It has been my privilege to be the founder of Special Kids Special Families, and I would like to share a little of my story and the history of this organization. In 1990, my friend Linda Rivera and I were both raising children with special needs. As mothers, we realized the limited resources available to assist parents and family members of individuals with disabilities. We experienced first-hand the struggles and stress. I am sad to share with you that both of us suffered the loss of our children, but shortly thereafter, we took the first steps to create Special Kids Special Families as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization to fill the critical needs we saw for support of families and individuals with disabilities.
In 1998, we opened Zach’s Place Center, a respite and childcare facility. Since that time Special Kids Special Families has expanded its reach filling the growing needs in this community. In 2001, we launched a therapeutic foster care program, bringing our experience to the specialized needs of foster care and adoption for individuals with special needs. In 2005, we added programs for adults with disabilities and host home services (adult foster care) and in 2019, we launched our Behavioral Health Services program.
The mission statement for Special Kids Special Families is to promote, strengthen and support individuals with disabilities, their families and caregivers. Throughout our organizational growth, we have been committed to providing at holistic approach to supporting families that include a child or adult with developmental disabilities and special needs.
Special Kids Special Families Night of Comedy event is our 9th annual signature event, where every year we raise funds to support Zach’s Place at The Laurie Hillyard Family Center, SKSF’s founding program providing 24/7 respite care for children and youth ages 2.5 to 21. This program, at the heart of our organization, provides hourly, before & after school, summer, weekend and overnight care for children with special needs including physical, cognitive, emotional and social needs.
Special Kids Special Families is committed to keeping services affordable by offering a sliding fee scale to our families. The majority of families pay only $5 per hour, when the actual cost of care is nearly $30 per hour. No family in need has ever been turned away because of an inability to pay, so keeping our operating costs low and finding alternate funding is critical.
Please bid generously during this silent auction as it will not only benefit you with your favorite item or experience, but will help so many lower income families be able to afford the respite they need at Zach’s Place. If you are not able to bid, please consider a donation - any amount is appreciated!
Thank you!
Linda Ellegard, SKSF Founder and Executive Director
VIEW US LIVE for SKSF's 9th Annual Night of Comedy
Saturday, October 10th from 6pm -7:30pm - it's a FREE event - don't miss it!
FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/sksfcolorado
WEBSITE: www.sksfcolorado.org
YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/sksfcolorado
