Youth Encounter Program
Within the mostly able-bodied world, disabled young people can feel isolated and lonely, unable to communicate or to control the movement of their bodies − segregated from mainstream society and confined by their own harsh daily routine. Years ago, ILAN recognized the importance of ministering not just to the physical needs of their patients, but to their social needs as well. Perhaps one of ILAN’s most significant achievements has been the success of its Youth Encounter Program, which provides opportunities for physically disabled and non-disabled young people to meet and interact as peers, and to develop relationships based on mutual respect and understanding. These encounters often lead to friendships that flourish beyond the structured framework of the ILAN program.
Today, under ILAN’s auspices, sixty physically impaired youths, aged ten to twenty-one, routinely interact with an equal number of their healthy volunteer counterparts during weekly encounter sessions in Tel Aviv. Together, throughout the year, they also party and celebrate the holidays, share weekends, attend special events, dance, engage in sports, and go on tours – activities enjoyed by all “normal” teenagers. In July and August, the children take part in ILAN’s Summer Camp Program.
The handicapped young people who participate in the Youth Encounter Program demonstrate noticeable social growth and significant improvement in their self-image and self-confidence. In fact, the Youth Encounter Program exactly fulfills ILAN’s mission: to enable Israelis with neuromuscular disabilities to enjoy the best quality of life possible, from the day of their birth and throughout the rest of their lives, by providing for their special needs and advancing their integration into society.
The Youth Encounter Program, which was started in 1988, is run out of ILAN’s headquarters and draws young people from all over central Israel. It is staffed by a project coordinator and eight counselors. The program’s annual budget in 2014-2015 is $67,000, which includes the cost of transporting the disabled children, the staff, and volunteers; compensation for the project coordinator and counselors; and related expenses, such as activity materials and supplies. With demands on its already stretched resources – such as the extraordinary expenses incurred because of the recent Gaza Conflict – this year, ILAN is finding it especially difficult to cover the cost of the Youth Encounter Program with general operating funds. There is an urgent need to find support for the program from other sources, such as institutions and individual donors, who share ILAN’s goals.
Children’s Program at the ILAN Haifa
Rehabilitation and Sports Center
The Children’s Program at the ILAN Haifa Rehabilitation and Sports Center was dedicated to the memory of Schaina and Josephina Lurje in 2011. With each successive year, the number of disabled children enrolled in the program has increased, and today the number is more than 100. Most of these children were born with cerebral palsy; many require wheelchairs or walkers for mobility. The children come from diverse ethnic backgrounds; most are Jewish, secular and religious, but 25% are Arab, a population with a relatively high incidence of cerebral palsy.
As more and more deserving families look to enroll their children in the Haifa program, ILAN has sought to keep pace by expanding the Haifa Center’s schedule of sports and social activities, which are conducted by a professional staff certified in physiotherapy, hydrotherapy, and other occupations. The Center’s air-conditioned Children’s Activity Room provides story time, video games, music, table tennis, and gymnastics. The Center has an outdoor court for wheelchair tennis, a sport that enhances a child’s coordination; many of the young tennis players achieve such skill that they compete in national and international tournaments. The children receive individualized hydrotherapy treatments in a special 34°C swimming pool, and they take swimming lessons in the same Olympic-size pool where Israel’s star Paralympic athletes train; these athletes inspire the children, many of whom hope to join their ranks one day. Learning to swim is very important for these disabled children as it increases their self-esteem and teaches them independence, both in and out of the water.
In 2014, due to lack of funding, ILAN was forced to scale down the budget for the Children’s Program from $105,000 to $77,000. This reduction was achieved by cutting services, such as shuttle buses and other travel costs; curtailing swimming lessons, and restricting the purchase of new equipment. ILAN wants to preserve the Children’s Program without having to dip into its emergency funds, but to do so it needs donor support. For 2015, the S&J Lurje Memorial Foundation has once again made a generous contribution of $50,000, but ILAN considers $77,000 the minimum amount needed to enable the Children’s Program to meet the growing demands for its services.
Personal Aid Program
ILAN’s Personal Aid Program assists individuals and their families to surmount the great financial burden that a neuromuscular disability imposes on the disabled person and on the entire family. Many of the people that ILAN helps are at the low end of the socio-economic spectrum, and thus are already in considerable financial distress. For these low-income families, the cost of buying a motorized wheelchair, stabilizers, and walking frames − to say nothing of the sophisticated equipment needed by persons with communication and verbal impairments, such as a computer and alternative communication software – would be prohibitive were they not to receive financial assistance.
The 2014 Gaza Conflict seriously jeopardized ILAN’s programs, and the Israeli government has had to cut back its support as it re-directs funds to deal with internal strife and a contracted economy. Especially hurt are the families who struggle daily to meet the needs of their disabled loved ones. Please consider making a gift to ILAN’s Personal Aid Program, a gift that will go directly to helping these families. A contribution of $516 will buy a set of braces; $1,650 will buy a light wheelchair; a computer with special communication software costs $6,710 and a motorized wheelchair; $19,355. The need is great, and as you can see, rehabilitation accessories are expensive.
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