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Our Parents' Application Process is now
closed for 2008
Your Day Away requests. We thank all of our sponsors for fulfilling the
wishes
of all of our parent applicants throughout the world. If you are a
parent who
wants to apply for 2009 services, please click on the link to "Parents
Apply" and fill out the application.
Across the
world—from
Long Island to Namibia, Dublin to Cairo, Hawaii to Australia, Houston
to South
Africa—on Saturday, November 15, 2008, communities banded together
around
the world to support local families with children with Special Needs
for our
First International Day Away.
Your Day Away™
is a U.S.-based not-for-profit with an international reach that
partners with
organizations, schools, social service providers and parents around the
world
to allow for one day out of the year when parents or guardians with
special-needs children can get away from their daily routines and enjoy
the
recreational, cultural, health & wellness, and gastronomical
opportunities
available in their local communities.
Whether its autism, Tourette’s, Down syndrome, learning,
mood, behavior, eating or other psychological disorders, Fragile X,
cancer, ADHD, mental retardation, rare
genetic diseases, physical disabilities or any other childhood disease
or
disorder, kids with special needs require a lot of attention and
exhaustive
work on the part of their parents and guardians.
Your Day Away™
is a day away from the countless doctor appointments, visits with
therapists,
scheduling medications and tutors, negotiating with teachers and school
districts, hours of helping with homework, attending to physical needs,
or
constantly thinking about the stressful situations special-needs
families often
find themselves in, it is a full-time, and often overwhelming,
job.
There’s a lot
of pressure being a parent or guardian of a child with special needs.
It seems
sometimes it is just hard to stop for a second to take a breath and
relax.
Well, it’s
time for a break.
Your Day Away™
is treating parents and guardians of special needs children to a full
day
off—at spas, health clubs, concerts, movies, museums, makeovers,
shopping
sprees, day trips, yoga classes, sports events, elegant dinners, etc.—
one full day of relaxation and
well-deserved payback for all the hard work they do, all provided free
of
charge by local communities, businesses and organizations.
Parents
will have the opportunity to take a break and be
treated to a day of pampering.
Your Day Away™
kicked off on November 15, 2008, with an international one-day event
that was a
worldwide success. From a spa on Washington state’s Pacific coast to a
spa on
the tip of Long Island’s
Atlantic coast, the November 15th Your Day Away™ fulfilled the wishes
of more
than 600 people around the world. Other special days included a sunset
cruise
in Hawaii; a day of bowling and a movie in Houston; a catered house
party in Dublin
with massage therapists; a night out eating ribs in South Africa; a VIP
visit
at the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science; tickets to see Patti LuPone
in “Gyspy” on Broadway; free doctor visits
and massages for overworked parents in Namibia who never have time for
take care of themselves; a night of comedy in Missouri; an Elton John
concert
in Connecticut; a meet-and-greet with Celine Dion in Kansas City;
tickets for a
performance at Hollywood’s legendary Kodak Theater; a performance of
the Warsaw
Philharmonic at the Tilles Center in New York; a stay at a hot springs
resort
in Montana; a day at the Beirut Hard Rock Café; a stay at a golf
resort on Cape
Cod; a stay-over in a Hyatt suite in Philadelphia for parents of two
autistic
children whose house was foreclosed on that week; a night on the town
in
Madison, Wisconsin; a shopping spree at Target in Indiana; and a day at
a
resort for parents in Egypt while their children rode camels at the
Pyramids.
Yes, the Pyramids. This is just a small sampling of the hundreds of the
days
away enjoyed by our parents. (Please check out the “sponsors”
page to see the extraordinary generosity provided to these
parents). Check out some of our families’ stories in our “Stories”
section.
Described
as “a
Make-a-Wish™ for parents.” Your Day Away™ offers ongoing programs,
services and valuable information and resources for parents and
caregivers of
children with special needs. The November 15, 2008 worldwide event was
the
official kickoff for the daily, ongoing outreach of Your Day Away™
which provides services to
parents of children with special needs throughout the year.
Your Day Away™—a much
appreciated respite for those parents and caregivers who so
deserve a special, unforgettable day for themselves. |
