We provide resources and awareness to amplify the love and understanding of special needs families.
As a special needs family - we can be honest – we just don’t always have the answers.
At CRF, we AMPLIFY the offerings typically available to K-12 students in three key areas, helping to create a more robust, lifelong network of opportunities for developmental growth:
1) Pre-school Resources
The Need
Therapy for individuals diagnosed with intellectual disabilities often starts Day One - and will likely continue throughout their lives. Yet, resource availability in the early years can be difficult to understand, and varies greatly from location to location. Parents are often left asking: Where should my child be right now? Am I doing the right thing?
Therapeutic preschools can be a one stop shop for a variety of therapies (physical, occupational, speech, developmental). Coupled with essential social interactivity, they can be game changers for growth and development in the early years.
Our Goals for Pre-school Life
Gain a deep understanding of the pre-school ecosystem in the Charlotte region.
Work w/ existing programs in the region to strategically fill gaps or bolster offerings.
Attract and help to establish a best in class Therapeutic Preschool in Charlotte.
2) Life & Employment Skills
The Need
Many individuals with Intellectual Disabilities are just as capable of participating in adult life, meaningful employment and independent living as any of us. But they need a bit more help to get there!
Transitional, post-secondary programs have grown in number and sophistication at institutions across the country. They teach individuals to live more independently and attain job skills in a University experience, all the while providing the general student population exposure to inclusion in action, and allowing a bit of respite for their families.
Our Goals for Post-secondary Life
Create relationships w/ the approximately 20 post-secondary programs in the Carolinas.
Fund tuition grants to help individuals attend post-secondary programs in the Carolinas.
Work w/ ClemsonLIFE to grow their program to serve as a regional model for Post-secondary education and research.
3) Family Support Programs
The Need
Families deserve unique opportunities for bonding and development, and sometimes, just a bit of a break from the everyday grind.
Camps and other “after hours” programs for special needs individuals and families allow unique individuals come together to grow in exciting, challenging, and inclusive environments that build social skills, confidence and independence.
They also offer a chance for families to trust others with the care of their child, allowing respite or bonding with siblings.
Our Goals for Family Support Life
Create internal CRF Programs that provide unique family experiences or fund opportunities for respite.
Fund grants to support attendance to existing programs for special needs individuals.
Partner w/ Camp Royall to continue it’s growth as a national model for Autism Camps.
The Overarching Mission: Spreading Awareness and Understanding
What are Special Needs? Intellectual Disabilities? What is it like to play with a child with Down Syndrome? Or Autism? How do I talk to my child about including children with disabilities in their activities? Do they know what to do when they see someone with disabilities being bullied? What is a day in the life like for someone with ID?
These are things that most people don’t think about…until they need to think about them.
Our overlying mission at CRF is to get the word out, share our story, and the stories of other families - their everyday triumphs, struggles and those that are doing extraordinary things. By exposing our networks and their networks to the ins and outs of intellectual disabilities, we are creating a greater love and understanding in everything that we do.