Marion Resources
DSCC’s Adolescence Changing Roles Tip Sheet
Adolescence is a time of change for the whole family. The Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) created this tip sheet to help youth with special healthcare needs and their families support healthy mental, emotional and behavioral (MEB) development, and find ways to cope during this time of change.
DSCC’s It’s Great to be Involved Tip Sheet
There are lots of ways to experience belonging. The Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) created this tip sheet to help youth with special healthcare needs and their families explore being involved in sports, leisure and other community activities. This tip sheet includes information on exploring your personal interests, funding and scholarships to support your activities, and steps you can take to get involved.
Global Genes is a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating the burdens and challenges of rare diseases for patients and families globally. It aims to connect, empower and inspire the rare disease community.
The Global Genes website includes a RARE Portal, which is an online community for patients, caregivers and more to share resources and create discussion groups.
Special Needs Child Passenger Safety Resource Center
The Special Needs Child Passenger Safety Resource Center, funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation, educates parents and caregivers of children with special needs on the importance of proper child passenger safety. The Special Needs Child Passenger Resource Center’s main location is at OSF Children’s Hospital of Illinois in Peoria. A satellite site is located at LaRabida Children’s Hospital, in Chicago. Its services include:
- A resource center for nurseries and organizations across Illinois that provides over-the-phone and in-person consultation and guidance for proper car seat usage and optimum safety.
- Education to parents, groups, hospital staff and certified child passenger safety technicians on changes in national guidelines and new seat choices.
- Proper selection, installation and fitting of special needs restraints for parents and their children.
- A short-term loan program to provide seats to parents in need.
Learn more on the Special Needs Child Passenger Safety Resource Center website.
Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing
The Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (AGBADHH) is a non-profit organization providing resources to support hearing-impaired individuals and their families, information to help increase understanding of hearing loss, and research relating to auditory or verbal communication.
AGBADHH also offers in-service training for teachers, scholarships and conferences, and collaborates with physicians, speech/language specialists and other professionals to promote educational, vocational and social opportunities for affected individuals. Visit the AGBADHH website for more details.
Signed By Stories aims to raise mental health awareness, advocacy, education and support for individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, late-deafened and deaf-disabled through storytelling.
Signed By Stories is working to create a community where deaf and hard-of-hearing people can:
- Join together and share their mental health stories
- Receive validation for their experiences
- Learn how to better support their own and the larger community’s mental health needs
- Have a platform where both deaf and hearing people have the knowledge, tools and feel empowered to take action to improve the current state of mental health care for deaf people
GiGi’s Virtual Playhouse offers opportunities to build relationships and community connections and access free programming and resources tailored for individuals with Down syndrome. The playhouse serves individuals with Down syndrome of all ages, expecting moms and dads, caregivers, siblings, parents, grandparents, doctors, educators, volunteers and more.
GiGi’s Virtual Playhouse provides a variety of programs focused on therapeutic needs, educational needs, career development and global acceptance.
Luella’s Lodge provides resources, retreats, support groups and non-traditional holistic therapies for families grieving the death of a child.
The non-profit includes a secluded log cabin on 10 acres in Oakwood, Ill., offering a private lake, hiking and biking trails, and other amenities to help families connect with one another through grief and healing.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Find Shelter Tool
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Find Shelter tool provides information about housing, shelter, medical clinics, food pantries and clothing resources for someone in need in your community. Visit www.hud.gov/findshelter/.
Magical Moments Foundation is a wish-granting organization for children with facial differences. Working with the children and their families, the foundation creates experiences and adventures to comfort, inspire and encourage children that face the world with a difference. Family members, medical professionals, teachers and others may nominate a child for a magical moment. To be eligible, a child must:
- Have a congenital or acquired facial difference
- Be between the ages of 3 and 18
- Not yet received a wish from another wish-granting organization
Visit the Magical Moments Foundation website for more details.