“This is where you need to be.”
“This is who you’ll need to pick up.”
“This is what you’ll feed them precisely at 6:30.”
A year ago Doug and Kellie Conde found that their only communication was around schedules. As parents of a 6 year old son, Brandon, with special needs, they found they had become prisoners to a schedule that kept Brandon’s symptoms under control. Unfortunately, this came at a price.
Doug and Kellie found that they had lost track of themselves as a couple. There was no “How was your day honey?” or “Let’s go grab a bite to eat tonight”. Instead they were living a highly structured life that revolved around Brandon’s schedule, leaving no time for them to interact as a couple.
All until they found All in Need.
Through All in Need’s monthly Respite program, Doug and Kellie have an enriching environment to leave Brandon in while they have a few hours to escape an exhausting reality.
“Without All in Need it was really hard to have adult conversations,” says Doug. “There’d be this mental timer and no matter where we were in conversation, we’d have to check on him every two minutes to make sure he was OK.”
Now, while Brandon (and sometimes his sister Karly) are at Respite, Doug and Kellie can relax.
“Before All in Need, we really hadn’t gone out as a couple since Brandon was an infant,” says Kellie. “Even with family willing to help, we found that we just weren’t comfortable asking people for that help.”
Doug and Kellie really enjoy the fact that Brandon is having just as much fun as them in those precious Respite hours.
“It’s not just the parents that need a break,” says Kellie. “The kids need a break from us too.” Brandon used to be completely focused on animals. As a result of his time with All in Need, he’s now learning to embrace building with Legos® as well.”
It puts Doug and Kellie at ease to know that he’s in an environment he enjoys and is broadening his horizons at the same time.
“It’s funny,” says Kellie, “there’s really nothing more exciting to us than going out for a completely non-eventful, early, normal dinner. And it’s all thanks to All in Need.”
All in Need needs your help!
With your support, we can find more families like Doug and Kellie’s to help. This email kicks off our first ever Annual Giving Campaign for the 2015-16 school year. Our plan this year is to continue providing an enriching curriculum for the children that attend Respite and to increase the number of families we’re able to serve.
We are hoping we can count on your support. Your contribution is fully tax-deductible and several payment options are available. We appreciate all donations and recognize all our contributors. Our success depends on the generosity of the community.