Fearfully & Wonderfully Made | Caregiver Support

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

About our Ministry

Ascension’s Fearfully And Wonderfully Made group is for parents and caregivers of family members with special needs. Our group provides a safe place to discuss struggles, celebrate joys, learn together and build fellowship in our community.

Our namesake comes from Psalm 139:13-14
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (NIV)

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, August 18th, 2024
Description: Mike and Terri Kern started the St. Joseph Cupertino Program at Benedictine College. The goal of St. Joseph Cupertino (SJC) program is to improve access to education for students with disabilities in the Catholic community, and to engage students with disabilities who might not otherwise find access to a college experience.
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.

Upcoming Meetings

Date: Sunday, September 15th, 2024
Description: More details coming…
Time: 6:30PM
Location: St. Luke Room
Please include the Childcare section
Childcare: Childcare provided in the church nursery during the meeting, for walking children age 1 and older. Contact Jim Hamilton with questions.

Date: Sunday, October 20th, 2024
Description: Since 1987, Lois Bakely Ferguson has worked with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) populations. As a sibling of a brother with microcephaly and a sister with Down Syndrome, working in direct support roles, supervisory roles and in Targeted Case Management (TCM) for 27 years prior to coming to the Community Developmental Disabilities Organization (CDDO) last year as a resource specialist. Lois will review the main functions of the CDDO with a highlight on the eligibility process and the waiting list for services. Intake process, services of the IDD waiver, the crisis/exception process for accessing services and a discussion about Johnson County affiliate providers will also be presented. In addition, there will be time to ask about specific resources for your child/family member.
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.

Past Speakers and Topics

Amy Allison: Executive director of The Farmer’s Hous e
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.