Vera is a sweet 9 year old girl with an ultra-rare disease. She loves to dance, attend birthday parties, and go to the beach. Sadly her condition affects every aspect of her life. In order to achieve improvements she needs constant therapies. Thanks to the Sharing Hope Children’s Therapy Foundation, Vera received the therapies she needed! While she was laughing, dancing, and playing with the therapists; she was also improving. Now she is using her AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) device allowing her to communicate her needs. She is also improving her motor skills. The Sharing Hope Children’s Therapy Foundation gave Vera the huge opportunity to receive OT and Speech therapy to help her communicate and be more independent.

The importance of early intervention cannot be understated! When children with unique developmental needs receive supportive services at an early age, it can completely change their life’s trajectory. I have been working with children and families for over 20 years, and have seen firsthand how high-quality, intensive services can positively impact a child’s outcome.

Many families in our community struggle to pay for these much-needed services for their children, but the DiMarco family and their foundation, Sharing Hope, are changing that - not only by funding services for children in need, but also by raising awareness around autism spectrum disorder.

I have witnessed children receive services funded by the Sharing Hope Children’s Therapy Fund, and have been deeply touched by their positive responses to intervention. The foundation hopes to reach many more children and families, but will need our help to identify families in need and donate to the cause.