Helping Hands for Children
Helping Hands Foundation Inc. is a nonprofit organization dedicated to offering support to parents and families of children with upper limb anomalies. The foundation helps the parents and families of these children cope with the special challenges they face. Some children are born with upper limb anomalies, while others lose limbs to accidents or disease. The Helping Hands Foundation is based in Medfield, Massachusetts.
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Philosophy and Mission
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The Helping Hands Foundation provides support and information for families caring for children with upper limb anomalies. The idea is to bring these families together to offer support and encouragement to one another. Family outings and events are planned where children can interact with one another. Relevant topics and issues are discussed in newsletters.
The emphasis is on a child's abilities, not his disabilities. The organization works to inform families of resources available to them in their area. The Helping Hands Foundation strives to reach families of newborns with upper limb anomalies, providing support, information and resources.
Support Groups
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The official website for Helping Hands Foundation offers links to several support groups for families. There is a link to "A Touch of Love," a 24-hour hot line for support and information that also distributes a newsletter and provides information about limb banks. A link also is provided to a site for Parents Helping Parents Inc., which offers support for parents of children with any kind of special need, learning disability or birth defect.
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Resources
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Many resources are available to parents and caregivers on the resource page of The Helping Hands for Children Foundation. There are resources for treatment centers, including Shiners Hospitals for Children and the Amputee Coalition of America.
A noteworthy resource for educators is the Limb Loss Education and Awareness Program (LLEAP). The purpose of LLEAP is to address the social stigmas facing children dealing with limb loss. A classroom curriculum is available offering children multi-sensory activities. The curriculum is available for children from preschool through sixth grade.
Online Library
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An online library is available for members. At the online library, members can check out books, magazines and videos addressing the special needs of children with limb loss. Currently, the library only can send materials to members within the United States. The library maintains a "wish list" for items members wish to be made available.
Donations
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Helping Hands Foundation relies on donations. The site's workers are volunteers, so 100 percent of donations go to helping the foundation carry out its work. Anyone who wants to make a donation to the group can do so online or by mailing a check to the organization.
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References
Resources
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