Variety Children's Charity of the Desert

Variety – the Children’s Charity of the Desert conducts a broad and effective range of primary and direct services and activities that benefit Coachella Valley children in need. We service children 0-18 of all ethnicities residing in the Coachella Valley. We have dedicated offices in Mecca, Palm Desert and Desert Hot Springs. Most families of children with special needs (resulting from conditions including autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, paralysis, missing limbs, blindness, deafness) have limited financial resources for several reasons. Treatment and equipment are expensive, medical insurance rarely covers the full cost of care, family budgets are strained under the ongoing needs and costs, and often one or both parents must serve as caregivers which reduces families’ earning power. We deliver children mobility, independence, equity social inclusion, and self-esteem by funding and delivering equipment and services through our four core programs: Freedom, Future, Care and Outreach. Our programs provide mobility equipment, access to developmental screenings, case managements, resources and referrals, and socially inclusive activities and experiences to support children who are at risk or living with special needs, as well as their families.

Caring Connections, a program of Variety – the Children’s Charity of the Desert, was created to meet the identified gap in service for early detection and intervention services for infants and young children who may have developmental delays or disorders.

Caring Connections offers developmental screenings, which are parent-led, for children birth through age 5 to families at no cost, no insurance required. Families may self-refer, and outreach to at-risk families in traditionally underserved areas is a focus of the program. Each child receives a developmental screening, education and resources about developmental milestones, access to early intervention referrals, basic supplies such as diapers, and follow-up support including additional screenings until they reach the age of 6 years. Through supportive developmental screenings, parenting support, access to resources such as diapers, and referrals for families navigating the early intervention process, Caring Connections is helping children have their best start.

Caring Connections is actively working to reduce barriers such as transportation to provide access to ensure screenings are accessible and inclusive including offering screenings at multiple locations and via an online screening tool. To this end, Caring Connections proudly collaborates with trusted community partners and organizations across the Coachella Valley to increase its reach to children and families in need. Caring Connections will serve children and families across the Coachella Valley with an emphasis on marketing and awareness in the Eastern Coachella Valley communities where Variety clientele have reported, and research confirms limited awareness and access to support and assistance for children with special needs or delays.

Contact: Heidi Maldoon

Email: Heidi@varietyofthedesert.org

The Freedom Program of Variety – the Children’s Charity has a rich history of assisting special needs children gain the ability to be active, engage in social activities, and receive physical activity and benefits through adaptive, customized bicycles and strollers.

This year, a new program event component, Freedom Day, will be hosted and allow additional support and services to be provided to special needs children and families. The inaugural event will include the presentation of new mobility devices to children and inclusive experiences and activities for special needs children previously served with equipment. Physical therapists will be on site to assist with adaptive bike fittings for new equipment as well as fitting adjustments for adaptive equipment which previous bike recipients bring to the event. The event will boast a special adaptive bike racetrack complete with cones, racing décor, and participation awards as well as participant swag bags, adaptive yoga, lunch, and a sensory-friendly kids movie complete with popcorn and beverages served.

The Freedom Program serves children residing in the Coachella Valley who have special needs and/or are living in low-income families. 50 children have been served with adaptive mobility equipment through the program to-date with applications continuing to be accepted year-round for children with a need for access to an adaptive bicycle or stroller. The Freedom Day event brings a new and unique opportunity for special needs children and their families to enjoy their specialized mobility and the company of others who have been served through Variety’s Freedom Program.

Variety's Early Reading Program offers reading enrichment activities to kindergarten students in two disadvantaged schools of the Coachella Valley Unified School District, helping them to strengthen their reading skills and engage in learning at the beginning of their educational journey. The district serves the most economically disadvantaged communities in the valley, with 92.9% qualifying for free or reduced price meals and 49.9% being English learners speaking Spanish as a primary language. The district is faced with large class sizes, a high number of English learners, low reading comprehension test scores, and limited financial resources to support individualized attention and daily reading, emphasizing the community need and demand for the program.

In school year 2018-2019, the program will be conducted at Valle Del Sol and Valley View Elementary Schools in Coachella, with a total of 10 kindergarten classes with approximately 25 students in each class. On a bimonthly basis during the school year, Variety volunteers will visit each of the classes during a two-hour period and read a short book to students. Selected books will correspond with education subjects that support both reading comprehension and core academic areas. Copies of books read to students will be left with classrooms for future use by students and teachers, and students will also be provided with bookmarks, stickers, and other small items as rewards for their participation and to stimulate their enthusiasm for reading.

Variety will measure the impact of the program through written surveys of participating teachers documenting improvement in student reading ability, improved verbal skills, overall citizenship and academic achievement, and family involvement in extracurricular reading. The program is closely aligned with Variety's mission to promote the well-being of underprivileged children and complements our current program services and objectives.