Hot Cocoa and a Chance to Help the Special Children at Sammy's House

Our hot cocoa fundraiser is going in the mail this week! This is a good opportunity to give to Sammy's House and receive a tasty winter treat in return. Major thanks to Vanessa Velazquez, who generously donated her time and talent to design the cute holiday-themed brochure for this fundraiser.

In each fundraising campaign, we try to include a personal story from one of the families who have been helped and supported by Sammy's House. Here's the story from this year's fundraiser, from the grandmother of one of the children in our care.

Maliyah's Miracle

When my granddaughter, Maliyah, was three months old, her biological father hurt her. She was left with bleeding in her brain, six broken ribs, her right leg broken in three places, and a damaged eye. It was only after a seizure that the paramedics were called. Maliyah spent a month in the hospital. She was given a poor prognosis, one that would leave her wheelchair-bound and severely impaired for a lifetime. I was given custody of her and charged with the mission of putting my granddaughter back together.

Maliyah started Sammy’s House at five months old. Her medical and therapy needs were great. I fell in love with Sammy’s House the instant I walked in the door! With great attention to detail, Maliyah was cared for. The teachers were awesome. The journey was hard, but I was not alone in helping Maliyah find her way back. Maliyah is now two years old. She is walking, talking, climbing, and painting. Her favorite word is “color.” Eighty percent of her vision is back. Each and every day is a miracle!

On November 3, 2011, Maliyah’s adoption was finalized. It really is a miracle! Every morning when I leave her, she waves goodbye. I can go to work without worry, knowing that she is not only cared for, but truly loved. At Sammy’s House, every day is filled with hope, a hope that every child will be all that they can be. Together my new daughter and I ask for your help to keep Sammy’s House open. This holiday season, please find it in your heart to give.

Top 10 Reasons to Donate to Sammy's House

We're entering the time of year for charitable donations! Not only is it wise to make any planned donations before the end of the year for tax deduction purposes, it's also the perfect time of year for thinking of those less fortunate and lending a helping hand. Here are 10 good reasons for donating to Sammy's House this year:

1. Cuts to Special Education

Public schools in Central Texas have had to make budget cuts over the past year that in many cases have drained special education programs of their funding. Because of these cuts, many school-age children with special needs aren't receiving the same level of instruction they would normally receive. This is where Sammy's House steps in -- our curriculum supplements, supports, and reinforces the special education curriculum offered in the schools.

2. Keeping Parents Employed

Many of the children at Sammy's House are medically fragile and need around-the-clock care, supervision, and medication dosage for conditions such as cancer. Our staff are trained to care for these vulnerable children, thereby helping ensure that parents don't have to miss work to care for or check up on their child.

3. Evidence of the Benefits of Early Childhood Education

Sammy's House is a child care center, but our services go above and beyond mere babysitting. Our teachers work hard to offer a diverse, varied, and interactive curriculum that develops children's motor, sensory, social, and verbal skills.

4. The Big Impact of Giving to a Small Nonprofit

Although large, multi-million dollar nonprofits undoubtedly perform necessary work in our communities, a donation made to a smaller nonprofit (such as Sammy's House) often has a greater impact because the budgets of these organizations are so much smaller. Each dollar you give is valuable to us and goes directly to keeping our doors open.

5. Keeping Families Safe and Intact

Our respite care program provides a valuable community service by giving parents a much-needed break from caring for their special child. This is extremely important for children with severe medical issues or behavioral disorders, such as autism, that require constant care and supervision. Studies have shown that children with disabilities are four times more likely to suffer child abuse or neglect than other children. Respite is an important step in preventing abuse and neglect by temporarily relieving parents of some of the burdens of child care.

6. Continuity and Integrity of our Mission

Sammy's House is still managed and run by the original family that founded the organization more than 10 years ago. Everyone at Sammy's House is dedicated to our mission of serving children with special needs and their families, and several of our staff send their own children to Sammy's House.

7. Support Local Organizations

Austin is a city that prides itself on the number and variety of local organizations that choose to make their home here. Sammy's House was founded in Austin and has been part of the Austin nonprofit community for over 10 years. If you're an Austinite who believes in supporting local establishments that help our people and our economy, Sammy's House is a good choice for your donation dollars.

8. Job Creation

Sammy's House continues to grow its staff to keep up with the demand for our services. We currently employ 18 staff members, and plan to create even more jobs in the coming year as we plan for the opening of our second location further north.

9. Getting in the Holiday Spirit

This is the time of year when we recognize the importance of family, togetherness, and goodwill towards others. There is no better, more meaningful gift you can give this year than the gift of helping a child succeed.

10. Sammy's House Needs You!

Did you know that approximately 35% of our budget comes from you, the community? Over a third of our organizational budget is made up of donations from businesses and individuals who have seen the value of our mission. Sammy's House is thankful for each and every donation we receive -- no matter how small.

Keep an eye out for our winter fundraiser mail-out over the next few weeks! Please email sammyshousedev@gmail.com if you would like to be added to our list.

A Sammy's House Tuition Scholarship: Opening Up Possibilities for Low-Income Families

As we get closer to Thanksgiving, it's important to think about the things that really matter and all the reasons to be grateful. This also means thinking about those who are less fortunate than ourselves, and what we can do to help.

Many of the families who rely on Sammy's House to provide child care and educational services for their child have difficulty affording these services. These low-income families are often faced with additional costs in the form of specialized medical care, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy for their child. For these families, a Sammy's House tuition scholarship allows them to receive the care their child needs.

Donations designated as scholarship funds go directly towards the cost of tuition for an enrolled child whose family is struggling to afford care for their child. Please consider sponsoring a scholarship for a child at our center. Scholarship funds can be restricted by family income or diagnosis, or can be unrestricted and used for the tuition of a child at the discretion of Sammy's House. Email sammyshousedev@gmail.com to request a scholarship form or to find out more information about how you can help.

We rely on the support of donors to provide our children with the resources they need to reach their full potential and enjoy the quality of life that every child deserves. For some children, a tuition scholarship makes all the difference.

Community Newsletter and Upcoming Mail Campaign

Our Community Newsletter is almost ready! Topics covered in this issue of the newsletter include our summer program, community partnerships, a re-cap of our Halloween fundraising gala, and exciting news about our future plans for growth.

If you're interested in receiving a copy of the newsletter, please send either your email address (for an electronic copy of the newsletter) or your mailing address (for a hard copy) to Rebecca Baumgartner at sammyshousedev@gmail.com or (512) 453-5258.

Also keep an eye out for our winter direct-mail fundraiser, which includes a fun holiday treat! If you're not already on our mailing list and you'd like to receive a copy of our fundraising brochure, send your mailing address to sammyshousedev@gmail.com. To save us a stamp, you can go directly to http://sammyshouse.org/donate/ to make a donation.

The Sammy's House Toy Wish List

Have you heard about the Sammy's House toy wish list? This is a great way to support Sammy's House, especially if you aren't interested in making a large financial commitment or if you like knowing that your donation is being used to purchase a specific, tangible item of your choice.

On a regular basis, our teachers look through catalogs of adaptive toys (toys that are designed for children with special needs) and select several toys and games that their classrooms need. Each item is selected to have the greatest impact on the development and growth of children in our care who are medically fragile or developmentally delayed, including toys that focus on cognitive, social, motor, and sensory skills. Items currently on our wish list include developmentally appropriate books, tempera paint for art projects, a nature exploration set, and a counting game featuring colorful animal shapes.

We know that children learn best when care and education are provided in an environment that is child-centered, peer-oriented, and culturally and developmentally relevant. We also know that children are happier and more receptive to therapeutic interventions when they are having fun, exploring the world around them, expressing themselves, and engaging in pleasurable play interactions with peers. Providing high-quality, adaptive, and accessible toys and games is one important way that we ensure the children in our care have the chance to be, first and foremost, kids.

Here's how you fit in: you tell us which toy you're interested in purchasing for the center, make a donation equal to the cost of the item, and we purchase the toy for the classroom that requested it. It's that simple! Your dollars go directly into the classroom and start helping children right away.

Contact our Development Director at sammyshousedev@gmail.com if you're interested in purchasing a toy from our wish list to benefit the children at Sammy's House. Thank you!

The Importance of Early Childhood Education

Most of us know intuitively that educating children in a nurturing, supportive environment from an early age is important. What isn't so widely known is that there's a wealth of evidence showing just how important early childhood education is – not just for the development of the child's cognitive skills, but also for their future academic achievement, health, and economic prosperity. Just imagine the possibilities if every child in the U.S. received a quality pre-K education!

Here are some facts about the need for early childhood education, courtesy of the First Five Years Fund, a nonprofit advocating for early childhood education for disadvantaged children:

• Children who have access to quality early childhood education are less likely to need special education services or drop out of school and are more likely to become productive members of the workforce. 

• These programs are also critical for parents, both to shore up their participation in the workforce and to provide them with support and information to enhance their own parenting.  

• Nobel Prize Laureate economist James Heckman has shown that every dollar invested in quality early childhood education for at-risk children delivers a return on investment of 7-10% per year through increased school achievement, healthy behavior, and adult productivity. 

• Heckman's work proves that prevention through early childhood development is more cost-effective than remediation.

• Research shows a direct correlation between effective early childhood education and better health outcomes, mainly through the early development of social and emotional skills such as attention, persistence, and impulse control.

• Research also shows that quality early learning reduces depression, obesity, and teenage pregnancy by providing the foundational skills and abilities for a healthy lifestyle.

Check out the First Five Years Fund's powerful YouTube video summarizing how important early childhood education is for families, communities, and the entire country. Sammy's House is proud to be doing such important work for children, both with and without special needs, in Austin and surrounding areas.

Halloween at Sammy's House

This Halloween, several of the kids at Sammy's House dressed up in costumes and had fun playing with pumpkins to celebrate the season. This is yet another example of how at Sammy's House, we believe special children are first and foremost children and should have plenty of opportunities to play and have fun in an inclusive environment. Check out the photos below to see how much fun everyone had!