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The feature below is brought to you by Special Needs Siblings, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about all of our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about Special Needs Siblings, please visit their website page: here.  Siblings SpeakThe journey of Special Needs Siblings, Inc began in 2015 with me, Jeniece Stewart - a pregnant mother of 3, expecting a set of twins. Now, I am a proud special needs mother of 5 (oldest has autism & epilepsy) who noticed that my children were growing distant, and I desperately wanted to help them. My oldest son Christian (14) had been going to different appointments on a weekly basis since he was 3 years old. These appointments vary in length, location, and type. Speech therapy, occupational therapy, pediatric neurologist, genealogist, ect… Well, it was not just Christian attending these appointments on a weekly basis; his siblings accompanied him. Then one appointment Caleb asked me if he could take medicine because Christian always gets medicine. He was really confused as to why Christian was receiving extra stuff. My first reactions were anger and defense. I did not understand why Caleb would want to take multiple medications. Why would you want to have daily seizures, blood drawn, attend appointments and experience side effects… why?! While processing the question Caleb asked, I recalled the missed moments with Jada and Caleb when I was busy attending to Christian. I felt a rush of overwhelming emotions: guilt, pain, sadness. It hit me… I put so much emphasis on understanding Christian… I missed how out of place Caleb and Jada were feeling. I honestly never even asked. I knew they were healthy, so I assumed they were fine. My heart ached for them because my love for them was not less, but they felt that way. I sat and thought… am I alone… is it just me? This prompted me to search social media and websites for sibling support. I wanted to connect with other siblings and ask them about their personal experiences, but I discovered a lack of community awareness and assistance for the siblings in our families. The support for mothers, fathers, and varying disabilities was everywhere. It is easy to overlook the siblings within disabled families, but it is crucial we do not. The resources for the typical siblings were scarce. I longed for support. I could not find it, so I created it. This fueled my passion to create Special Needs Siblings, Inc. because siblings in our special families are too important to ignore. Special Need Siblings, Inc (SNS) is a unique local non-profit with a global vision to provide awareness, support and resources for siblings of disabled individuals. There is a lack of resources and support for siblings of disabled individuals, yet there are millions of siblings who are an untapped resource who can, with the proper support and encouragement, make a positive impact in the lives of their brothers, sisters, and others with disabilities. SNS gives siblings the opportunity to connect with other brothers and sisters with disabilities. This connection offers a comfort and relief knowing they are not alone. This is beautiful. Many of the estimated 4.9 million individuals with developmental disabilities (I/DD) in the United States have brothers and sisters. Siblings are there through the appointments, the tears, the joys, and sometimes become the caregivers after their parents have passed. I launched an Instagram account and Facebook page. Using the hashtag #SpecialNeedsSiblings, I asked parents to share their experiences, pictures, and stories while sharing my own. I encouraged parents and siblings to celebrate the siblings of the family, who at times were more like silent partners. I challenged parents to look in the mirror and ask tough questions while encouraging them to start fresh! We have grown from zero followers to over 20K in three years with connections around the world. Special Needs Siblings transcends every group, every nationality, every class, every race and siblings are the unsung heroes. We are in the process of launching our next campaign, The Siblings Speaks Podcast - candid conversations with super siblings. The podcast will use technology and storytelling to create a safe place empowering the siblings to unite and share their story. We are forming unity in our disability community by allowing siblings, parents, and supporters to connect and learn more about the importance of supporting siblings. We are bridging the gap in our special families by giving siblings the opportunity to use their voice. We do this by using our platform as a place where siblings and parents can come and share their unaltered story. We give them an area where they can feel free to let their guards down and simply be siblings. Siblings of disabled individuals are incredibly special humans. Our desire is for them to feel encouraged, empowered, and loved at each step of their journey. There is a pure beauty in the heart of every sibling that the world should know more of. By addressing the needs of siblings, their brothers and sisters with disabilities will have better outcomes. Now, we have so many dreams for Special Needs Siblings, but we cannot do it without help. Our goal is to raise support so that we can fully assist our families both locally and abroad. If you are interested in more information about Special Needs Siblings and how to get involved or support us, you can find us online: www.specialneedssiblings.com www.siblingsspeak.com IG: @special_needs_siblings FB: @specialneedssiblings TW: @SNSiblings Written by: Jeniece StewartFounder of Special Needs Siblings
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The feature below is brought to you by HOW Global, an organization that is in the running to receive a See Beautiful Grant. For more information about all of our giving initiatives, please click here. To learn more about HOW Global please visit their website page: here.  Drilling for hope Ready, Set, Drill As the founder of HOW Global Inc. I am never disappointed at the hope and love that drilling for water brings to the community. Nineteen years ago, I was invited to a United Nations meeting where I promised to help make a dent in the millennium goals. This is when I decided my focus would be water for school children that have no voice. Like wildfire, word of water coming to a school spreads throughout a community. When you live in a place that has no water, electric or media to feed on, you are counting on your neighbors in the rural villages of Africa to bring the latest news at the local market on Tuesdays or while you are washing clothes in front of your humble home. Then there are the students who run home from school with exciting news as they were asked to create poems to honor the event of water coming to their school and they show their parents the illustrations they drew that day to prepare their minds for what is to come. Once a community meeting takes place it is no longer rumor but truth that water may be coming to your child’s school and that means water for the entire community. Echorro Primary school waits for the word of the date this miracle will take place. Over the last years they are lucky to have had borrowed water from a neighboring project however that water goes off and on and does not belong to the school. The local leaders meet on the grounds of the school to discuss the fact that they will help to dig the trenches needed for piping for this new water well that will soon be theirs. They will also start a garden area so that when we arrive in August, we will plant 100 Moringa trees. As you see, water is only the first step in guiding this school towards sustainability. Word has come that because there is now water coming to the school, perhaps this property will now be on the list to get electric. How amazing it is that when a school leader shows motivation and wanting more, that so much more follows this desire for bettering the lives of the students who live in extreme poverty. This story is told here is the states. Primary grade schools, women’s clubs and other non-profits are touched by the stories of the children who live without basic needs. When they know exactly who they are helping as they collect coins every year and do various small fundraising towards the next well, it helps to form what I call an emotional connection to each other across the globe. They know that they are a part of something much bigger than the small part of the world where they live. This is when the projects feel more like a movement than a simple act of charity. As the energy of so many coming together as one creates a force to be reckoned with! I would say that is purely beautiful! Yes, hope is in the air, can you feel it? Written by: Rachael PaulsonFounder of HOW Global |
See beautiful in yourself.
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