Lend a Hand
Creating a community of support for people with diverse abilities and their families.
An annual fundraiser.
Become a monthly donor and know you are making a difference.
The campaign runs from April 1 to June 30. Your gift, however, is needed, and greatly welcomed, at any time of the year. In fact, you can donate right here, right now.
Why Lend a Hand?
We uphold the importance of community support in raising families, as is so aptly captured by the adage, it takes a village to raise a child. On our own, we can struggle. This is especially true for people with diverse abilities. Whether it’s parents raising their children or adults learning to live independently, with a community to walk alongside us, we thrive.
The annual Lend a Hand campaign makes it possible to deliver the type of services that are not covered by government funding, for people with diverse abilities and their families.
Meeting Families' Needs
At Bethesda, we are committed to creating a community of support for families. Together we connect parents with other parents, we help them access services, we bridge service gaps, and we listen and respond with compassion. We welcome families into a large community that cares, so they know they are not alone.
Requests most often come from exhausted parents. Saying no to desperate parents is not our preferred option. That’s why we need donations, so that we can be there for them.
A Few Ways Lend a Hand Serves Families
- Navigating how to access government services.
- Monthly parent support groups.
- Safe place for families to play.
- Problem solving.
- Experienced and compassionate staff.
- Respite and crisis support.
- Summer day camp and overnight camp.
Encouraging Supported Independent Living
Our modern world is complicated and, like most of us, people with diverse abilities need help, at times, to navigate their path in life. To support people’s aspirations for independent living, Bethesda offers a responsive service called Supported Independent Living, or SIL. It’s built on the belief that we’re interdependent – that we all depend on each other to thrive.
SIL provides people with a community of support so they can live a healthy life, independent from family or caregivers. We discover people’s strengths and build on those step by step, walking alongside them to achieve their goals. As they grow, they make connections with people in their community through common interests and friendships. Connections they can lean on throughout life.
The Supported Independent Living service helps people with diverse abilities live rich and meaningful lives in their community. SIL is a service that is dependent on donations.
How Do Donations Help People with Diverse Abilities?
As a monthly donor, here are examples of what your monthly gift, over one year, can offer people with diverse abilities and their families.
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Family Support $20/mo.
Connection, consultation, planning, information to a family.
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Supported Independent Living $25/mo.
1 day/mo. of support for an adult to live on their own.
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Summer Day Camp $35/mo.
One day of a fun and nurturing camp for a child.
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Camp Bethesda $50/mo.
A 5 day overnight camp for an adult with diverse abilities that lives at home.
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Respite/crisis $100/mo.
Qualified care for a few hours to give parents a break.
How Lend a Hand Started
When we started out in 1971, Bethesda’s purpose was to help families so they could provide the best for their children with diverse abilities. Through donations, we offered respite and summer camp, which gave families a break and their children opportunities to learn skills, make friends and have enriching experiences. From that time, we learned the value to families of someone walking alongside them at all stages of their loved one’s life.
In 1993, we created a director of family support services position to more consistently meet that need for families. Since then, the director has helped countless families with problem solving, active listening, counselling, and guidance. The current director of family support services, Rodney Wiebe, is usually the first person people new to Bethesda meet. He is there to help with transitions, crises and exploring support options as their loved one’s needs change throughout their life.