What’s the point of Promoting Causes for Special Needs Families?

One of the most essential ways we can support and encourage one another as special needs families is to actually support and encourage each other! An overlooked way we have of doing so it to take up each others’ causes. Every cause isn’t as personal as last week’s Cause of the Week Award to Caryn Haluska, some causes represent small organizations or small fundraising drives for special needs interests.

Each week, I will look over nominations or sites I know of personally and will recommend a Cause of the Week. Like Caryn’s post last week, each post for this award will include a link to donate to that cause. I realize that, just like me, you don’t all have extra money lying around. But you do have the power of social media. You might not be able to give $5 for a friend but you could tweet a couple times for them, couldn’t you? Maybe share a link on Facebook about their need?

If we work together we can build each other up, and help each other. That’s what a community is, right? And we’re a very special community made up of extremely caring people so it only stands to reason we would want to support each other.

My own little special needs family surprise

Now, I did put up a widget for a special surprise we were given, a chance to buy an iPad for $199 from Apps for Children with Special Needs - something that would help the boys with therapy in so many different ways. So right now there is a widget in the sidebar for my guys.

But I try hard not to promote my own needs here too much. The Cause of the Week is my chance to give back to the Special Needs community. And it’s a way for you to do so as well.

The special needs community: More important than any one of us

Here’s the thing. This is one small thing I can do. And will do. To make a small difference. There are other things in the works here at the Cafe. Because as much as I need to earn a living here online (and mostly do through my writing and editing) I want to make connections and help raise awareness of this remarkable community of individuals.

We are special needs families, organizations, clubs, blogging clubs, writers, and dreamers; but we are so much more. We are capable of great things. Will you join me?

Here’s what you can do:

• Nominate a cause, whether it is a donation drive, funds for a family to be able to purchase their special needs dog, whether you just want to win a contest because doing so will help raise awareness for us all. Nominate!
• Tweet about it. Tweet about this post so more people will know this is here, and then tweet about the nominees. Be involved.
• Like it all – whether it’s this page, the page for the cause itself. Do something.
• Consider asking for donations or giving $1 or $5 or even $20 or more if you are able, at least once in a while, to help keep this grand scheme going.

There are a lot of great causes out there, but here is what we will limit it to:

1. The cause must benefit a special needs family in some way.
2. I’m going to cap the nominations to five at a time. Once we have reached 5 for any given week you can leave your suggestion but come back to enter it again the next week to be one of the first five in.
3. The cause must have a page or site associated with it, which can include a Facebook Page or a landing page for a donations website. If your cause doesn’t have one, let me know. Depending on the popularity of the cause I might be willing to put a page on the Cafe for it.
4. The same is true whether it is for a family, one child, or an organization is involved. I have to be able to verify the veracity of the cause. If there is any question at all, I won’t support it. This is a responsibility to my readers and important to me. Because of that I will require additional information from any Cause of the Week Awardee unless I already personally know of their cause. This could be in the form of recommendations from other folks in the community.
5. If you think of a way I can keep this going and make it easier to verify nominations. I’m sure you can understand.And I hope you will support me in this.

How will you make a difference today?

Take part in the special needs cause of the week and nominate a worthy cause for a profile post and more exposure to their cause, and a donation widget or button to stay in place on my sidebar through the following week. My social media efforts for the week will also work to support their endeavors. Help me support special needs families, won’t you?

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Katrina Moody

Graphic Designer, Wordpress Addict, Blogger at Kat's Media & More

I'm a special needs parent before just about everything else in life, but also a passionate advocate for my three boys and husband, who all have a bit of awesomeness about them. Awesomeness = Axenfeld-Rieger Syndrome, Autism, Epilepsy, Dyslexia, Cerebral Palsy, and more. It all adds up to some awesome kids and an amazing family.

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