Episode 12: Fundraising, Family Support, and Fighting the Good Fight for Kids with Special Needs: An Interview with Sarah Farkas of Friends of St. Mary's

Quite simply, its really hard to not get behind this week's featured organization, St. Mary's Healthcare System for Children. It's all too easy to take a healthy childhood for granted - until a child with special needs enters your life. For children with special needs, who require care which is often complicated as well as costly, an organization such as St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children is a game changer. One of only a handful of organizations around the country dedicated to providing intensive rehabilitation, specialized care, and education to children with special needs and life-limiting conditions, this organization aims to bring health care to every child who needs it, now and in the future.

St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children is committed to improving the health and quality of life for children and families with special needs. Their work includes a broad portfolio of initiatives aimed at improving the lives of special needs children, and supporting their families, every step of the way through a network of inpatient, home care and community programs and services. Their programs include hospital care, home care, therapy for children with a variety of complex issues such as developmental delays or head injuries, after-school, weekend, and summer camp programs for children and young adults with cognitive and physical disabilities, and a Center for Pediatric Feeding Disorders to assist children with eating difficulties (and the list goes on!).

Today's interview with Sara Farkas of the Friends of St. Mary’s Committee talks us through the work of the committee - which includes volunteering, fundraising, and advocacy for St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children. Sara dives deep into the unique fundraising strategies the committee employs for its efforts for St. Mary's, the advocacy work they do, especially on behalf of children who age out of the System, and how a $20 donation really can make a difference.

Links to more information:

http://stmaryskids.org/giving/fosm/

http://stmaryskids.org/programs-and-services/center-for-pediatric-feeding-disorders/

https://www.facebook.com/Stmaryskids

https://twitter.com/StMarysKidsNY

https://www.youtube.com/user/stmaryskids

https://www.instagram.com/stmaryskidsny/

https://www.instagram.com/friendsofstmarys/