Is Your Baby Stressed Out?
Much research has shown that many parents (48%) believe that stress or stressful situations do not affect their baby before they turn one. This is actually not the case. Babies can often interpret and feel stress as early as one month old according to many studies. What are some signs that a baby might be […]
Powerhouse Team is Mission-Driven
“Did you know that approximately 10% of Rainbows’ revenue comes from fundraising efforts? These funds are crucial to carrying out our mission, as without our amazing donors and community partners we wouldn’t be able to serve the children. Vice President of Development Kelsi Hinshaw and the others on our Development team are dynamic – smart, […]
Mother’s career inspires teacher
“At a young age I fell in love with a career serving children who have special needs,” said Mary May, Assistant Teacher. “I watched my mother teach and help students growing up. I would volunteer and help her in any way that I could. I saw how much of a difference she made in their […]
Letting Brayden Fail, With Love
Twenty-six-year-old Brayden is the biggest KU basketball fan you’ll ever meet. He is very sport-oriented, enjoys golfing with his dad and uncle and has played tournaments with them. This summer, Brayden and his mom, DeAnne attended Rainbows’ 50th Birthday celebration at the Wind Surge baseball game. Brayden has been part of the Rainbows’ family since […]
Building Strong and Positive Bonds
Children learn about the world around them through positive parent-child/teacher-child relationships. As they grow and change, they look to their parents/teachers to determine whether they are safe, secure, and loved. This also prompts how they will build their future relationships. A secure attachment leads to healthy social, emotional, cognitive, and motivational development. Children can gain […]
Fashion, Talent and Arts Shows, and Field Trips, Too
Camp Woodchuck’s 50th Birthday-themed summer camp wrapped up a successful summer serving 36 youth, ages 6-21 years old, in an In-Home camp experience. This summer, Rainbows’ Direct Support Professionals provided children each week with a variety of hands-on structured activities and took them out into the community for field trips and special activities. The youth […]
Support Through Challenges Brings Confidence
Cheyenne Hancock, Direct Support Professional, joined the Rainbows’ team in June of 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. “It was all very new and nerve-racking to me,” said Cheyenne. “Everyone was having a hard time adjusting to the change, especially the kids, but during that first summer I got a lot of compliments […]
Building Meaningful Relationships
In May 2022, Ashley Burris graduated with her Master of Arts in teaching degree from Kansas State University. She also holds an undergraduate degree from Sterling College in Business Ministry (2019). Ashley joined Rainbows in June as a Camp Woodchuck direct support professional. “I truly just love the work Rainbows does and was excited to […]
Meet Carrie, a social butterfly
Carrie and her twin-sister Abigail were born at 29 weeks and due to their rough delivery, both had Grade II Bi-Lateral bleeds. Abigail’s corrected itself, but Carrie’s graduated to a Grade IV and caused her to develop Hydrocephalus which led to a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy. A very happy, almost 16-year-old teenager, Carrie (who has […]
Pete’s Got a Good Life
Peter, the third son born to Nancy and Ed Hampel was not progressing like their older boys. When he was 3 months old, their doctor diagnosed Peter with cerebral palsy and multiple severe developmental delays. Peter began receiving speech, physical and occupational therapies through St. Francis hospital. Nancy’s sister, Connie, had worked at Rainbows United […]
