Back to School
When we say “Back to School” you might think of an exciting shopping trip with your kiddos for new clothes and supplies. When families who have kiddos with differing needs hear “Back to School” they may find themselves immediately anxious and stressed dreading the shopping trip that will throw their kiddo into sensory overload.
Kiddos with sensory sensitivities may find shopping trips in general overwhelming. Stores are crowded and there are so many people in their space and it doesn’t feel safe. The fluorescent lights are too bright and can cause heads and eyes to hurt. Often, there are too many options to choose from and it sends tiny brains into overdrive. Sometimes it can take less than 10 minutes for the shopping trip to fail. It can be absolutely exhausting.
To help ease this dreaded shopping trip, Pause hosts an annual Back to School Bash to give families something fun to look forward to at the start of school and to relieve families from shopping for school supplies. Last Saturday, 107 Pause kiddos and caregivers came to We Rock the Spectrum in Cincinnati for kids to have fun in the sensory friendly gym and for caregivers to create visual schedules for the upcoming school year to help their kids adjust to their new school routine.
CAN DO, you made this possible for our Pause families. Special shoutouts to...
83 members of Center Pointe who donated 114 bookbags full of supplies individualized for our kiddos totaling over $5,700! #YouReadThatRight
We Rock the Spectrum in Cincinnati for hosting our event and providing a safe environment for our kiddos! We give you the Pause stamp of approval!
Taylor Singleton and all the volunteers at We Rock the Spectrum!
Our grant funders at Strong Families, Safe Communities (Ohio Department of Mental Health & Addiction Services) & Ohio Children's Trust Fund for making this event possible!
Pause caregivers shared that they felt more understood, valued, included, and supported after attending this event. After receiving her school supplies, a new Pause family said:
“My daughters just LOVED the folders and water bottle! It’s so clear that love went into those bags and it was felt by my family today. We just moved here and I was in tears thinking how many places we’ve lived in the past 5 years and never feeling so welcomed by a community. Ever! Thank you so much and I’m looking forward to paying this forward!!”
You helped them carry their hard. And we think that’s pretty great.
This is CAN DO. This is COMMUNITY. This is YOUR SUPPORT.
