12 Days Of Charitable Giving 2013: Helping Hands Center For Special Needs

It’s the fifth day of our 12 Days of Charitable Giving! In December, I’ll be focusing on twelve charitable organizations that my readers have nominated as most deserving of your charitable donation. You have a couple more weeks to squeeze in your charitable deduction for tax purposes in 2013 – so why not consider one of our twelve?

Today’s featured charity is the Helping Hands Center for Special Needs. Helping Hands Center for Special Needs is a non-profit school and therapy center with the mission to meet the educational and therapeutic needs of children with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Helping Hands Center for Special Needs was founded in 2004 by Erin Nealy and Abby David. Both Nealy and David worked in the autism community in Columbus, Ohio, and recognized the need for more collaborative services for children with developmental disabilities. In 2005, Helping Hands Center (HHC) opened the non-profit Education and Therapy Center offering group and individualized DTI (Discrete Trial Instruction) classrooms as well as individual and group speech therapy, music therapy, occupational therapy, and psychological services.

Today, Helping Hands Therapy Center serves full day HHC students (preschool through 6th grade) as well as outpatient therapy clientele (birth through age 50). The center’s staff of over 20 board-certified therapists works collaboratively with classroom teachers, psychologists, and other professionals to provide an individualized, child-centered treatment plan and work closely with the families to develop IEP and other treatment goals.

The organization has assisted more than 300 children and their families along the journey, described by one parent, as “hopeless to hopeful.” Many of our students come to HHC with little to no language or ability to communicate with their parents and families; their families have never had the opportunity to hear their child say “I love you” or even say “Mama.” After intensive treatment, including individualized therapies and education plans, these children are able to re-enter the world, communicating, and engaging with siblings, families, and the community.

To hear more from families affected by autism, and how Helping Hands Center have helped, check out this video:

So how can you help?

You can make a contribution in any amount online; for convenience, you can schedule your donation as a lump sum or re-occur on a weekly or monthly basis. If you would like to make your donation over the phone instead, contact Carol Argiro, Director of Development, at 614-262-7520 or via email at cargiro@helpinghandscenter.com.
You can also purchase an item on a teacher’s wish list. If you do make an in-kind donation, HHC will provide you will documentation of your donation (always a good idea for your records).

As always, you want to make sure that your donation is going to a qualified charitable organization. A search using the IRS’ Exempt Organizations Select Check reveals that Helping Hands Center is on the IRS list of qualified charitable organizations. To find out more about the work of the organization, check out their website, or like them on Facebook.

Volunteers are also welcome. Volunteers provide a wide range of duties, from office/material preparation to working with infants through 6th graders at HHC. Find out how to volunteer here.

As we go along this month, I encourage you to check out the charities that made our list this year:

Remember, submissions to the 12 Days of Charitable Giving are made by readers and in most cases, I can’t personally vouch for the good work that these folks do. So be generous. But be smart. Do your homework.

For more on the tax considerations in making charitable donations, check out some of these prior posts: