Blog

THANK YOU, ST. LOUIS!

Tue, 08 May 2012 18:59:29 GMT

Amazing. Simply amazing. Variety raised a record-shattering $4,833,000 during Variety Week 2012! This is all thanks to our awesome corporate partners and…YOU! You have outdone yourselves for Variety kids.

Dinner With the Stars alone raised a whopping $3,389,000. This black-tie gala, which featured a concert by music icon Diana Ross and was hosted by Joe Buck, was the grand finale of a week celebrating Variety’s 80 years of helping kids in St. Louis. It also brought the biggest surprise of the week, when an anonymous donor gave a challenge donation of $1 million to support Variety Adventure Camp. This gift ensures that St. Louis kids with disabilities will forever be able to attend at least one week of camp each year. The challenge was met just moments later by an anonymous gift of $100,000, adding to the giant final tally.

Variety Week kicked off on Saturday, April 21, with the Runway Lights Fashion Show, featuring celebrity designer Carmen Marc Valvo and emceed by Mandy Murphey of FOX 2. The day also included a Variety Boutique where guests could shop for everything from clothes and jewelry to home goods and chocolate truffles to dresses and hair bows for little girls.

The week continued with the FOX 2/KPLR 11 Call-A-Thon for Kids on Tuesday, April 24. News segments throughout the day highlighted Variety children and supporters, and volunteers staffed a phone bank at the station.

Wednesday, April 25, was the annual Imo’s for Kids Day – a day when all 94 local Imo’s franchises donate at least 10 percent of their proceeds to Variety.

For the first time, Young Variety’s Night of the Rising Stars joined the Dinner With the Stars on Saturday, April 28, at the Peabody Opera House. While dinner guests ate their meal, young professionals enjoyed their own complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres in the Kiel Club before moving to the theatre to enjoy the Variety program and Diana Ross performance.

Your support helps more than 14,500 local children with disabilities reach their full potential, providing vital medical equipment and educational, recreational and therapeutic programs. Variety also distributes grants to 80 partner agencies to fund programs and/or services that directly impact the lives of children with disabilities.

To see photos from Variety Week, please visit our Flickr feed.

Kids show big hearts at early age

Mon, 07 May 2012 20:07:13 GMT

Kids may have little bodies, but inside those bodies are BIG hearts. An inspiring class of second-graders proved that last week when they recognized a need and decided – on their own – to help fill it.

These kids go to school with Variety Child Nick, who uses a wheelchair due to brittle bone disease. He was on TV a couple of weeks ago for Variety, during the FOX 2/KPLR 11 Call-A-Thon. Carly, a second-grade student, told her class the next day that she had seen Nick (a first-grader) on the news, and she thought he was collecting money. Kids immediately started digging in their backpacks and desks for spare change to give to Nick! Carly’s teacher, Molly DeClue, said her heart melted when she realized what they were doing.

“Within an hour, almost the entire class had decided that we needed to donate the money that we earned at our second grade business to Nick,” said Mrs. DeClue. The class recently decorated pens and sold them for a quarter to other students in the school, learning the basics about running a business.

“I told them that we needed to find out more from Nick and then we could take a vote to decide if that is how we should spend our money. We had Nick come and educate us about why he was on the news, and where people should donate their money. Nick sounded like a professional when he told us about Variety. My class was inspired! They quickly voted to donate the money to Variety after Nick left.”

Variety is so grateful for this heart-felt gift. We thank Nick for being a stellar ambassador for Variety, as well as these students who so naturally took it upon themselves to help others. Mrs. DeClue and their parents are clearly teaching these kids strong morals and values, and helping the students learn to think of other people.

They presented Nick with the money on Friday, while wearing yellow in honor of Wishbone Day – a day to spread awareness about brittle bone disease. Nick was surprised by the gift, and so excited to accept the money on behalf of Variety!

We urge event guests to leave early Saturday to avoid traffic

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:36:45 GMT

ST. LOUIS (April 27, 2012) – The hottest music ticket in town this Saturday is surely Diana Ross’ highly anticipated concert headlining Variety’s Dinner with the Stars Gala! More than 2,000 St. Louisans will head downtown to the Peabody Opera House to support Variety. For the first time, Young Variety’s Night of the Rising Stars will take place the same night and Young Variety patrons will join their Dinner with the Stars counterparts for the Variety Program featuring Joe Buck and the Diana Ross concert.

Adding to the traffic crunch, now the hottest ticket in St. Louis sports this Saturday night will be the Western Conference semifinal playoff Game 1 between the St. Louis Blues and the Los Angeles Kings.

“We urge our patrons to allow extra time for safe travel downtown this weekend,” said Variety CEO Jan Albus. “We’re offering complimentary valet parking starting at 4:45pm, so dinner guests may use the valet designated on the parking vouchers. Those attending only the program and Diana Ross concert may visit the Peabody Opera House website for parking options. So come early, beat the traffic, and enjoy a cocktail with us before a relaxing and enjoyable evening of entertainment!”

Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis will celebrate 80 years of helping St. Louis kids with disabilities as Variety Week 2012 culminates with the two most anticipated social events of the year, the Young Variety Night of the Rising Stars and the Dinner with the Stars black tie gala. Variety Week is the pillar fundraising and awareness campaign for the charity.

Variety's "Grow and Learn" Program Benefits The Belle Center

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 19:54:33 GMT

Variety the Children’s Charity of St. Louis’ collaboration with The Belle Center is just one of many we have created to help children with disabilities reach their full potential. This partnership, made possible by the generous support of Maritz, funds Variety’s “Grow and Learn” program which benefits children like Kevin.

Kevin’s Story:

Kevin has both Down’s syndrome and autism. He attended the Belle Center’s preschool program when he was two years old and then a local kindergarten after graduating from Belle. The Belle therapists sat in on Kevin’s first IEP meeting to ensure that he would receive all of the support he needed. He seemed to be on his way….

Fast forward to today… Kevin is in third grade in a well-regarded school district. Mom and dad were concerned about Kevin’s lack of progress; in fact, in the past four years, Kevin has made minimal academic progress and has actually regressed behaviorally. After advocating for their son’s needs at the school and reaching no satisfactory solutions, they reached out again to The Belle Center.

At that point, Theresa, a special education teacher and one of The Belle Center’s Program Directors, observed Kevin several times in the classroom. Based on these observations, she recommended that Kevin receive intensive programming that would support him behaviorally, socially and academically. Theresa helped Kevin’s parents make a case for Kevin’s support needs and brought the school back to the table for negotiations on how to best meet those needs. Theresa is currently working with the family and the school to create an ongoing plan with specific strategies and measurable goals.

Moving forward, Theresa will routinely assess how the plan is proceeding and will work with the family to make sure that the strategies used at school are carried over into the home.

The family feels like they are finally moving in the right direction again.

New hearing aids expand Jacob's world

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:49:26 GMT

Carrot sticks. Who knew they could be so eye-opening? Actually, make that ear-opening.

Not long after Jacob received his new hearing aids from Variety in December, he and his mom were sitting at their table eating a snack of carrot sticks. After a little while, Jacob said, “Mom, what’s that noise?” Amy stopped chewing to listen, but she didn’t hear anything. Soon, Jacob said again, “What IS that?” Amy still couldn’t figure out what he was talking about. “Wait, it’s YOU!” he said, and Amy finally realized he was hearing her crunch the carrots.

That’s when it dawned on her how many small things we take for granted every day. She had never thought about whether her son, who was diagnosed with moderately severe to profound hearing loss at just 4 days old, could hear the crunch of carrot sticks.

Finally, with these new, high-tech, stronger hearing aids, Jacob can hear that and so much more. This is the second pair of hearing aids Variety has provided to Jacob, who will turn 9 next month.

Because the hearing aids have worked so well for him, Jacob is completely mainstreamed in their public school district’s third-grade class. He has excellent speech, and only has speech therapy for a half-hour per week to maintain his progress.

With his hearing and speech taken care of, Jacob has plenty of time to focus on the things any 9-year-old boy enjoys – playing with friends, watching Captain America and Star Wars, and being a great big brother to Maddie, 5 ½, and Chase, 4 months.

Grand Re-Opening celebrates imagination and a good cause

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 16:03:20 GMT

This Saturday, carry on the tradition of purchasing unique, quality toys from a store that prides itself on top-notch service. Imagination Toys, the oldest specialty toy store in St. Louis, has recently re-opened under new ownership. They are having a Grand Re-Opening celebration this Saturday, March 10 from 10 am to 5:30 pm. They will have fun games and prizes for your kids, so bring the whole family! With more than 3900 square feet, we're positive you'll find something you like.

There's more good news – a portion of the proceeds from sales made during the grand re-opening will be donated to Variety kids! We appreciate the support and wish Imagination Toys a successful event!

For more information visit www.imagination-toys.com.

Imagination Toys - Grand Re-Opening
9737 Clayton Road
St. Louis, MO 63124

Young Variety keeps growing!

Fri, 02 Mar 2012 20:34:37 GMT

Todd Thayer volunteered at Variety’s 2010 Bikes for Kids event, and the image of the children’s faces as they received their new bikes has stuck in his mind. He decided to find other ways to help, and discovered that Young Variety fits the bill.

Todd, a financial advisor with Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, recently joined Young Variety. He is looking forward to participating in more events and learning more about the organization. He brings with him a cadre of interests and talents! Todd is a bicycle enthusiast, and first came to Bikes for Kids with Trek St. Louis. But his hobbies don’t come close to stopping there… He repairs and rides vintage motorcycles, juggles, advocates for American pit bull terrier dogs, takes fashion photography, moonlights as a silk-screen printer and is a “pretty solid human beat box!”

We can’t wait to see what he brings to Young Variety. We’re so excited to have enthusiastic new members like Todd. Other members who recently joined are Arvan Chan, Brandon Gray, Derek Thomas, Michael and Beth Chrum, and Brandon and Anna Moritz.

Welcome!

Thank you, Variety, for Alex's power wheelchair!

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:37:55 GMT

Dear Variety,

We got Alex's new power chair, and I just wanted to say, from the bottom of both our hearts, thank you so much.

Because of you, Alex has his freedom back. Just today, when I picked him up from school, he was in the library reading a book, as so often he does when he waits for me. Without a word or prompting from me to do so, he closed his book, moved his chair along the book racks and put his book back on the shelf, all by himself. After such action, he stated to me, "I'm ready to go now."

Something so simple and so ordinary as putting a book away and being ready to go to the next destination resonates with me to the point to tears. For other parents, this is just normal child behavior. For me, this is like watching Alex take his first step when he was an infant all over again. Even now as I type this letter, my cheeks are wet with gratitude. I have been trying for so long to get him this license, this ticket to ride, so to speak, so that he could keep up with his peers and have some measure of dignity and grace in his adolescent years. And as he cranked up the speed of his chair to maximum today, in the wide, empty halls of school, and he sped back and forth in front of me, I did not tell him to stop or slow down. For I did not see a child in a power wheelchair, but I saw a superhero making tall leaps with a single bound, a long distance runner warming up his legs for the big marathon, a toddler laughing and tagging me with his eyes to say, "Catch me, Dah-dee! Catch me!"

You have my eternal gratitude for this. And if ever and whenever I can give back, I will do so. I consider Variety a part of our circle now. And just like with all circles, the connection never ends.

Sincerely,

Sihn and Alexander

Appealing to the senses

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:57:30 GMT

Ever feel like life is just overwhelming? Or like you need to relax and focus? Many kids who have autism or other sensory issues feel like that – and then some – all the time. Mercy Behavioral Health, in collaboration with Variety, has opened a therapy room that caters to those sensory needs.

The Mercy Snoezelen® Room, funded by a four-year, $65,000 grant from Variety, offers sensory exploration for patients who often are living with autism, depression, developmental delays or cognitive delays. The 19 pieces of equipment, complete with lights, sounds, textures and even aromas, are specially arranged to provide a safe, therapeutic environment.

The equipment can interact through wireless connections, or one area can be “alive” at a time, to provide a more targeted experience. Most equipment is experienced with the lights dim or off, so the colors of the bubble tube, projector wheel, fiber optics or interactive panels can have the full effect.

Beautiful fish can swim on the walls, giving the illusion that you’re inside an aquarium, and a space seen can be projected on the ceiling. Children can relax in a comfy chair that plays music, or in a leaf chair that sways slightly. With the interactive panels, they’re able to create sounds, trace objects and watch kaleidoscope images.

The room is also full of mirrors, which reflect not only the children themselves, but the lights and images, as well.

The Mercy Snoezelen® Room is the only multi-sensory room or environment in the region, said Patty Morrow, executive director of Mercy Behavioral Health Services. “We’re very grateful to Variety for the opportunity to have this room,” Patty said. “It’s such a unique resource in our community.”

To view more photos of the room, click here. To view a video, click here.

It's Teen Time

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 21:03:32 GMT

Teen Time … when disability doesn’t matter, and you can just have fun being a teenager. Variety’s newest program will get teens of all abilities together for dynamic activities once a month, providing a time for them to hang out with friends, try new things and have a great time in a safe, accessible environment.

First up: Bowling! Come on out to Brunswick Zone in Chesterfield as we kick off the Teen Time program on Saturday, Feb. 25, from 1-3 p.m. On March 24, teens will visit Baked Goods Pottery in South County.

“There aren’t many choices for teens with disabilities to stay connected to their peers,” said Variety Program Director Barb Kramer. “There also aren’t a lot programs that offer the types of support needed for many teens to have a successful experience in a mainstream environment.”

Teen Time activities are free of charge, and all teens are invited to join in the fun! For more information, click here. Please RSVP to July at (314) 720-7717 or julie@varietystl.org.

New equipment program has a calming effect

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:59:57 GMT

At Variety, we’re all about fulfilling the needs of local kids with all types of disabilities. We keep a finger on the pulse of the community, staying in tune with the needs of these kids and their families, whether they require the latest technological piece of equipment or a small but vital item that insurance simply won’t cover.

This month, we’re rolling out a new Sensory Equipment program, through which we will offer three pieces of equipment often needed by children who have autism or other sensory issues. Children who have uncontrollable hyperactivity or aggression benefit greatly from something as simple as a weighted vest or blanket, which centers the child and calms him or her down. An in-home swing has a similar calming affect, while also providing a brief respite for parents. The third piece of equipment we’re now offering is a special bed for children with autism who get out of bed during the night. This bed makes night walking impossible, ensuring the utmost safety for the child.

“This weighted vest has worked wonders for my son,” said Fannie, whose son J.J. has severe autism, cerebral palsy and brain damage. “It brings him down a notch. I compare it to me going to get a massage. He just feels more relaxed when he’s wearing his ‘jacket,’ as he calls it. It’s a visible difference.”

Fannie said J.J. always uses the vest during therapy sessions, because when calm, he’s more willing to work harder. He also often asks for it at home, when he can tell he’s getting tense or worked up.

Variety Health Services Director Diane Gruszka said, “These pieces of sensory equipment will result in a better quality of life for children and families dealing with autism and similar disabilities. We need to respond to these needs and be there for our families.”

We will keep tabs on these growing needs, and add to the Sensory Equipment program as necessary. For the time being, we’re excited to be helping J.J. and other kids improve their quality of life!

Star Wars Gold Heart Pin offered exclusively at Wehrenberg Theatres

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:41:18 GMT

We're proud to announce that Variety's 2012 Gold Heart Pin campaign has officially started at local Wehrenberg Theatres. This exclusive offer started last Friday, Feb. 3, in anticipation of the opening this Friday of the 3D version of "Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace," by Lucas Films. Iconic characters of the movie, C-3PO and R2-D2 are featured on the pin and we're confident that it will be a big hit!

From now until March 29, Gold Heart Pins can be purchased individually for a $3 donation. Wehrenberg also has a special offer: add a Gold Heart Pin for $3 to any Combo #1 -#5 Meal, and receive a free select Nestle Candy. So whether you are a Star Wars fan, Variety supporter or simply a regular movie goer we hope you will take the chance to visit Weherenberg Theatres soon and pick up your own commemorative pin.

Variety has partnered with Wehrenberg on the Gold Heart Pins campaign for 21 years, raising nearly $1 million for children with physical and mental disabilities. We are are privileged to receive this love and support and together have set a goal to raise $100,000 in 2012. Will you join Wehrenberg in helping Variety kids reach their full potential?

Want to see more? Check out this video of C-3PO and R2-D2 and see how you can join them in their quest to be a hero.

Big River Running Company + Variety = LOVE

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:48:12 GMT

Big River Running Company, organizers of the Truffle Shuffle presented by Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Co., just announced that the second annual Valentine's Day themed race on February 18, 2012, will benefit Variety the Children's Charity of St. Louis. WOW, what an honor! Both Big River and Variety work to improve the lives of others by keeping them mobile and providing the necessary resources to help them reach their full potential, so we think this is the perfect partnership!

If you already love participating in races, just wait till you hear what's in store for this event. It will be a CHOCOLATE extravaganza, complete with customized chocolate finisher medals, over 500 pounds of chocolate fondue and more than 125 gallons of hot cocoa, all from the Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Co. Other race amentities include a finisher's mug to enjoy your post race hot chocolate, pink technical tees for the women, black technical tees for the men, and wine for anyone who can beat cupid in the "cupid challenge" on race day and for age group award winners. Other awards and raffle prizes include a stay at a local bed and breakfast, flowers and more. The race is its own little Valentine's Day getaway for runners and walkers.

With half of the proceeds donated to Variety, this is sure to be one SWEET event! So, grab your honey and register online today!

Give one more gift this holiday season

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 20:44:40 GMT

Still searching for that perfect last-minute gift? Or perhaps you’re just looking for a way to give back to your community this holiday season. Look no further…we’ve got you covered.

And we make it so easy to give. Simply CLICK HERE to make a donation. You can pay tribute to a friend or family member as a gift, donate in memory of a loved one or just give a gift in the spirit of the season. Don’t forget – any amount helps!

What better way to round out the holiday season than by helping St. Louis kids with disabilities receive vital medical equipment, attend recreational and therapeutic programs like Variety Adventure Camp, and reach their full potential to become productive members of the next generation?

There is no limit to what Variety kids can do – they just need a little boost from us! Please remember them this holiday season.

Thank you, Variety, for Ethan's hearing aids!

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 19:04:23 GMT

Dear Variety St. Louis:

We wanted to write you this letter to say thank you from the bottom of our hearts for giving Ethan the gift of his hearing aids! We can’t tell you how much of a difference it has made for him. Ethan has grown leaps and bounds since he has had his hearing aids. He is taking a more active role in his kindergarten class and is making friends extremely well. The first week that he had his new hearing aids, it was amazing to watch him, because whenever he heard a new noise that he had not heard before, he asked, “What was that noise?”

At one point in time that week, we turned on one of his video games, but the t.v. was not set up properly for it so the white noise was coming out of the t.v. He held his hands to his ears and yelled, “What IS that?! IT’S SO ANNOYING!” We laughed then because, first, we never realized that he couldn’t hear things like that, and second because we were just overly delighted that he heard it for the first time and we got to experience it! One other experience that was incredible to witness was that we looked out the kitchen window to discover Ethan just sitting in the middle of the yard. We wondered what he was doing, but realized as soon as he cocked his head to the left. Ethan was experiencing birds chirp and the wind breezing through the trees for the first time!

Ethan will be going to a special school for deaf children in St. Louis beginning January 2, 2012 until he is caught up. That school will work with his current school to try to get Ethan back into his normal school by the time that he starts first grade in the fall. It has been an absolute whirlwind of new activities with Ethan since he was diagnosed with his hearing disability. We have received so many Blessings, and the biggest Blessing that Ethan has received so far comes from the kindness of your organization.

Ethan loves his hearing aids and would like to thank you for the opportunity and gift to really hear. We also would like to extend to you our great gratitude for this gift. Ethan was such a wonderful little boy before, and the hearing aids that you have gotten for him have allowed him to grow into an even more amazing little boy! There are so many things that we look forward to him doing now that he can hear, and this just gives him a plethora of new opportunities.

Again, we can’t thank you enough for this gift. We hope that you can feel our gratitude towards each of you, and we hope that you all have a very Blessed and Merry Holiday Season!

Sincerely,

The Owens’ Family

Young Variety members hit the ground running

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:40:21 GMT

The newly engaged Raley Curry and Jeff O’Neill are also new members of Young Variety. Neither is from St. Louis, and not only did they want to find a local organization to support, but they wanted to find something they could be involved in together. They found that Young Variety offers the perfect combination of giving back to the community and networking with other young professionals.

Raley and Jeff both work in the baseball world – Raley as a group sales account executive for the St. Louis Cardinals, and Jeff as special event manager and media relations manager for the Gateway Grizzlies. They volunteered at Bikes for Kids this month, and they’re already signed up to serve on the Trivia Night Planning Committee.

Young Variety has welcomed 12 other new members this fall: Amy Bauersache, Laura Bickel, Melissa Cerwin, Becky Claus, Lillian and Shane Cole, Chelsa Everley, Annie Haase, Aaron Hooks, Ryan Howe, Robert Salvino, and Patrick Toohey.

We’re so glad to have them all! We’re working together to better the lives of kids with disabilities, and we can use all the help we can get. If you would like to join Young Variety, simply register online or contact Mollie Francis.

Young Variety event proceeds buy Kyle's bike

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:03:43 GMT

When the Young Variety Board started planning their fall event this year, they decided against a simple social gathering like the wine and beer tastings in previous years. They were looking for an activity that would raise money for a specific cause – and Bowling for Bikes was born.

It turned out to be an incredibly successful day that brought out more than 200 people to socialize while bowling for a cause – something that’s near and dear to so many peoples’ hearts: To buy a child a bike. The chairmen, Nick McGeehon and Courtney Brunsfeld, remember the joy of their first bike, and they knew everyone would jump on board to give that experience to a Variety child.

Bowling for Bikes, held at Tropicana Lanes on Saturday, Nov. 3, raised $2,800 – the perfect amount to purchase a therapeutic bike for Variety Child Kyle. These bikes are custom-made for children who are unable to ride a traditional bike, due to a more involved physical disability.

Kyle was born with spina bifida, a disability caused when the backbone doesn’t fully close, exposing the spinal cord. He received his brand new bike at Variety’s Bikes for Kids program on Dec. 3. Kyle just took off on this special bike, riding for hours after they took it home. It made the unseasonably warm day even more exciting!

Kyle’s mom, Aimee, was so thankful that her son gets to have this experience that’s so typical for a child his age. He can ride around the neighborhood with his family and friends, and just be, well, a kid!

“Words can not express how thankful we are that there are so many people volunteering and donating to such a wonderful charity, for all the girls and boys with disabilities," Aimee said. "It means so much to us.”

Thanks to everyone who bowled for Kyle’s bike, and we look forward to seeing you all at future Variety events! To see photos from Bowling for Bikes, click here.

Is that your final answer?

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 19:45:39 GMT

Rich Gould and Melanie Moon of KPLR 11 got that question a lot on Nov. 30, as they competed on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” on behalf of Variety. The game show chose KPLR 11 to participate in their “Play it Forward” program, in which news anchors from all over the country compete on the show for a great cause – to raise money for a charity in their home town.

Rich and Melanie made it to the fourth question and won $5,000 for Variety! We are so thankful to be their charity of choice. Thanks for cheering them on as they raised money for Variety kids!

Dreams will come true tomorrow

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 19:09:38 GMT

In less than 24 hours, magic will be in the air at the University of Missouri – St. Louis. More than 200 volunteers will watch and cheer as 230 local kids’ dreams come true, right before their eyes. Each child will receive a brand new bike of his or her very own at our annual Bikes for Kids event. The bikes will range from tricycles for the smallest recipients, to larger two-wheelers, to therapeutic bikes for kids who, due to varying disabilities, are unable to ride a traditional bicycle.

We all remember learning to ride our first bike, right? Teetering down the sidewalk while your mom, dad or older sibling held on to the back of your seat…and the thrill of pedaling those first few feet on your own? Every child – and parent, actually – dreams of those moments. Variety knows that every child, regardless of ability or situation, deserves that experience.

Children will come from six Variety Partner Agencies to receive 200 traditional bikes. Agencies represented will be Northside Community Center, United Services, Central Institute for the Deaf, Hyde Park Outreach, Crider Health Center and William Bedell ARC.

Simultaneously, 30 Variety kids with more involved physical disabilities will try out their custom-made therapeutic bikes that will allow them to get out of their houses – and for many, out of their wheelchairs – and go for a bike ride with family members and friends. These special bikes cost $1,500 to $3,000 and are made by Creative Mobility.

Bikes for Kids is made possible by generous sponsors, including the David Lichtenstein Foundation, World Wide Technology, Bunzl, Interco Charitable Foundation, St. Louis Rams, SITE Improvement Association, Young Variety and Helmets First.

Want to help us buy more bikes? Click here to donate to the Bikes for Kids program.

AT&T and Variety help Aaron find his voice

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 17:32:18 GMT

In this season of Thanksgiving, we all ponder what we’re most grateful for in our lives. Aaron doesn’t have to think very hard to find his answer. At 7 years old, Aaron, who deals with autism, developmental delay and expressive language disorder, just found his voice. It comes in the way of a Vantage Light communication device – a $7,755 piece of equipment provided by Variety.

“It’s just wonderful to see a child who has no language – no voice – tell me he wants pretzels or cookies, or he wants to go outside,” said Aaron’s mom, Beth. “Before, it was a guessing game when he needed something. This truly gives him a voice. It is an absolute gift.”

Variety is pleased to announce that this device is funded by a new initiative with AT&T called “Access Your Voice.” AT&T has committed $25,000 to the program, which will provide Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices to children with physical and mental disabilities throughout the year. These devices range from software that can be loaded onto a family’s iPad, costing about $200, to highly sophisticated eye-gaze devices controlled by direct vision in one or both eyes. The latter type of equipment is for those with limited use of their hands, and can cost as much as $15,000. Variety works directly with a child’s physician and/or therapist to obtain a prescription for the appropriate device. Once Variety has purchased the equipment, Health Services Director Diane Gruszka stays in close contact with the family to monitor the child’s progress.

Over the years, AT&T and its employees have gifted more than $1.5 million to Variety, helping St. Louis children with disabilities reach their full potential. AT&T has been an enduring source of vision and leadership for Variety, as three former company presidents have served as president of the Variety Board of Directors. AT&T employees have also supported Variety with their volunteer efforts, particularly by staffing the Variety Telethon phone bank for nearly 40 years.

“Keeping people and their families connected to the ones they love is at the core of everything we do at AT&T,” said John Sondag, president of AT&T Missouri. “These communication devices are more than just technology – they are a lifeline. We are proud to support Variety in helping even more local children, like Aaron, find their voice.”