Thank you to the Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region for their generous $10,000 grant in support of SOAR Fox Cities’ Health Education and Violence Prevention of Women with Disabilities Series!
Violence against women with disabilities is a hidden epidemic, and our community unfortunately is not immune. We at SOAR are working hard to end this unacceptable reality with a twofold program empowering both women with disabilities and the wider community with education, resources, and support.
The first facet of this program is a Women’s Education series for teenage and adult women with disabilities that help them become better self-advocates as they grow to understand their rights and recognize signs of abuse. In addition to educating women with disabilities on how to protect and advocate for themselves, we offer Community Education presentations both for the community at large and for specific groups most likely to interact with survivors. These presentations bring awareness to the increased vulnerability of women with disabilities to violence, abuse, and assault, improve the response to women with disabilities who report, and help create allies in the community that can recognize signs of abuse.
We are so grateful for the continued support of the Women’s Fund for the Fox Valley Region for this program and women with disabilities in our community. Together we are creating change and ending violence against women with disabilities!
Thank you to the NxG Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region for their $1,000 grant in support of SOAR Fox Cities’ Youth Program!
SOAR Fox Cities Youth Program includes Kidz Klub and Teen Stop; after school programs for elementary and middle schoolers, Teens and Transitioning Youth; a program for high schoolers, KITE Kamp; a summer day camp for youth ages 6-16, and in-School Activity Days; events brought to students in the classroom. Programs provide fun team-building and problem-solving activities to help youth with and without disabilities develop life skills, make friends, and teach the values of inclusion, understanding, and acceptance. Together with the NxG Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region we continue providing youth of all abilities opportunities to build relationships, try new things, increase their confidence levels, and have fun, even amidst a pandemic. We are so grateful for their support!
Thank you to the Dora Hansen Charitable Trust for their $2,500 grant in support of SOAR Fox Cities’ Youth 3-12 Program!
SOAR Fox Cities Youth 3-12 program teaches social skills, builds relationships, and fosters values of acceptance, understanding, and inclusion in elementary and middle school youth with and without disabilities. This program includes Kidz Klub and Teen Stop, after school programs for elementary and middle school youth respectively, in-school Activity Days, and our summer day camp K.I.T.E. Kamp. We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to the Dora Hansen Charitable Trust for their support of this program, ensuring all children have the opportunity to build relationships, skills, and self-esteem though extra-curricular programs!
SOAR Fox Cities offers a Community Education Program!
Our staff are passionate about our mission and working to create inclusive communities where all people can be actively involved and have opportunities to maximize their potential. We offer presentations for both youth and adults on disability-related topics, and can customize material to meet the specific needs and interests of your group! Some of our standard presentations include-
Kids on the Block: Life-sized puppet performances promoting disability/diversity awareness and educational conversations with elementary school-aged children.
Hands-On DisABILITY Awareness: Educational conversations and interactive activities developing empathy and understanding for peers with differing abilities in middle and high school-aged youth.
General DisABILITY Awareness: Presentations designed to refute stereotypes and help adults better understand people with disabilities.
Corporation Presentations: Presentations that provide businesses with knowledge, tools, and skills to better serve customers with disabilities.
Employment First Presentations: Presentations that highlight the benefits of hiring people with differing abilities and answer questions about creating diverse workforces.
First Responder Presentations: Presentations that teach first responders how to recognize characteristics of intellectual and developmental disabilities and learn strategies for better assisting people with disabilities in emergencies.
SOAR 101: An overview of SOAR Fox Cities including our history, mission, programs, and services to learn how we ‘Empower People with Differing Abilities’!
We also recently launched a NEW program around Traumatic Brain Injury and offer two presentations on the topic:
Traumatic Brain Injury 101: Presentations about Traumatic Brain Injuries and their causes, symptoms, and impacts.
Traumatic Brain Injury Accommodations: Presentations that teach techniques for working with and identifying survivors of Traumatic Brain Injuries, as well as strategies and accommodations to help them be successful!
We would love the opportunity to come and speak at your next event, meeting, or gathering and share our story with you!
For more information or to schedule a presentation, please contact:
Thank you to Pieper Electric, Inc./Ideal Mechanical for their $2,000 grant in support of SOAR Fox Cities’ Special Olympics Program!
The SOAR Fox Cities’ Special Olympics Program provides athletes with differing abilities opportunities to increase their physical fitness and self-confidence through athletic competition. We are the third largest program in the state, offering eight sports for participants to take part in. Participants can join Special Olympics starting at age eight and can continue throughout their lifetime. Some of our athletes have been participating in SOAR Special Olympics for over 40 years! Together with the Pieper Electric, Inc./Ideal Mechanical we are ensuring people of all abilities have opportunities to live strong, active, and healthy lives and pursue their dreams of victory. We are so grateful for their support!
Thank you to the Capital Credit Union Charitable Giving Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley for their $2,000 grant in support of SOAR Fox Cities’ Adult Education Program!
Education is power, and SOAR Fox Cities’ Adult Education Program works to empower people with differing abilities through the development of new skills and the acquisition of knowledge. This program helps adults with disabilities live safer, healthier, and more independent lives through courses like healthy cooking, household chores, personal safety, public transportation, time management, and financial literacy. The support from generous foundations like the Capital Credit Union Charitable Giving Fund within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region makes offering this program a reality. We look forward to another great year of learning in 2020 thanks to their support!
