Unique and Wonderfully Made
“Our goal for Sophia is for her know how wonderfully made she is,” said Taylor, Sophia’s mother. Sophia has a very complex and unique medical diagnosis of unbalanced translocation of chromosomes. She has 100 extra Chromosome 7, and 6 deleted from Chromosome 9. She is the only one in medical history to have this mix […]
Pumpkin Guts, Pumpkin Patch, Candy Corn, and a Parade
Halloween at Rainbows is not only fun, it’s educational! Rainbows’ children used their senses to explain what pumpkin guts felt, smelled, looked, and tasted like. After pulling out the pumpkin seeds and letting them dry, the seeds were seasoned with butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar. Chef Ryan then cooked the seeds and the children had […]
Honoring CJ Seitz
“From the moment he was born, CJ was a kind soul,” said Frank Seitz, CJ’s father. CJ was born with the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck, but no evidence of brain damage at the time of his birth. “We thought we had a perfectly normal child,” said Frank. When he was 4 months old, […]
Rainbows Changed Our Lives
“My whole journey started at Rainbows in 1978 when my husband, Walt and I adopted a little 5-day-old boy named Brandon,” said Margaret, Brandon’s mother. “He was just perfect.” As he grew, Margaret became concerned that Brandon was not progressing as quickly as other babies his age, and her sister noticed Brandon wasn’t following with […]
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 […]
Work experience helps granddaughter with autism
When Yolanda Castillo started working at Rainbows in 2000, she didn’t consider the possibility that her experience with children with special needs would someday help her in her family life. “When my granddaughter, Micah Luna, was diagnosed with autism, my experience working with children similar to her allowed me to help her and my son […]
DiGiovanni Family Celebrates
“The path, the journey we’ve been on, it all started at one place -Rainbows.” As a 10-year-old volunteering with her mother at Blarney Breakfast, Gretchen DiGiovanni had no idea the impact Rainbows United would someday have on her family. Gretchen’s parents, Dick and Carol Rohloff, are long-time supporters of Rainbows. Gretchen continued to be a […]
The Power of Potential
“Oh the Places You’ll Go”, the theme for Pre-Kindergarten Graduation 2022, always makes me think of one word – “potential”. Potential, from the Latin potentia “power,” describes something or someone that has the power to become something. As Program Coordinator for Rainbows’ Early Care and Education Program, I’m blessed to have a position that lets […]
Celebration of Learning
The Dolan boys are all members of the Rainbows’ family. Ethan, 7, Austin, 5, Logan, 3 and Braden, 3 months, have spent time in every classroom at Kids’ Point Early Care and Education Program. This year, Austin will graduate from Pre-K and join his brother Ethan at school. The family got connected with Rainbows nearly […]
