In their own words: Recipients of services share their stories of gratitude 14 August 2008

Memorial Hospital's Speech, Language & Hearing Department When her 18-month old daughter, Brookelyn was diagnosed with a severe speech delay three and a half years ago, Kimberly Darr sought help. “You couldn’t understand her at all,” said the Plain City mother. 5-year old Brookelyn Darr of Plain City sits with her mother Kimberly and talks with her grandma on the phone. Brookelyn received critical speech therapy treatments at Memorial Hospital’s Speech Language & Hearing Department thanks to United Way funding. Brookelyn never babbled as a baby. So at 18 months, she started early intervention speech therapy through a government assisted program. But at three years of age, early intervention stops. Brookelyn was too young to start preschool at Jonathan Alder. And the family’s health insurance did not cover Brookelyn’s treatments because there was no physical impairment. “I was frustrated because I didn’t understand how they could acknowledge that your child has a speech delay and not deem it a necessity,” said Kimberly. “Your speech development sets you up for the rest of your life, in terms of communication and reading.” That’s when the Darrs discovered that there is help available via United Way funding at Memorial Hospital’s Speech, Language, & Hearing Department. Families can apply for financial assistance up to four times a year to cover critical therapy treatments at the United Way Member Agency. Because of your donations to United Way, Brookelyn was able to continue her therapy sessions. Now she can interact with family and friends, and can even talk to her Grandma on the phone. “We have come leaps and bounds in terms of her communication and understanding what she wants and needs,” Kimberly said. “The frustration levels have decreased immeasurably. Friends and family can understand her. “Your company always asks you to give and sometimes you aren’t aware of what you’re giving to,” said Kimberly. “Now I know. United Way was such a blessing to us. And when I think about how far Brookelyn has come, I don’t think we could have done it without that help.” Autism Support Group Parents of autistic children meet at Shiloh Chapel on the third Tuesday of every month. The gatherings offer families an opportunity to learn more about Autism, the mysterious brain disorder that affects a child’s ability to communicate, interact, and reason with others. WHEN YOU PLEDGE… 50 cents per week…You provide the child care that allows these parents 90 minutes of respite to attend these meetings. $5 per week… You allow specialized presenters to provide the latest information on treatments and local support. “The support group is a great help to the parents in this county,” says Susan Edwards of Marysville. “I have two sons on the autism spectrum. We meet, laugh, cry, talk, share. We see each other in the community and know we have a common bond through our children and our struggles. Thanks for valuing our group and our needs.” “I cannot say enough about how much the support group means to me,” said John Trager. “I feel like I have people and friends who honestly know how this feels to be trying to raise and teach an autistic child. Things that I don’t have answers to, I wait for the group to see how or what they might do. I just can’t thank enough everyone who makes this possible.” Turning Point Lindsey and her two infant children first arrived at Turning Point, the domestic violence shelter that serves our community, in June of 2005. Her husband had physically hurt her in the past and she was fearful that it was about to happen again. This wasn’t the first time she’d left him, but was determined this would be the last. Lindsey had support and resources that allowed her to be financially independent – however, it was her self esteem that was lacking. She spent several weeks in the shelter, accessing outreach services now on a regular basis. Lindsey worked with Turning Point’s victims’ rights advocates to get linked with legal aid for a protection order, divorce, child support and appropriate visitation. She attended non-resident support groups each week. WHEN YOU PLEDGE… $1 per week… You provide advocacy for a domestic violence victim seeking a protection order. $2 per week… You provide for a full day of shelter, food, and safety for a family of four at the domestic violence shelter. It took time, but Lindsey eventually became stronger. Lindsey recently informed us that she will no longer be attending the support groups, as she feel that she no longer needs them. “Lindsey became a role-model for other women in the support group,” said Paula Roller, Director of Turning Point. “She is now engaged and admits for the first time, she knows what a healthy relationship looks like and looks forward to a future with her new family!”