PILOT RESPITE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
For school age children and young adults (ages 4 through 21).

WHEN?
We will offer four separate respite opportunities during the Pilot Respite Development Program during the Fall of 2009. Children, adolescents and young adults with disabilities will be matched to volunteer Buddy/Mentors. The respite opportunities will be for four hours at a time and take place on Saturdays.

There are a limited number of respite slots per session, early registration is recommended. Families/Caregivers wanting to participate must submit a registration form with a $10 reservation fee for each respite session. The reservation fee will be applied towards materials/supplies, however if the Families/Caregivers are unable to afford this cost, we will reimburse this fee upon completion of the reserved session.

HOW DOES THIS WORK?
A group of Volunteers will become the 1 to 1 Buddy/Mentor of a child, adolescent or young adult with the disability. The volunteer Buddy/Mentors will be provided training and monitoring by professionals in the field of education, psychology and behavior analysis, some of which are the volunteer staff of IN THE FARM. The ultimate goal is to expand the families’ respite supports beyond this experience and that families may develop future relationships with the Buddy/Mentor Volunteers.

BUDDY/MENTOR VOLUNTEERS
Through programming, specific training, modeling, and hands-on experience, the Volunteer Buddy/Mentors will gain the appropriate skills in a natural setting. Volunteers will be sought by IN THE FARM from Faith Organizations, high schools, local Junior Colleges, Universities and through collaboration with other organizations that provide outreach programs to persons with disabilities and their families. These volunteers may also be referred by families of participating children if they desire a particular support individual to receive the respite training.

RESPITE IS FUN!!
During the Respite program, participants will participate in activities directed to the development of self help skills, social skills, tutoring and other life competencies. Additional hands-on experiences that during the respite experience may include; age appropriate household tasks(through modeling and a mock set up), gardening, playground activities, social play, social modeling, computer activities, and art and crafts.