CDR’s Annual Fundraiser Helps Families Like These
Mar 2010
Three local families share what Child Development Resources means to them;
show your support for CDR at this month’s Bid ’n’ Buy Auction on March 14.
Some describe Williamsburg’s Child Development Resources (CDR) as a hidden treasure. But for the families serviced by CDR, it is more than a treasure; it is a blessing, an answer to a prayer, and some even say a “Godsend.” Though its main facility is tucked away in Norge, its services reach far and wide into the entire Greater Williamsburg community.
CDR provides early intervention services for children with developmental delays and for those at risk of delays due to factors ranging from poverty to low birth weight to an incarcerated parent, among others, explains Paul Scott, executive director of CDR. Services include: home visits, developmental assessments, therapy, developmental playgroups, child care programs, parent groups and teacher training among others. Additionally, says Scott, 95 percent of CDR’s services are offered in the most natural setting—such as the home—where the child will be most comfortable and will be best impacted. The cost? Free for families whose children qualify.
Funding for some of its services and programs comes from grants and donors, but the annual CDR Bid ’n’ Buy Auction, scheduled this year for March 14, is the organization’s biggest source
of funding.
“It’s a special event,” says Scott. “Our programs are under tremendous financial pressure, and the next few years will be tough for us.”
Aside from supporting CDR financially, Scott adds: “[The auction] is casual, fun and great for the whole family. We offer activities for the children, and you can find some really great deals and learn about CDR in the process.”
Tracey & Miles Kosloff, son Niles, 2
Until now, Tracey Kosloff of Williamsburg couldn’t help but compare her son Niles to other kids. “Why isn’t he talking?” she’d wonder. Her concern led her to the Internet, where she came across Child Development Resources. Soon after making the call to CDR, the Kosloffs received a home visit from one of CDR’s trained therapists, who found delays in several areas.
Soon a speech therapist began coming to the Kosloffs’ home once a week, “and we saw great improvement,” says Tracey.
In addition to the therapy sessions, Tracey also enrolled Niles in a developmental playgroup to help him with his socialization skills, and now he attends preschool one day a week.
“[CDR] not only helped Niles but also helped me,” says Tracey. “[The therapist] taught me how to work with him. I know Niles wouldn’t be where he is now if it weren’t for CDR.”
Kathy & Chad Fagerland, sons Cameron, 4, and Alexander, 3
When her two-and-a-half-year-old son Cameron did things like bonking another kid on the head for a toy instead of asking nicely, Kathy would describe him as a “little caveman.” Though the stories are amusing now, Kathy knew something wasn’t right.
Kathy took action after a happy play date turned sour—Cameron had spontaneously bit her on the shoulder.
“That night I filled out a form on CDR’s website,” she remembers. “I knew about them but wasn’t sure what to expect.”
Almost immediately CDR sent a therapist to the family’s home for an evaluation. “We found out Cameron had sensory processing disorder,” says Kathy—a condition that exists when sensory signals don’t get organized into appropriate responses. “It was wonderful to have a title [for his behavior] and to have some plan of attack. It was a complete blessing.”
Cameron received therapy and occupational therapy as well as attended a developmental playgroup. Now four, Cameron attends Bright Beginnings, a preschool-age intervention program at Norge Elementary School. He is well-prepared for kindergarten, and though he is still a little “impulsive,” he is learning how to control and manage those impulses.
“It’s just amazing,” says Kathy. “He’s happy, we’re happy, his little brother is happy. If it wasn’t for CDR, we’d be on a completely different path.”
Shannon & Brian Monte, son David, 5, and daughter Jocelyn, 3,
“They move mountains,” says Shannon, when asked about her experience with CDR. “They pointed me in so many good directions.”
When Shannon’s son David was two, he had a vocabulary of just four words. Since David was her first child, Shannon didn’t think much of it until her sister suggested she call CDR.
After a home visit, David joined the developmental playgroup along with his younger sister Jocelyn. Both children needed to learn social interaction, and Jocelyn needed motivation to begin crawling.
Most importantly, David began receiving speech therapy sessions. Because he couldn’t make closed-mouth sounds, he’d never said the word “Mommy.” When it finally happened, around Christmas, Shannon was ecstatic.
“He had called me ‘honey’ for so long because that’s what my husband calls me,” says Shannon, “but to hear the word ‘Mommy’ was the best present I could ask for.”
Who: Child Development Resources
What: 32nd Annual CDR Bid ’n’ Buy Auction
When: March 14, 2010 / Doors open at 11:30 a.m.
Where: Lafayette High School (childcare provided)
More than 300 items
will be auctioned, including:
Vacations to Outer Banks, Disney, and Massanutten
Bed & Breakfast stays
Pet care
Gift baskets
Artwork
Jewelry
Designer Handbags
Restaurant gift certificates