Monday, June 2, 2014

What you can do with $13

With $13, you can buy1 1/2 - 2 extra value meals from McDonald's.
With $13, you can buy 4 bacon wrapped sirloin filets from Hy-vee.
With $13, you can buy 5 pounds of strawberries from Price Chopper.
With $13, you can buy one pair of toddler girls' crochet slip-ons from Payless.
OR with $13, you can help a kiddo with neurological disorders go to camp.

Michael Buttgen is a barefoot runner who is running 13.1 miles (a half marathon) for kids with neurological disorders that are supported by the Joshua Center. Michael is my dear husband. He and I love our oldest son to the "moon and back". SuperBoy is a gifted kiddo and is always creating new stories, new games, and trying to find ways to make this world a better place. Not everyone sees in him what we see. Some people are taken aback by his tics, his compulsions, and/or his impulsiveness. SuperBoy has Tourette Syndrome Plus. His plus is ADHD, OCD, Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD). These barriers stand in the way of him making friends with his same aged peers, finishing school work on time, moving on from one activity to another, walking in straight line, following multi-step directions, becoming angry or anxious without crying, and so much more. Kids tend to make fun of him for his differences and often adults think he's behaving badly. But not at the Joshua Center.

At the Joshua Center the kids understand each other, because they all have at least one neurological disorder. The adults, understand that the kids aren't trying to be distractions and look beyond the tics, the compulsions, the impulsiveness, to see the creativity. The Joshua Center is the only center of its kind in the US.

Every year the Joshua Center provides two camps that support kids all across the nation with Tourette Syndrome. Joshua Camp allows our kids to forget for a few days that in the eyes of the world, they're different. It allows them to make new friends and relax knowing they won't get in trouble for making faces at the teacher, making noises during quiet time, playing with their food, or fixing things so they're "just right". At Joshua Camp the kids can truly be themselves.

So what's with the $13? It's all Michael (my husband) and I are asking you to donate for our son and other kids like him. The money goes directly to the Joshua Center. It helps provide the camps, parental and family support, social skills clubs, and so much more. If you can give, just $13; it will make a world of difference.

This link will take you to the donation page. Thank you for your donation.

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