When Aaron’s Acres was first created, the focus was on meeting the needs of children, ages 5-9 with disabilities. As we grew our programs (increasing the ages as well as the number of weeks and lengths of the days), we asked the parents what else they wanted us to possibly provide. Parents shared their feelings of isolation and their desire to connect with others in similar situations. As a result of that feedback, we created a Parent Component during the camp season. After dropping off their children at camp, they were able to join other parents, separate and apart from the camp program. Coffee and refreshments were provided along with various types of programs, ranging from pampering sessions to educational discussions. Manicures, makeovers massages as well as topics such as financial planning when raising a child with a disability and advocating for your child within a school setting occurred. Parents even asked for specific days without programs so they would simply have the time to informally network with one another. Parents shared stories and became great resources for one another. They knew better than anyone what was out there in the community for their children that worked and unfortunately, what was out there that had not worked.

During covid, in-person programs stopped. Children remained at home and parents had to readjust their schedules in order to care for their children. In order to support our families during this challenging time, we created virtual recreational programs as well as introduced virtual seminars for the parents and caregivers. Topics were selected based on receiving feedback from families as to what issues they wished to address. Parents reported that attending virtual seminars was less stressful than having to attend in person which usually meant needing a babysitter which was not always possible. Once the pandemic ended, our Administrative Team decided to continue to offer these virtual seminars, after obtaining more feedback from our families. Presently, we are scheduling seminars for every other month. Different professionals within our community volunteer their time and share their expertise with parents who are raising children with varying abilities and disabilities. These virtual seminars are open to the entire community and are not just limited to Aaron’s Acres’ families.

This past October, a Resource Fair and Panel Discussion was held addressing the following topic: “Managing the mental health of the familial unit when raising a child with varying challenges”. Approximately 15 non-profit organizations were represented at this fair. We had 3 professionals speak on this topic, sharing appropriate information and resources. As we move forward, we will continue to provide virtual seminars throughout the year, as we believe there is a tremendous need to continue to share resources with families.

Aaron’s Acres is an organization that provides recreational programs to children and young adults with disabilities. However, the organization is also committed to caring for the parents. Our goal is to support them and assist them as needed on their journey. We want to lessen their feelings of isolation and help them to see that we are a community in which they can lean on and turn to at different times in their lives. By caring for the entire family, we are strengthening them as a system and improving their overall functioning. Everyone wins with this scenario.

If you have any ideas for future seminar topics, please contact Events & Communications Coordinator, Gabriella Kime Toews, at gabriellakimetoews@aaronsacres.org.

The next virtual seminar will be held on Tuesday, December 5th at 7:30 PM EST. Sign up to attend at here. This seminar will not be recorded. If you are interested in this topic but cannot attend, please sign up and you will receive any available materials and information (PowerPoint, etc.) within the week following the live virtual seminar.