Donate to Special Parent's Respite Events (2024)
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Special Parent's Afternoon and Night Out Respite Events (2024)
As parents of a child with multiple disabilities, Steve & Denise Coutts learned over the years of the absolute necessity to take time out of their busy schedules to ‘recharge their batteries’ and invest quality time into their marriage relationship so that they could maintain a strong foundation for meeting the physical and emotional needs of their child. All too often, it becomes difficult or next to impossible for parents of children with disabilities to take these needed breaks due to a lack of qualified child care and/or the disposable income to treat themselves to an afternoon or night out. In the spirit of meeting this need, in 2009, Steve & Denise founded Special Parents Organization (www.special-parents.org ).
Special Parents Organization is a NJ 501©3 nonprofit community service organization that partners with local businesses, schools, non-profit organizations, and area restaurants to provide respite for the parents of special needs children.
Since 2010 Special-Parents has hosted over 2,000 families with special needs children supported by over 6,000 volunteers from the New York/New Jersey and surrounding areas. Parents of special needs children enjoy a complimentary afternoon (lunch) or night (dinner) out while their children with disabilities and siblings are watched, cared for and entertained for 3 to 4 hours by one-on-one volunteers in a special-needs adapted carnival-like atmosphere. A typical event hosts over one hundred families and 250 children, supported by 200+ volunteers and costs approximately $25,000. Due to the incredible demand, events typically ‘sell-out’ within 5-7 days, forcing 100’s of families to be turned away every year.
Over the last 10 years all Special Parents events have been funded by local one-off donations from members of the community, underwritten by its co-founders. While the overwhelming demand calls for many more events across the state, budgetary constraints have limited us to 1-2 events per year. Our 2024 fundraising goal would allow Special Parents to host as many as 12 events in the coming year.
* Please note Special Parents Organization is exempt from federal income tax under IRC Section 501 (c) (3) (EIN: 83-1915463). Donors can deduct contributions made to Special Parents under IRC Section 170. If you wish to mail your donation, please address it to: Special Parents Organization, c/o Steve Coutts, 1 Forest View Drive, Chester, NJ 07930
Thank you in advance & please help spread the word!
Steve & Denise Coutts
Parents of Hannah Coutts
(Student, Universal Institute)
Organizer
Steve Coutts
Organizer
Far Hills, NJ