Services to People with Disabilities
A Legacy of Commitment
Springfield Rotary has been assisting Clark County residents with disabilities for more than 100 years, with an emphasis on children. Shortly after the Club was founded in 1914, monies were collected and given to the parents of a young, local boy who lost both arms under a train, for the purchase of artificial arms. Thus, began a legacy of commitment in assisting children with disabilities. In 1919, the Club appointed its first “Crippled Children Committee” which continues today as the Office of Services to People with Disabilities.
(Photograph courtesy of the Clark County Historical Society archives.)
Focus of Assistance
Clark County children with physical, developmental or intellectual disabilities are Springfield Rotary’s first priority and then Clark County adult residents with permanent physical, developmental or intellectual disabilities. Disabilities are defined as life-long, permanent disabilities. A limited amount of funding is available for adults who have physical disabilities only. We offer financial assistance to families in need of items not covered by private insurance or through government agencies, and we will assist with co-pays. We are not able to assist children who have foster care placement outside of Clark County.
If other agencies are dedicated to a specific type of assistance, referrals to those agencies should be made first. If they are denied by those agencies or if there is a time constraint which requires immediate action, we will consider those requests also.
Services
Client Services
Springfield Rotary provides financial assistance to children for orthopedic shoes, braces, prosthetics, wheelchairs, wheelchair ramps, lifts, adaptive equipment, devices to improve mobility and communication, adaptive devices, therapy equipment, vision/loss of hearing assistance, adaptive devices to improve scholastic performance, bath chairs, bath rails, adaptive toilets, wheelchair adaptation to vans, limited medical services and supplies are some examples of our funding.
Grants-to-Teachers
Springfield Rotary is proud to support faculty of multi-disability classrooms in Clark County Ohio. The grants enable educators to enhance their students’ learning experience that their schools or school districts cannot provide.
Community Commitment
Springfield Rotary reaches out by interacting with other Clark County agencies to provide needed financial assistance, including supporting programs of other organizations that benefit those with disabilities. We are proud to support the certified therapeutic riding program at The Riding Centre in Yellow Springs, Ohio. We also serve as a referral service for requests outside our guidelines.
Summer Enrichment Financial Aid
Providing the opportunity to have this valuable experience has been a priority for Springfield Rotary since 1926. In a fun setting adapted to their abilities, children are encouraged to learn new skills while forming new friendships. Funds are available for any summer enrichment day or residential program both in and outside Clark County. Financial aid applications are provided to Developmental Disabilities of Clark County Service Support Administrators in March and funds are generally depleted by mid-May. Applications are also available from our Services to People with Disabilities office.
Dream Soccer
Springfield Rotary collaborates with Springfield Thunder Soccer Club, Special Olympics Clark County, and National Trail Parks & Recreation District to provide a community-based program for children, teens and young adults with disabilities to learn to play soccer. Ages 5 years to young adults with permanent physical, developmental and/or intellectual disabilities. The two-week event culminates with a tournament and an awards ceremony where everyone is a winner!
Christmas Party
Springfield Rotary’s signature event is one of Rotary’s oldest, continuous-running, children with disabilities Christmas Parties in the nation! For more than 100 years, we have been hosting children in public, Clark County schools for a holiday lunch and entertainment. The highlight is having a personal audience with Santa Claus himself! Santa personally distributes gifts that are chosen directly from the children’s personal Wish Lists.
Service In Action
Clark County’s 1st Inclusive, Accessible Playground
The Springfield Rotary Club celebrated its 100th anniversary by providing a centennial gift to the community of Clark County’s first, inclusive, accessible playground in centrally-located, historic Snyder Park. The all-sensory playground includes a fragrant, butterfly garden announcing to the blind that the amazing play area is near. The cost of the project and endowment fund to support it was approximately $400,000. Individual Rotarians pledged $129,000, the Springfield Rotary Foundation contributed $50,000 and the remainder of funds were raised by Springfield Rotarians with the Club’s “Help Me Play” campaign securing contributions from local organizations and individuals. The campaign was a huge success and the playground dedication occurred on June 18, 2014. Rotarians and their families, business leaders, local and state political officials, and community members including Clark County families with children with disabilities were in attendance at this historic event for not only our Club but Clark County, as well.
Photo courtesy of the National Trail Parks and Recreation District.
Gammon House Ramp
To commemorate 100 years of Services to People with Disabilities in Clark County, the Rotary Club of Springfield, Ohio was pleased to give to the community at The Gammon House a large, concrete accessible ramp, complete with railings. Groundbreaking of the approximately $43,000 project, fully funded by Springfield Rotary, occurred on September 29, 2020. Construction and completion occurred during the height of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Individuals with disabilities now have access and can experience the rich history of The Gammon House and the important part it played in the Underground Railroad.
Photo courtesy of C&N Contractors.
For More Information
For more information, please contact Rotarian Bonita K. Heeg, Executive Director of our Services to People with Disabilities program. Call (937) 390-8760 or click the button below.