Who I am
Hi, my name is Lisa Welfle, and I am an early childhood educator at Early Childhood Alliance, and co-director at Beacon Heights Preschool in Fort Wayne, IN. I'm also the mother of five children, three of whom come from the Philippines and have orthopedic needs (two are missing limbs, and one uses a wheelchair).
My children are very involved in wheelchair sports at their local center for disabled children and adults, Turnstone Center, especially basketball. When I talk frequently with the director of the adoption agency who brought them to me, I keep telling her to tell the Phlippine orphanages about what is available here for children with special needs.
Finally, one day, she said, "Lisa, you tell them."
What I'm doing
I've been invited to speak at the Global Adoption Conference in Manila, The Philippines in August 2013. I'm going to be giving a presentation about wheelchair sports, and other opportunities available to children with physical disabilitiies. Some of the opportunities I'll be talking about:
- wheelchair basketball
- wheelchair tennis
- sled hockey
- power soccer
- dance
There are sports-specific camps all over the nation, and even college scholarships!
I speak from experience: my daughter, 17, is an excellent wheelchair basketball player, and several universities have expressed interest in recruiting her (including two Big 10 colleges!)
I feel called to present at this conference, and let social workers, orphanage directors and staff know that there are many opportunities for physically disabled children in the US.
What I need
While my childrens' agency, Hand-in-Hand will pay my conference fee, I still have to pay for travel expenses, hotel fees, and meals. And that's where you come in!
I'm asking for $2500 to help pay those fees. Your contribution will allow me to share my experiences and those of my children to their homeland and those organizations which cared for them until I met them.
I hope this presentation will bulid awareness and break down barriers preventing people from adopting special needs children.
This will help social workers place children with special needs more frequently and with more confidence.