Overview For Jonathan Sake Outreach Program

FOR JONATHAN SAKE OUTREACH PROGRAM

Is a multi-faceted program that exists to help families who have children with
special needs in the community to feel empowered to care for, advocate for & raise their
children with special needs. Our goal is that they know that they are not alone but have a
support system and family within the outreach program and the Miriam Center. We pray
that each family will grow in their wisdom & knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and
have a better understanding of how God loves them and their children. We strive so that
each child will receive specialized quality education & medical care to address their
unique needs (medical, nutrition, therapy, etc.). Ultimately our goal is that each child will
participate in their family and community to their fullest ability. We plan to do this by
filling in the gaps where the families need us:

1. Physically: nutritional food, therapy, medical care, schooling, etc.
2. Spiritually: weekly worshipping & praying together as a group and during home visits getting specific prayer requests
3. Emotionally: by building a community and support system among other families in the same situation.

CURRENT ASPECTS OF THE PROGRAM

1. WEEKLY THERAPY: Families are divided into groups of 8-10. These groups are
   based upon their child’s level of function. Each week they attend therapy from 1-3.
   This is a time of learning how to work with their child & provide therapy at home, as
   well as a time of fellowship with other families in their same situation. With therapy
   many of the Children in the outreach program can and do gain new skills and
   improve in their physical mobility. We strive to provide the best care possible to
   promote independence and increased quality of life by providing occupational,
   physical, and speech therapy.
   
2. EDUCATION: Education in outreach is two-fold, children are advocated for and
   sent to school in the community and there is special education provided at the
   Miriam Center. This aspect of outreach Stephanie oversees.
   
3. HOMEVISITS: This is a time for us to enter into each of the families home
   environment, to hear their stories, to meet their families, and to grow in our
   relationships together. During this time we open God’s word together, share prayer
   requests and pray together.
   
4. COMMUNITY BUILDING/OUTINGS/EDUCATION: This is a time for the
   families to have fun with their kids and to build relationships/friendships with the
   other outreach families.. Each month the activity varies. Some months it is a fun
   activity like going to beach or to the pool and some months it is educational/therapy
   related (adapted Haitian chairs distribution, PVC Pipe walker distribution, etc.
   
5. BLESSING FUND: This part of outreach was created to bless families that are
   going through an especially hard/stressful time because of unexpected health, family,
   or other situations. This is determined on a case by case basis through a team
   decision. Some ways we have used the blessing fund in the past has been to help families out with rent, help family to start up a business, help families with $ for needed medical testing, etc.

VI. NUTRITION: The nutrition part of outreach, provides a nutritious pack of food that

contains 16 meals for the child, that can be prepared at home. Each child in this
program gets one bag of food each week. This food is only provided to the children
in outreach that need extra nutrition. This food is also provided to children in the
community that are not special needs but to the point of malnourishment, this if help
is not received developing a special need is highly possible. This aspect of outreach
Stephanie oversees. She has created the food mixture & makes the food each week.


VII. MEDICAL: Each child that enters the outreach program, as a part of entering the
program receives free medical care. This medical care includes; coming to clinic to
see the doctor, receiving lab work, medicine and overnight stays at the hospital. For
some of the children, this also includes trips to Port au Prince for extra medical
attention. (hydrocephalus trips). Stephanie plays a major role in the medical. The
closest I play a role in this is with Phoenix Rising and October Surgery Team.




WE MEASURE SUCCESS BY:


Long-Term Success: Families feeling empowered to care for, advocate for and
raise their child with special needs. Knowing they are not in this alone but have a
support system & family within the outreach program and Miriam Center. Each
family growing in their wisdom & knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and having
a better understanding of how God loves them and their child. Each child
receiving specialized quality education and medical care to address their unique
needs (medically, nutrition, therapy, etc.). Each child participating in their family
and the community to their fullest ability




Short-Term Success: Filling in the gaps where the families need us:

• Physically: therapy, nutritional food, medical care, education, etc.
  
• Spiritually: weekly worshipping and praying together as a group and during homevisits getting specific prayer requests
• Emotionally: Building community and support system among other families in similar situations
• 
  
  
  HERE ARE JUST A FEW “EVIDENCE OF SUCCESS”
  -PHYSICALLY
  
  • Seeing kids attend school for the first time and thrive!
    
  • Seeing kids who couldn’t hold their head up...hold their head up
    
  • Seeing kids who couldn’t sit...sit and play with toys/interact with their parents & siblings
    
  • Seeing kids who never felt what it was like to stand...standing with the assistance of bracing or adaptive equipment
    
  • Seeing kids stand and walk for the first time
  • I have seen many kids receive life saving medical care because we were able to get
    them the care they needed whether doctor visits, medication, surgery, or visiting
    specialists in PAP.
  • I have seen children who desperately needed a nutrition boost get it and then thrive
    and grow in their physical skills.

-EMOTIONALLY

• I have seen parents come hopeless & overwhelmed requesting to leave their
  children at the orphange...enter into the outreach program and a few months later
  they are successfully caring for, loving on, and advocating for their child.
  
• I have seen community built where many of the parents come (some from hours
  away) for their 2 hours of therapy outreach. One mom said that she sees the others
  in the program as “her family.” They have a support system...they rely on each other
  for encouragement, an understanding ear, prayer, etc.
  
  
  
  SPIRITUALLY
  • I have see families encourage one another with scripture and prayer. I have watched
  them end their weekly time together praying & sharing scripture together and I have
  heard them testify what God has done for them.