica/
Free Arts MN program
Free Arts Minnesota is a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing the healing powers of artistic expression into the lives of abused, neglected and at-risk children and their families. Free Arts Minnesota is dedicated to healing young lives through artistic expression. Free Arts recognizes that abuse encompasses a wide range of experiences such as trauma caused by violence, neglect, poverty and homelessness.
We at Free Arts know that artistic expression is a successful way to externalize emotions and gain self confidence. Through dance, drama, writing, music, painting, sculpting, photography and other avenues of creativity, Free Arts volunteers work to increase children’s self-esteem and build character by unlocking the imagination. Children and families participating in Free Arts programs learn ways to channel emotion, release anger and express themselves safely. Building artistic skills gives children a positive sense of their own abilities.
This program is for children in a level 4 or residential placement only.