Heartspring Connections - a monthly newsletter for Heartspring

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Volume 1, Number 4, July 2007	July: Making an impact on the lives of children with special needs

8700 East 29th Street North
Wichita, KS 67226
Phone 316.634.8700
800.835.1043
www.heartspring.org
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[Welcome]

PedalFest Aug. 26, 2007

News And Events

• India, Heartspring sister school
• Autism Conferences
• Heartspring Award Winners
• PedalFest Bike Ride Fundraiser
• Alpha Iota Sorority
• Heartspring Staff in the News
• Lights On The Lake Fundraiser
• Career Opportunities

Dialogue is now online

Our quarterly magazine Dialogue is offered online. Current subscribers can modify their profile by adding the option to receive Dialogue online now! New subscribers

Heartspring School is a residential and day program for children with developmental disabilities such as autism, Asperger's Syndrome, speech and language impairments, visual impairments, deaf/hard of hearing, cerebral palsy, challenging behaviors and those with multiple disabilities.

Heartspring Pediatric Services provides therapies for children with developmental delays and disabilities.

Heartspring Hearing Center offers hearing services for people of all ages.

Volunteering is a wonderful way to learn more about Heartspring programs and services.

Donate in one of the many ways you can make a difference for children with special needs.

World Reach is dedicated to touching the lives of children all around the world.

Our mission, in partnership with parents, professionals and the community, is to help children with special needs grow and learn on a path to a more independent life.

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As part of the Heartspring annual recognition banquet, we honored six individuals who have made a tremendous impact on the lives of children with special needs. These winners of the Heartspring Award for Innovation and Creativity in Special Education came from as far away as India and Malawi, and as near as Wamego, Kansas. Pictured from left: Ana Jimenez, Ph.D., Janet Baughman, Merry Barua, Sue Woods, Kholiwe Mkandawire, Jay Cherry.

We also recognized a local family who has fostered 17 children with special needs. A 13 year old boy from Mulvane who developed his own personal fundraising program to help the children of Heartspring was also honored.

Peter Gerhardt, Ed. D., is a consultant and author of articles on the needs of adults with autism spectrum disorders, the school-to-work-transition process and analysis and intervention of problematic behavior. Register today for the Workshop on Transitioning Students with Autism held September 17 at Heartspring in Wichita, KS.

"We got back our son, Erol is more independent now. He came to Heartspring with a helmet, he doesn’t need it anymore and (more importantly) he is one happy boy that enjoys life. Yes, it was a big decision to send Erol that far away, but seeing his improvements everyday made us forget all the miles."

“Now I look at the world a little different. I accept it and realize what a blessing it is (having a child with special needs). You just start redefining what success is.”

Jacob’s parents, Lanna and Keith, first brought him to Heartspring when he was 13 months old. Learn more

"His program at Heartspring has helped him develop his communication, social, self-care and domestic skills. Learning these skills has allowed Chris to become as independent as he could possibly be," said Chris' mom Sharon. Watch video

Help children with special needs by joining the Heartspring Caring Hearts Society, our monthly giving club. As a member, you can make a difference through regular monthly donations. Join now by completing the Caring Hearts Society pledge form.

Did you know that $25 per month can pay for therapy equipment to help children with developmental delays improve their muscle coordination? Learn more about how you can help.

Learning can be fun and interactive. Ordinary, every day activities can be turned into interactive teaching moments, engaging your child and reinforcing skills they are learning. This month, learn how you can turn a fun and interactive game of hide and seek into a teaching opportunity. This gives a child a chance to practice labeling or describing an item while having fun searching for the items during a game of hide and seek. Learn More

Steve

Deb

Heartspring is a place to stay! Meet Steve and Deb, two Heartspring employees celebrating 25 year employment anniversaries. Steve first worked as a paraeducator and advanced to a successful career in Information Technology. Deb is a speech language pathologist who enjoys helping thousands of children learn to communicate.

It is said that the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, although seemingly insignificant, can create great weather changes on the other side of the world. How marvelous that a butterfly can have such power. And how often do we do little things in a child’s life that make a tremendous difference. This month, we aspired to create our own butterfly effect, gathering six innovative individuals from around the world on our campus to help create a simple program with far reaching effects for special education. Our goal is to implement a human network spanning the globe, offering knowledge and resources to help provide a better life for children, today and tomorrow, here and around the world.

Gary W. Singleton, Ph.D.
Heartspring President and CEO