All in the Family: When a Diagnosis Leads to a Family Business or Nonprofit – Part V

When life hands you a dilemma, make dilemmonade! How do you turn frustration, loneliness, feelings of helplessness, and information overload into something positive?

As part of our “From Diagnosis to Direction” theme this year, KE highlights several families who are making lemonade from their often frustrating experiences with raising learning-challenged children. In the attempt to help other parents save time and personal energy, several metro Atlanta moms have started organizations that help disseminate and navigate the overwhelming amount of available information. One mom, Elaine Taylor Klaus, has started a family support coaching practice, which helps families work through the day-to-day challenges of homework, chores, time to recreate, and “me” time for parents. Our own Beth McGaw recounts her own experience of needing a ”clearing house” for vital information and therefore starting Kids Enabled magazine.

Part V – Kids Enabled

by Beth McGaw

I was never one to just sit and wait for others to accomplish what I could go ahead and do myself; I was never shy of taking the lead. This can be a blessing and a curse. I’ve been a room mom, volunteer coordinator, Cub Scout leader, carpool planner, Bunco organizer, and party planner just to name a few. If I wanted my child in a playgroup, I started one. If I wanted to read more, I started a book club. If the neighborhood needed more social activities, I planned pot lucks, picnics, and games.

Obviously I was never a “drop my child off and let the school handle it” kind of parent either. When my third child was diagnosed with a variety of learning challenges, I took action. When heading into parent-teacher meetings and IEP conferences, I was always armed with my notebook of test results, past IEP reports, and samples of my child’s school and homework. Having this well-informed and closely monitored relationship with the public school system worked until the third grade. Then I realized we needed outside help to keep my son moving forward. It was at that time I became frustrated with trying to navigate through the endless information about therapists, treatments, tutors, and support systems. How do I pick the right path for my son? How do I educate myself so that I can make informed choices?

Here’s where my cup-of-coffee story about Kids Enabled starts. One day, I met my friend Kristi Lockwood, who also had a son with learning differences, at a local coffee shop to share our struggles with helping our kids. Kristi was a long-time Atlanta resident and was a fountain of knowledge about the different therapies available (many that were new to me) and where to find them in Atlanta. It upset me that I had perceived myself as an “informed parent,” when, in reality, I was missing a lot of critical information.

That’s when the idea of Kids Enabled was born. I asked Kristi what she did before her son came along, and she said she was a journalist. Call it divine intervention or another crazy take-the-lead idea, but I knew at that moment that I had to find a way to help other parents (and myself) get the information they needed and then learn how to navigate through the maze of options. Together Kristi and I created Kids Enabled magazine, which combined treatment-focused articles with a categorized resource directory. The goal was to create a “one-stop” publication where parents could effectively sift through information to find those resources that were relevant to their child’s unique learning needs. As the magazine took off, it was encouraging and amazing to meet so many respected Atlanta professionals who had the heart and experience to help families see success!

Kids Enabled is now 7-years old and we have really grown! We transitioned from traditional print format to digital so that we could offer even more articles, tips, and resources for parents. We started offering hands-on informational workshops to the community. Our biggest event has been the Kids Enabled Resource Fair that brings together businesses (therapy clinics, schools, camps, and treatment specialties) all under one roof. One of our greatest accomplishments was our 501 (c)(3) status given in 2009. And we joined the social media revolution in 2011 with Facebook and Twitter.

My journey to create a successful resource publication for parents also brought personal transformations for me as well. It’s the people in the community that have touched me in so many ways. It sounds cliché, but it does “take a village” to raise a child with special needs, no matter how small or large a task that need may be. But I also found how important it is to not be afraid to share your story. I have had many parents share their story with me, and it has helped me realize that I am not alone. Every time I hear another parent’s story, I feel that same passion I had when I started Kids Enabled.

Although you may not be a “take the lead” person like me, your story of parenting a child with special needs is a critical resource for other parents. Don’t be shy about sharing your experience and knowledge through whatever format is best for you. And thank you for listening to my story!

Beth McGaw is the founder and currently Executive Director of Kids Enabled Inc. She lives in Dallas, Texas with her husband and youngest son who have been a great support to her and the Kids Enabled organization.