February 2017 See page 6 for more information
Shevat/Adar 5777 • February 2017
Young Jewish Toledo Soirée to benefit Ahava program By Emily Gordon
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Artist dedicates window
Cayden and Max Greenblatt celebrate Hanukkah vides and is intended to provide,” Denise Greenblatt said. “Federation is building onto what Friendship Circle is doing. The fact that Federation recognizes that there’s a gap there and are reaching out to deliver a service is great. There are so many financial stresses of having a child with special needs that can be alleviated with just a little bit of help.” Portions of the Greenblatts’ 2016 Ahava scholarship went toward Cayden’s Gliding Stars fees, as well as the costs of mileage and accommodation when the family travels to health conferences and long-distance specialist appointments. It also helped pay for educational iPad apps that teach Cayden about social situations. Raising a child with special needs requires the whole family to make adjustments, she said. “We have often had to wake Max up early and drag him out of bed to go sit in waiting rooms at Cayden’s appointments, sometimes taking him with us to Columbus to see a specialist,” Denise Greenblatt said. “Sometimes this happens during Max’s vacation time, or when there are things he wants to do with us that we can’t do because we’re busy doing stuff with Cayden.” For some families who have children with special needs, home is a place they can’t be for long periods of time, Mark Greenblatt added. “We were very fortunate that, when Cayden was sick, he could be treated for most everything he had at Toledo Children’s Hospital and we could go home every night because we lived so close by,” he said. “Not everyone is that lucky. There are hidden costs for families to stay near their children when they are hospitalized, like paying for
hotel rooms and missing work for multiple appointments.” Flexible work schedules and additional family support helps the Greenblatts, but not every parent is lucky enough to have either, he added. Because of their experiences raising Cayden over the last decade, the Greenblatts often think about other families raising children with special needs and are committed to “paying it forward” by sharing their story.
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Story time
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Preschool registration begins
They previously served as an ambassador family for March of Dimes several years ago, and Denise Greenblatt has been a board member ever since. She is also a member of Toledo Children’s Hospital Family Advisory Council. Mark Greenblatt is a Foundation board member, has served six years on the Ohio Developmental Disabilities Council, currently serves on the Toledo Lucas County Commission on Disabilities, and is chairman of Toledo’s AuBenefit continued next page
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As chairpersons for the Young Jewish Toledo Annual Soirée, Mark and Denise Greenblatt are gearing up for an unforgettable evening. But it won’t just be the glitz and glamour of the Great Gatsby-themed March 4 event that will be memorable for the local couple. The parents of Cayden, 10, and Max, 6, will speak to Soirée guests about their experiences raising a child with special needs. Their oldest son was a “micropremie,” born at 24 weeks, Mark Greenblatt said. He spent 81 days in the neonatal intensive care unit and had meningitis three times before he was 18 months old. “Cayden had a 50 percent chance of survival at birth, and of those who survive, about half typically have a disability. He has several hidden disabilities,” Mark Greenblatt said. The Greenblatts didn’t know if Cayden would ever be able to walk, but he did at 20 months, his father said. They also didn’t know how he would perform academically, but the fourthgrader receives straight-A's. “We feel very fortunate that he is getting phenomenal grades,” Mark Greenblatt said. The bright boy who loves performing in theater productions and ice skating in Gliding Stars, a local adaptive ice skating program, is thriving as a result of multiple therapies, specialists, and other resources received throughout his lifetime. However, the support Cayden and all children with disabilities need to meet their fullest potential have big costs, he said. That’s why his parents are advocates for Federation’s Ahava program. T h e A h a v a p ro g r a m , w h i c h launched in 2016, offers families raising children with special needs an annual scholarship of up to $1,500 to put toward the cost of their children’s therapy, equipment, and other helpful resources, as well as continuing education for their parents. Federation and Toledo Jewish Community Foundation Supporting Organizations support a third of the budget of Friendship Circle, a collaborative program of the Federation and Chabad that provides programs and inclusion to children with special needs, their families, and teen volunteers. “Friendship Circle is wonderful, and Cayden loves it. He thinks it’s so cool. But for the families, there’s so much time, energy, out-of-pocket costs, and stress that comes with raising a child with special needs that goes above and beyond what Friendship Circle pro-