Mom's mission helps disabled children live to their fullest
Usually when strangers look at twins, they see similarities, they draw comparisons.
When outsiders see Rebecca Christiansen's fraternal twins, Kyle and Ryan, they notice the differences. Ryan was born with Down syndrome.
From their birth in 2004, people have reacted differently to the two boys. But knowing them as she does, Christiansen says the main differences between the brothers are the same types of personality quirks and individual traits that make each of her four children unique. Actually, her children are more alike than they are different, she says.
Based on her family's experience, Christiansen now is on a mission to help everyone - from new parents to health care workers - appreciate disabled children as children with talents and abilities, hope and dreams. Just like their brothers and sisters.
"Because of Ryan blessing our family, I encountered so many parents of children with other disabilities as well as Down syndrome," the Oswego woman said. "His birth and all the families I have met ignited a passion in me."
Christiansen founded Celebrate Differences in 2007 to improve the lives of disabled children and raise awareness and acceptance.
Q. What is your mission?
A. Celebrate Differences is committed to supporting individuals with disabilities in reaching their fullest potential by providing positive resources and information to families, communities and health care providers while promoting a competent level of awareness and understanding.
Our vision is to foster a community of acceptance that promotes the best opportunities for individuals with disabilities to exceed expectations and achieve their dreams.
Q. How do you work toward that?
A. We provide information about local resources for children with special needs and offer educational workshops and training on various topics to educate parents and professionals to better meet an individual's needs at home, in school and in the community.
We help facilitate networking opportunities through support groups, events, workshops and training. We offer a resource library of books and videos on special needs topics and Special Parents Alliance for Resources and Knowledge, or SPARK, an educational parent group that meets monthly.
Celebrate Differences offers scholarships to individuals with a disability and to siblings and/or peers studying any of the therapies, nursing, special education and medicine.
Q. Who do you serve?
A. Our organization serves the families of individuals with disabilities in the Fox Valley area and surrounding communities.
Q. When and why did Celebrate Differences start?
A. When my fraternal twins, Kyle and Ryan, were born in 2004 I quickly discovered how much they were different yet the same. More importantly, I discovered that children with Down syndrome are more the same than different from other children. Being a nurse, I was shocked to find that health care professionals do not always shape a positive first impression of a life with a baby with a disability.
In April 2007, my family, friends and I founded Celebrate Differences to share the message with everyone that a baby with a disability is a celebration of life, not an end!
Q. How has it grown?
A. In 2007, we started with a goal of wanting to provide learning opportunities for parents, educators and professionals to prepare them for a somewhat challenging journey. We kicked off our first year by offering a $1,000 scholarship and a reading workshop for parents and educators.
In just two short years, we have grown by leaps and bounds. Last year we granted two $1,000 scholarships, offered a math workshop for parents and educators and started our SPARK parent group. Already this year we have sponsored a workshop to provide a basic knowledge to day-care providers so they would have a better understanding of caring for a child with special needs, and started a moms support group.
Our 2009 plans include a summer swim party, a winter party and a workshop for health care providers. Our 2010 plan includes producing our first Abilities Awareness calendar and a "Lose the Training Wheels" bicycle camp.
We continue to provide learning opportunities for families, parents and professionals. Whether they are learning something new or sharing their experience, everyone is benefiting.
Q. What kind of successes have you had?
A. When you attend one of our SPARK meetings or our support meetings and see all the new faces, you realize the success of our organization. But our biggest success has been achieved through our scholarship program. We recently received a letter from our second scholarship recipient. She was writing to inform us of her progress and accomplishments in school. To know that we were able to assist her in achieving her dreams of being able to continue school and give back to the community that we are supporting was huge for us.
Q. What challenges does Celebrate Differences face?
A. The biggest obstacle we currently face is our ability to raise enough funds to be able to continue to support our programs and to eventually open a resource center. Many families have contacted us requesting a place they can go where they do not have to explain over and over about their child's disability. They just want to be able to go to a place that welcomes them and offers an accepting environment.
Q. What would surprise most people if they spent a week with Celebrate Differences?
A. People would be most surprised in learning about all the different disabilities that are in their community. They would be shocked to learn the challenges that people with disabilities face every day. They would be most impressed with how we encourage others to value and respect individuals with special needs.
Q. How can readers get involved?
A. Readers can form a team for our Glow Bowl, make a donation of items to be used in raffles, donate printing services for our Abilities Awareness calendar, volunteer to speak at our SPARK meetings, make a donation, sponsor a lane for our bowl or sponsor their own fundraiser to benefit Celebrate Differences.
If you go
What: Glow Bowl for Disabilities, the main fundraiser for Celebrate Differences
When: 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, May 17
Where: Brunswick Zone, 1515 W. Aurora Ave., Naperville
Cost: Minimum donation of $100 per team of five
Register: firstgiving.com/specialneeds
Info: celebratedifferences.org or (630) 885-3006
Vital statistics
Number of requests for help per month: About six, but we have seen an increase in requests from families seeking support in the past couple of months
Annual budget: $15,000
Funding sources: Individuals, corporations, grants, sponsorships, annual Glow Bowl fundraiser
Full-time employees: 0
Volunteers: Seven
Current wish list: Copy paper, printing services, office supplies, raffles prizes, items for garage sale fundraiser, gift cards, space in Oswego to open a resource center
To donate
Drop-offs: Call Rebecca Christiansen at (630) 885-3006 to make arrangements
Mail-in: 2758B Route 34, Suite 327, Oswego, IL 60543
To volunteer or get info
Call: (630) 885-3006
E-mail: info@celebratedifferences.org
Visit: celebratedifferences.org