Stories
Look for more stories under ‘Imagine Spa’
Our first Imagine…Respite night. January 22, 2010
Wow it was amazing! It all went smoothly, the kids had a great time, the kids that didn’t want to come, didn’t want to leave. One of the security checks the parents liked was that we took their cell number and I actually called it on the spot to make sure they were on, etc.
I had two security guys at the doors preventing several escape attempts. LOL We had 3 runners.
- One couple had not been out on a date in 10 years. They get respite funding, but can’t find caregivers. He’s a boy that I will assign 2 caregivers to next time. He’s a lot of work.
-Another couple had only been out alone 3 times in the last 7 years.
-Another couple has four kids. They get respite funding but have trouble finding decent help.
-Several parents have trouble finding respite caregivers even if they receive the funds.
-I had been emailing with a mom during the week. She was excited for what we were doing, but she “didn’t need respite right now”. I convinced her to come anyway. She went shopping and came back with a big grin on her face 
-Most of the parents went out for dinner.
-We also had one adult child there. The parents get respite, but only have their elderly parents and their other daughter to help. The stories just go on and on.
-I bumped into a mom I know at church yesterday afternoon looking for a venue for an Autism event. They don’t get respite, so I invited her to come in the evening. They told me later that when they got into the car they looked at each other “now what?” (The kids had been somewhat hesitant about coming, ended up not wanting to leave!)
- several of the parents told me it felt strange being out on their own, and a few of the kids ended up not wanting to leave at the end!
The volunteers have smiles on their faces! We had a little feedback meeting at the end and it was very positive. Just a fantastic group of volunteers! I am so thrilled with them! They made a huge difference in the lives of these families. As I was relaying the stories of the families there, many of them had looks of surprise. I think it’s hard for most people to fathom that these parents don’t get a break. This will impact the volunteers as much as the families! There were several men there, which are so good, because these kids mostly have women as TA’s, therapists, nurses, etc. We had 4 teens there. One of my security guys has high functioning autism. One of the couples volunteering wants to help pay for the food. The lady who is in charge of the kitchen, brought her espresso machine to make lattes for the parents in Checkers. It was incredible to see all the volunteers take on their ‘jobs’ with such joy.
We charged the parents $7 for the whole evening for the whole family.
Overall, things went very smoothly. Security is of utmost importance and that was achieved. Kids had a blast. They started off with free-play. Then pizza and veggies, then a little more free-play, then off to singing and Bible story time upstairs, then crafts. Then back down for Veggie Tales, hot chocolate/iced tea and cookies. I thought it would be hard to entertain the kids for the whole evening, but they kept busy the whole time. Either the kids fell asleep quickly last night, or they were wired after having such fun. Either way, the parents all enjoyed their evening.