During the month of December, We-Care.com has teamed up with The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (theGSF) and the National Autism Association to empower children with SMA and Autism by granting them iPads. But they need our support. We can help by shopping online this holiday season through We-Care.com and selecting iCan: Empowering Kids with Autism and SMA as our Cause of the Month.
iPads have changed the lives of children with disabilities. With the help of therapists and parents, kids with special needs can communicate basic needs and wants, perform activities of daily living and even draw or write for the first time.
Gina Navani is the Director of Operations at We-Care.com, a unique, online shopping mall that incorporates donating into people’s everyday lives. Mommy Tech Bytes caught up with her to learn more about how readers can support this cause.
MTB: Can you tell readers a bit about how We-Care works to support different causes?
GN: In general, when you use We-Care.com to shop, book travel, or do taxes online, or if you sign up for a service like a matchmaking site, or movie rental site online, We-Care’s technology takes a portion of what is being spent and donates it to your favorite charity automatically and without any extra cost. With over 2,700 stores participating, it’s amazing how much these donations can add up, even for people who don’t often shop online.
MTB: What is the December “Cause of the Month”?
GN: A lot of people come to our site and don’t know what cause to support with their shopping. Our Cause of the Month highlights a particular charity or project and serves as a suggestion for new users who can’t decide. In the month of December, We-Care will be highlighting the project iCan: Empowering Kids with Autism and SMA.
MTB: What was your inspiration for featuring this cause?
GN: Two of our partnered organizations, theGSF and National Autism Association run grant programs to provide kids with iPads. In hearing some of the stories of how lives have been changed with this technology, we saw a need to help them spread the word. For example, a child who could not speak but was able to do a presentation on hippos to her entire class with the help of an iPad — that’s amazing! To think that we can make more stories like that happen by shopping online is simply unbelievable.
MTB: What are your hopes for this campaign?
GN: To provide a lot of kids in need with iPads. If a lot of people like you and me commit to having a portion of all online purchases donated to the project iCan: Empowering Kids with Autism and SMA, we can make that happen. Since there’s no cost involved, this really is a win, win type of deal. At the end of the day, we feel good about helping and the children that we’ve helped feel good about what they are now able to do with this technology.
MTB: How can readers support the cause?
GN: Go to iCan: Empowering Kids with Autism and SMA and follow the download instructions.
MTB: How can readers help spread the word about the campaign?
GN: We’ve found email, Facebook, and blogging to be the most powerful tools for spreading the word about campaigns we’ve run in the past. Sending an email to people who might be interested in helping out, putting up a Facebook post letting friends know about the tool, or blogging about it to provide followers with more information would all be really helpful in making the project a success.
MTB: Where can readers find more information about We-Care?
GN: Our website We-Care.com, or the page dedicated to this project.
MTB: Where can readers find more information about the two partner organizations and other resources / information related to the campaign?
TheGSF provided this list of benefits of iPads to children with SMA:
- Play a piano/guitar again or for the first time
- Draw again or for the first time
- Write again or for the first time
- Communicate basic wants and needs
- Present in a classroom setting (nonverbal children)
- Stay connected to friends and family while in the hospital
- Take their mind off lengthy medical routines
- The iPad has been used as a carrot by therapists to encourage patients to work through physical therapy and other treatments
- Use Skype/Facetime to go to school while in the hospital or from home
- Use an app to actively select what they were going to wear. Instead of relying on a caregiver to chose something for them
- Take notes in college since the light weight of the device doesn’t tire them out.
*To contribute to the We-Care iCan campaign and make this your Cause of the Month, please visit: iCan: Empowering Kids with Autism and SMA
Special thanks to Gina Navani for her contributions to this article. *To get in touch with Ms. Navani, please email her at: gnavani@we-care.com.
Read more:
How iPad App Therapy is Changing Lives of Children with Disabilities.
5 Ways the iPad Helps Children with Disabilities
Please SHARE this post and spread the word to support iCan this month.
Happy Tech Parenting!
Shoshana Stopek (aka Mommy Tech Bytes)
Connect with me on Google+ and Twitter
Children’s Photos Courtesy of the National Autism Association and theGSF.
