Members of The 410 giving circle presented their 2021 grant to the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati and DCCH Center for Children and Families. Each organization will receive $10,000.
“We are delighted to have the opportunity to support two organizations making an important difference in the lives of Northern Kentucky’s children,” stated Nancy Grayson, President of Horizon Community Funds. “The members of The 410 recognized the importance of providing assistance to children in vulnerable positions. The organizations The 410 chose are ardent advocates for these children and their families and we are grateful the members of the giving circle chose to support their important work.”
The Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati (DSAGC) provides a variety of programs and services for the families and professionals in the community that support families of children of all ages through personal support, social activities, and connection to community groups. In addition, they provide information and resources to area professionals including educators, healthcare providers, students, and all those who desire to develop a deeper understanding of Down syndrome.
The DSAGC will use the funds to support their efforts to help parents of K-12 students with Down syndrome build collaborative relationships with their child’s school. It can be difficult for parents to fully understand their child’s rights in the Individual Education Plan (IEP) process. The Down Syndrome Association addresses this through telephone and email contact, in-person consulting, classroom observation and attendance at IEP meetings. This grant will allow for the Down Syndrome Association to offer assistance to approximately 100 students with Down syndrome in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties.
“The DSAGC is very grateful to receive this grant from Horizon Community Foundation’s 410 giving circle,” said Executive Director, Jim Hudson. “The support that our Coordinators provide to our families as they work within their school systems to create the best learning outcomes for students with Down syndrome is shown in these comments from an appreciative parent:
‘Our eight-year-old daughter is in the second grade. While we have a strong team in place at the school, the DSAGC School Age Matters Coordinator’s expertise and fluency in the specific challenges and strengths of young learners with Down syndrome were very beneficial to the entire team in developing new goals and objectives for our daughter. She reviewed the draft IEP before the meetings and brought to our attention several areas in which there are opportunities to make the school day more inclusive.
‘In addition, the School-Age Matters Coordinator met with the class and presented age-appropriate information about Down syndrome, talked about our daughter’s specific strengths and challenges, and encouraged the students on specific ways they can include her in activities, and assist her when she needs it. Her style was engaging, fun, interactive, and positive. She included our daughter in the question and answers portion and elicited smart and curious questions from the students. Overall, the second graders, and staff, now know much more about Down syndrome in general, our daughter’s unique gifts, and how to be her friend.’”
DCCH Center for Children and Families is a multi-faceted agency focused in several areas, including their Residential Treatment Program for survivors of child abuse, Guardian Angel School, Therapeutic Foster Care Program, Targeted Case Management, Independent Living, and outpatient behavioral health services. DCCH accesses, stabilizes, treats and educates children and their families while facilitating changes in relationships, attitudes and behavior.
DCCH’s Residential Treatment Program serves boys and girls ages six through 14 who have been removed from their homes by the state due to extreme physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect. This grant will be put toward costs associated with therapeutic interventions for the 100 survivors of child abuse these serve annually. Behavioral therapy comprises most of the costs for the Residential Treatment Program.
“We are grateful for the incredible support Horizon Community Funds has provided to DCCH,” said Bob Wilson, Executive Director of DCCH. “The vast majority of the children in our Residential Treatment program are saddled with pervasive emotional and behavioral challenges as the result of major trauma in their lives. The generosity of Horizon Community Funds and The 410 will allow us to provide treatment, care, and healing for these youngsters. We are blessed to have such wonderful community partners to help us with our mission.”
The 2021 cohort of The 410 includes 50 emerging philanthropists from across Northern Kentucky who are passionate about exploring their potential for giving back with maximum impact in the community. Grant funds from The 410 are dedicated to nonprofit programs and resources that serve Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties. To generate the grant, each member of The 410 commits a gift of $410. The giving circle operates once per year, in the fall.
“The ongoing pandemic tests the day-to-day operations and long-term stability of critical nonprofit organizations in our Northern Kentucky community,” said Devinne Verst, member of The 410. “We focused our support this year on providing relief to organizations that support individuals with disabilities, which we believe is a key area of need. We are thrilled to provide DCCH Center for Children and Families and the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati with grants that will be used to provide critical care and mental health services for our NKY neighbors during this challenging time.”
Additional information about The 410 can be found at https://www.horizonfunds.org/the-410. Information on the 2022 grant cycle will be announced in the summer of 2022.
