Real Stories

The Impact of Special Needs Small Grants in 2004

• A single mom with a medically fragile baby and 2 year old child had to travel out of town to obtain therapy for her baby. The two year old’s demands for attention often inhibited Mom’s ability to focus on the baby’s needs. Special Needs (SN) funds were used to provide respite care for the two year old. As a result, Mom’s stress level was reduced, she was better able to provide medical care for her baby and her interactions with her 2 year old became healthier.
• An 8 year old child with an autistic spectrum disorder and history of abuse recently moved back home with her Mom. As the new school year approached, Mom did not have sufficient funds for school supplies or gas money to take her child to medical appointments. SN funds helped with the purchase of both school supplies and gas. Additionally, money was used to purchase a plant for the child’s room. Although the child refused to open the blinds in most rooms of the house, she would open the blinds in her room to allow the plant sunlight to grow.
• A migrant family with few resources and low literacy skills was living in a trailer without plumbing. Their child was anemic and often ate dirt. The family was without diapers or other hygiene items. SN funds provided basic hygiene items and enabled public health nurses to work with the family to obtain essential services, including a visit to a pediatrician, and completion of a WIC application.
• Bus tickets, a water pitcher and measuring spoons may not seem like much but to a young teen new Mom with a premature infant these items enabled her to keep medical appointments and have the utensils necessary to mix formula correctly.