Families Together

serving families who have children with disabilies

Case for Support

Who We Are
Families Together is a non-pro&t organizaon that o(ers programs,
events and support for disabled children and their families on the
Palouse. We believe family involvement and support are essenal for
individuals with disabilies to reach their potenal and maintain a
healthy lifestyle. Our programs are designed to build and sustain
strong, health, informed and acvely-involved family members who
can work together to improve the lifelong outcomes for their child or
sibling with a disability.
2016 marks the 30th anniversary of Families Together. Since our
organizaon was created in 1986, Families Together has reached
more than 1.600 families during Family Enrichment Weekends, led
800 parent support meengs, provided online webinars on behavior
management for more than 1,000 parents and teachers naon-wide,
and has created a strong supporve community through year-round
recreaonal and educaonal acvies.

Mission Statement
Families Together is a
nonpro&t organizaon that
believes family involvement
and support are essenal
for individuals with
disabilies to reach their
potenal and maintain a
life that is secure and
meaningful. Families
Togethers programs are
designed to build and
sustain strong, healthy,
informed, and acvely
involved family members
who can work together to
improve the lifelong
outcomes for their child or
sibling with a disability.
There is a plan and a
purpose, a value to every
life, no maer what its
locaon, age, gender or
disability.
- Sharron Angle
President of the Naonal
Federaon of Republican
Assemblies

leading the Palouse community toward

a stronger and beer understanding of
acceptance and posive living
Our Achievements

Since its start in 1986, Families Together has reached more than 1,600
families during Family Enrichment Weekends, led 800 parent support
meengs, provided online webinars on behavior management for more
than 1,000 parents and teachers naon-wide, as well as phone and online
support for families in di9cult situaons, and has created a community
through year-round recreaonal and educaonal acvies.
From 1999 to 2007, Families Together reached Nave American parents
of disabled children on a naonal level through what was called the
Parent Training and Informaon Project. Within the same me frame,
Families Together touched eastern Washington through the Community
Parent Resource Project.
Other accomplishments include working with the Washington Arc Trust
Fund to evaluate The Some of Life, an educaon program for adults with
disabilies regarding transions, and Good Friends and Advocates, to
culvate an understanding in non-disabled third-grade students about
disabled peers. Families Together was also a proud co-sponsor of a threeyear U.S. Department of Educaon grant purposed for the
encouragement of self-determinaon in high school students.

We Believe:

Family learning and recreaon will bene&t all family members and
strengthen family unity.
Full parcipaon of individuals with disabilies enriches all families and
communies.
People with disabilies need involved family members to advocate and
support them to live, work, and fully parcipate in their community.
Non-disabled siblings need support and informaon to assist them in
advocang and supporng their brother or sister with a disability as
children and as adults.
Families need ongoing informaon and training in advocang for high
quality educaon and career training opportunies.
Providing families with resources and supports that build and maintain
strong, healthy, informed, and acvely involved family members who can
work together to improve the life-long outcomes for their child or their
sibling with a disability.

Tesmonials:
Mother from Moscow
talking about Lunch and
Learn program:
It was good to meet
parents with good advice
and resources.
Mother from Colfax, WA:
Families Together was my
lifeline to sanity when I
didnt know where else to
turn 10 years ago. It sll is
today.
Parent from Moscow, ID
[Its} a nice event that puts
things together and for
families are dealing with
disabilites and more.
Mother from Clarkston, WA
referring to the Lunch and
Learn program:
I learn something new
every me I come!
Parent from Moscow, ID
referring to Outreach
phone call:
I am sooo grateful for
telling me about the Act
Early Waiver for my
daughter.Thank you
again.
Parent from Moscow, ID
talking about the Basketball
Camp:
This was a wonderful
event. My son loved it. Well
organized, Sharks were
great. Good me!

Programs and Events

When the organizaon began, Families Together put on enrichment

weekends that were designed to build a community and form stronger
bonds between children with disabilies and their parents. These
weekends were full of various acvies and fun events that brought
Palouse members together to learn more about each other and to learn
how to further encourage posive living with disabilies. These events
were wildly successful and received wonderful feedback. However,
when the recession hit in 2008, Families Together lost the federal grant
that they used to fund these weekends. Since they were such eventbased and diverse programs, the weekends cost roughly $25,000. AEer
losing the grant, Families Together hasnt been able to even come close
to raising enough money to recreate these e(ecve and fun-&lled
weekends.
Today, Families Together hosts a variety of programs and events.
Recently, a basketball camp was held for children with disabilies in
which they got to interact and learn from players from the local AAU
team. Another hit have been the theatre acng classes, for which the
organizaon has partnered with Arsts Striving to End Poverty (ASTEP).
Besides for merely the fun of geHng to play around in a theatre
environment, these classes also are great for providing the children with
a safe place to try new things and be themselves without worrying
about being embarrassed, as well as allow for the repeated pracce of
important life skills, such as conversing and reading body language.
This April, the organizaon is implemenng what it hopes to be an
annual Walk and Roll Disability Awareness Event. It will consist of a walk
on a paved jogging trail to promote awareness, networking and
fundraising. There will be snacks, music, cheerleaders and vendor
booths for parcipants to enjoy. All members of the community are
urged to parcipate, and other nonpro&ts will be in aendance for
support and spreading the message of disability awareness.

Walk and Roll

Disability Awareness
Event:
Saturday, April 16,
2016
3:00PM
City Play&elds
Pullman, WA
820 SE South Street

Our Need for Funds

Families Together is small but has the potenal for large growth with
proper support. Right now, the organizaon is ran enrely by two people
and is dependent on grants, fundraising and occasional donaons to
fund its events and programs. Sll, these donaons and grants arent
enough for all the goals to be met. This issue has gone as far as
employees having to pay out of pocket to help with funding.
When the organizaon puts on an event or tries to implement a
program, there are many variables involved when it comes to paying for
them. Facilies need to be secured; snacks and supplies are necessary at
many events and oEen mes care providers need to be on-site to take
care of the children, especially when parents are involved as well but at a
di(erent site in learning acvies. For example, as Families Together
aempts to put on the parenng classes in the fall, a space to host these
classes is needed as well as adequate childcare service for when the
parents are in the classes and not able to look aEer their children.

A Call to Acon

Providing for children with disabilies and helping them live healthy
lives should not only be considered a responsibility of the families, but
of our community as a whole. Every community members supporve
role is important. With further donaons and grants awards as well as
increased and connued community support, Families Together can
connue to grow and serve the Palouse. With addional funding, the
organizaon will be able to address more families and connue to create
more events and program that focus on the building of a strong
community, as well as further their mission to lead the Palouse
community toward a stronger and beer understanding of acceptance
and posive living.

Contact Families Together:

P.O. Box 9323
Moscow, ID 83843
Toll free: 1-866-326-4864
Phone: 208-874-7891
Fax: 509-335-7339
Moscow oce:
Denise Wetzel
denise@familiestogether.org
Pullman oce:
Karen Nelson
Karen@familiestogether.org