special needs children Archives - Business RadioX ®

Imagine having a months-long waitlist for your products or services. Sounds great, right? Not always—especially when it comes to essential services for our community’s most vulnerable.

Today on North GA Business Radio, Phil Bonelli speaks with Blythe Hammons, Executive Director of Sisu of Georgia about an urgent need in our backyard.

Blythe is an experienced advocate for inclusive early learning environments for children with special needs. Her role involves overseeing the provision of crucial therapies such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and ABA therapy, aimed at supporting the holistic development of children with diverse needs.

With a focus on integrating special needs children into educational settings, Blythe is deeply committed to addressing the challenges faced by parents of children with special needs.

Her work at SISU reflects a dedication to creating a supportive and inclusive space where all children, regardless of their abilities, can receive the necessary support and thrive in their educational journey.

What is Sisu?

==> Formerly Challenge Child and Friends

==> An integrated early learning facility serving children with special needs

==> Unique approach: educating special needs and typically developing children side-by-side

==> Comprehensive support system for families

The Pressing Need

==> 30 children pending enrollment

==> 165 families seeking services

This waitlist represents families struggling to find appropriate care, potentially facing financial hardship due to lack of childcare options.

How Can Business Leaders Help?

==> Financial Support: Make a significant donation to help Sisu expand

==> Raise Awareness: Share Sisu’s mission within your network

==> Volunteer: Offer your time or expertise

==> Corporate Partnerships: Explore collaboration opportunities

Visit https://mysisu.org to learn more and get involved. Every action counts!

Connect with Blythe and Sisu:

https://www.facebook.com/SisuIntegratedEarlyLearning

https://www.instagram.com/my_sisu/

Connect with Phil Bonelli:

https://www.facebook.com/Hopewell-Farms-GA-105614501707618/

https://www.instagram.com/hopewellfarmsga/

https://www.hopewellfarmsga.com/

Connect with Beau Henderson:

https://RichLifeAdvisors.com

https://www.facebook.com/RichLifeAdvisors

https://www.facebook.com/NorthGARadioX

This Segment Is Brought To You By Our Amazing Sponsors

Hopewell Farms GA

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Highlights Of The Show

00:03:01 – SISU’s Mission and Unique Services
Blythe explains that SISU serves children with special needs in an inclusive environment, providing therapeutic services such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and ABA therapy. The organization also offers early childhood education for typically developing children.

00:10:04 – The Need for Growth and Resources
Blythe discusses the high demand for SISU’s services, with a waitlist of 30 pending enrollments and 165 leads. She emphasizes the need for a bigger facility and more staff to accommodate the growing demand.

00:14:14 – Call to Action for Support
Phil encourages listeners to support SISU by giving donations to help the organization grow and meet the needs of the children and families it serves. He emphasizes the importance of using resources to serve those who cannot generate them themselves.

00:15:23 – My SISU
Phil and Blythe discuss the personal connection people feel towards SISU, as evidenced by Blythe’s daughter calling it “My SISU.” This highlights the impact of the organization’s work on the community and the families it serves.

00:16:44 – Creating a Safe Space at SISU
Blythe shares her experience of welcoming kids to SISU and the impact it has on their well-being. The consistent support from therapists and teachers creates a safe and loving environment for the children.

00:19:30 – Importance of Serving Special Needs Kids
Phil emphasizes the significance of serving special needs kids and how it can make a difference in their families’ lives. He encourages businesses to consider how they can make their clients and employees feel as valued as the children at SISU.

00:22:25 – Challenges of Waiting Lists
Blythe discusses the challenges families face when waiting for placement at SISU, highlighting the overwhelming stress and impact on their livelihood. She emphasizes the critical need to provide a competent and safe place for special needs children.

00:26:29 – The Power of Listening as a Leader
Blythe emphasizes the importance of listening as a new leader, sharing her experience of connecting with various stakeholders to understand their perspectives and concerns. She encourages leaders to prioritize listening and taking action based on the feedback received.

00:30:08 – Balancing Action with Listening
Phil and Blythe discuss the challenge of balancing action with listening and how leaders can integrate feedback into decision-making. Blythe emphasizes the need for prioritizing and taking incremental steps towards addressing stakeholders’ concerns.

00:33:23 – Give Yourself Grace
Blythe emphasizes the importance of giving oneself grace and not being too hard on oneself. She encourages taking a minute to breathe and tackle each day one step at a time.

00:34:10 – Act like You Just Started
Blythe advises leaders, regardless of experience, to listen to different stakeholders, establish trust, and prioritize tasks. She emphasizes the importance of tackling one thing at a time to build momentum.

00:35:24 – Understanding Priorities
Blythe shares the analogy of a leaky hose to highlight the importance of understanding priorities. She emphasizes the need to intentionally prioritize tasks and work on the most important things first to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

00:37:15 – Vulnerability and Asking for Help
Blythe discusses the importance of being vulnerable as a leader and asking for help when needed. She emphasizes the value of leaning on the support system and involving experts in areas of weakness.

00:39:04 – Freestyle Rap
The conversation takes a light-hearted turn as Phil asks Blythe to share three topics for a freestyle rap. The episode ends with a fun rap and a call to action to support local businesses.

North Fulton Business Radio

Care for Caregivers of Special Needs Children, with Stacy Georges, Special Needs Respite

00:00 /

North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 685)

Stacy Georges, Founder of Special Needs Respite, was the guest on this episode of North Fulton Business Radio discussing the care for caregivers that her nonprofit offers. She talked with host John Ray about the needs of caregivers who have children who need round-the-clock care. Stacy shared stories of families who have benefitted from having care so they can take a break, what happens when parents don’t get a break, adult special needs children, coming events, and more.

North Fulton Business Radio is broadcast from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Special Needs Respite

Respite care is a form of short-term substitute care for children with special needs, be it mental, emotional, or physical, and is provided by someone other than parents or the usual 24/7 caretakers of the child. It gives parents a break from their exhausting job.

As a group, parents of special needs children are more stressed, and even more at risk for divorce, or worse. Also, according to ARCH National Respite network, three-fifths of family caregivers age 19-64 surveyed recently by the Commonwealth Fund reported fair or poor health, one or more chronic conditions, or a disability, compared with only one-third of non-caregivers.

Respite is something that parents of special needs children desperately need. Although programs in Georgia exist to help these parents, such as the NOW waiver, there is a very long waiting list and very little money available. Many families, as a result, don’t have funds available for such an essential service, putting a strain on them physically, emotionally, and financially.

Special Needs Respite helps bridge the existing funding gap that many parents have when trying to get childcare for their special needs child. They can provide funds that will pay qualified caregivers to care for these children when no other way to pay is available to the parents.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook| Instagram

Stacy Georges, Founder, Special Needs Respite

Stacy Georges has been serving the disability community for 32 Years. The last 15 years have been focused on serving families here in Metro Atlanta. Even in a densely populated area such as Metro Atlanta, there are families isolated and decimated due to their children’s special needs. This results in loss if hope, and frequently ends in murder suicide. These are the families we can give hope.

Stacy holds a B. A. in Therapeutic Recreation from Purdue University. Becoming a parent was her real education with all its challenges, and especially interacting with parents who had even more challenges with children with special needs. Founder of YourRespite special needs child care, Stacy started Special Needs Respite to help meet the needs of even more parents of children living with special needs.

She is available for speaking engagements to churches and civic groups to further the community understanding of how to minister to Special Needs families.

Stacy and her husband, Tom, reside in Roswell, GA.

Questions and Topics in this Interview:

What is Respite?
Why is Respite important?
What happens when parents DON’T get Respite?
Shouldn’t my Taxes pay for this service?
How can we help?

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

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