A community of parents and caregivers who come together to share advice, struggles, and the joys of caring for our family members with special needs
Calendar + Upcoming Events
Regular Meeting Dates: The 3rd Sunday of every month
Regular Meeting Time: 6:30PM
Regular Meeting Location: St. Luke Room (unless otherwise noted)
Join us for our Next Meeting!
Date: Sunday, December 15th
Description: Join us at Coach’s for a social! Christmas is a great time to enjoy and catch up with extended family. However, it is also a time of loud parties, new people, and no routine for our loved ones with special needs. Come share tactics for coping with these disruptions. Or come to relax with a group of parents who understand the upcoming challenges.
Time: 6:30PM
Location: Coach’s on 127th & Antioch
Upcoming Meetings
Date: Sunday, January 19th
Description: Becky Meyers is the OT at Ascension Catholic School. She will talk with us about the importance of OT in the school setting and how it differs from clinical OT. She will also share tools and techniques to use at home that will complement that work done in the school.
Time: 6:30PM
Location: St. Luke Room
Childcare: Childcare provided in the church nursery during the meeting, for walking children age 1 and older. Contact Jim Hamilton with questions.with questions.
Date: Sunday, February 19th
Description: Jamie Gold from Inclusion Connections will discuss the work they are doing to facilitate meaningful employment for our adult children with developmental disabilities. Additionally their Belong-KC initiative seeks to create a sustainable community in KC where adults with IDD can choose to live with customized supports.
Time: 6:30PM
Location: St. Luke Room
Childcare: Childcare provided in the church nursery during the meeting, for walking children age 1 and older. Contact Jim Hamilton with questions.with questions.
Past Speakers and Topics
- Lois Bakely Ferguson – Community Developmental Disabilities Organization and the IDD Waiver
- Stephanie Coleman – Kansas LEND program at the University of Kansas Medical Center
- Mike and Terri Kern: St. Joseph Cupertino Program at Benedictine College
- Amy Allison: Executive director of The Farmer’s House
- Bridget Murphy: planning for adulthood for children with special needs
- Debbie and Dcn. Dana Nearmyer: Of St. James, Holy Trinity, and Prairie Star Ranch; Family Camp and the Archdiocesan Special Needs Ministry
- Mike Wasmer: COO of The Council of Autism Service Providers (CASP)
- Kim Hammers: Executive Director of EMBRACE
- Kelly Rose: Vice Principal of ACS
- Ivailo Grigorov: Special needs financial planner
- Carlye Ehman: Medicaid Waiver
- Casey Connealy: Special Needs Trusts
- Kristen Stuppy: Pediatrician; Parenting strategies for kids with ADHD
- Stephen “Doc” Hunsley, M.D.: Executive Director and founder of SOAR Special Needs in Lenexa
- Michael Lynch: Insurance Denials
- Jeremy Didier: parenting kids with ADHD
- Emily Tritz and Brookes Barrack: Directors of Kansas City Developmental Therapies (KCDT)
- Lindsay Krumbholz: from Golden Scoop
- Mitch Kelly: Founder of The Aiden Project
Help a Child with a Disability and their Family
Would you be willing to make a difference in the life of a child with a disability and their family? Parents and advocates from Church of the Nativity, Church of the Ascension and St. Michael the Archangel Parish are joining forces to provide families who have a child with disability a break from caregiving. We need your help with this most needed outreach.
Contact Us
If you have questions or are interested in learning more about this ministry, please reach out!
Jim and Mary Kate Hamilton
marx.mk@gmail.com
816-304-0517 (Mary Kate)
913-387-7577 (Jim)
Links + Resources
*Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act