Heartspring’s sixth annual PedalFest fundraiser is Sunday, August 30. This leisure bike tour offers two routes, a 100k or 50k for bicycles of all skill levels. Novice riders and families can sign up for the 5 Mile Family and Friend Ride. Register online and create your own personalized fundraising page for you and your teams. This makes raising pledges easy and gives you a chance to win great prizes. With all new routes, PedalFest promises something new for everyone. Children are also invited to participate various events on the Heartspring campus.

Those unable to attend PedalFest can still raise money and awareness by registering as Virtual Riders and creating a personalized fundraising page. All participants will receive an event T-shirt and rider bag with their paid registration. Volunteers are also needed for the day of the event, Please visit the PedalFest website for a schedule of volunteer duties and to sign up. Funds raised through PedalFest support the Financial Assistance Program providing discounted therapies to families in Heartspring Pediatric Services.

Fifty-eight enthusiastic campers joined us for Camp SSTAR this summer with the goal of making friends and learning new skills for the school year accomplished!  Enjoying many camping activities such as fishing, hiking, and crafts as well as working on an official newscast and yearbook, the campers were involved, energized and excited to be a part of such a unique camp with the primary reward of lasting friendships. At the beginning of each week of camp, I asked all of the campers if they knew what the goal of the week was for them.  Each week started with campers telling me the same thing…”to have fun!”  I can guarantee that each camper had fun, and more importantly to me, they made friends and learned new skills. Read more about Camp SSTAR 2009.

Bryce enrolled in the Heartspring School on August 14, 2008 from a school district that was 20 minutes away. Getting Bryce into the van to come to school was an obstacle that Bryce and his team had to work through. There would be times that Bryce wouldn’t get to school until 10:30 a.m. Heartspring’s staff was flexible to work on Bryce’s schedule. Learn more about Bryce.

Heartspring believes in giving back to the community through activities and services that families are often desperate to find. Our outreach services include hearing screenings, literacy and speech screenings, KidCheck screenings, music and movement groups, and an interactive story time at Barnes and Noble. Learn more about Heartspring outreach services.

Support Heartspring in the Community with a gift in honor of our 75th anniversary. Heartspring’s legacy is marked by our continuing drive to make a difference in the lives of children with special needs. In celebration of our 75th anniversary, we invite everyone to join us in reaching out to families and individuals through support of Heartspring in the Community. Our goal is to raise $7500 to support these programs by our 75th Anniversary Gala on September 19th. Will you help by making a donation today?

Heartspring in the Community provides support to projects and initiatives that benefit children and adults in Wichita, throughout the state of Kansas, across the nation and around the world. Community interaction and partnership is woven through our program areas, allowing us to share resources and provide services to those who need them. The generous support of our community allows us to provide many of these services for minimal or no charge to participants. For fee based services, community support allows us to offer financial assistance to those who otherwise could not afford to participate. Learn more about Heartspring in the Community and how you can make a difference.

In recognition of our 75th anniversary, Heartspring has developed a committee to celebrate our staff in fun and engaging ways.  The committee, led by Julie Noller, director of human resources, has given all staff 75th anniversary commemorative t-shirts and a special surprise each month. This month we had an ice cream truck visit the campus providing free ice cream to every employee and Heartspring School students. Learn more about employee appreciation.

Storytime is an activity that many children enjoy. Some children, such as those with developmental disabilities like autism, need extra support in order to fully understand the story. Heartspring has partnered with Barnes and Noble to offer an Interactive Storytime at 1:00 on the second Saturday of every month. Children of all ages and abilities are encouraged to actively participate in the action of the story. Learn more about Interactive Storytime.

Since 1934, Heartspring, formerly the Institute of Logopedics, has helped tens of thousands of children with special needs in Wichita, across the nation and around the world. The number of lives that have been touched by Heartspring professionals is immeasurable. As a result of the dedication of the staff at Heartspring, the love of parents and the generous support of our donors, children with special needs have the opportunity to grow and learn on a path to a more independent life. This year Heartspring celebrates 75 years of providing unparalleled services to children with disabilities. But our job is not over. In fact, we're still growing.

In honor of this milestone, Heartspring will be celebrating with a formal, black-tie-optional banquet on Saturday, September 19th, 2009 at the Wichita Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Register for Heartspring’s 75th Anniversary Gala

Summer is a great time of the year for eating juicy fruit! Making fruit kabobs with your child gives you a way to work on sequencing, a fundamental skill, as well as have your child participate in making a fun snack or dessert for the family. Sequencing can range from very simple to quite complex. You can choose how challenging you want to make the activity. Learn more about making this fun snack.

The Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) introduced an Autism Waiver program in January 2008 to provide early intervention services to children with autism. Families receive support for up to three years, including up to 25 hours a week of individual support, family counseling, parent support and more. Learn more about the Autism Waiver.

Did you miss a Heartspring conference this year?  You can now watch previous conferences held at Heartspring on-line through www.heartspring.tv. There are two purchasing options for the Heartspring conference series.  Viewers can purchase an entire conference, or they can purchase specific segments of conferences (generally one hour in length).  With the purchase, viewers are given 90 days of unlimited access to their purchased content.  Viewers will also receive all of the handouts and visual supports that accompany that conference.  The current conference video library includes conferences given by Dr. Richard Simpson, Carol Gray, Barbara Bloomfield, and more.