Easter Seals Southwest Florida Receives $7,000 Grant

SARASOTA, FL – Easter Seals Southwest Florida received a $7,000 grant from Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch to support Project Rainbow.

Project Rainbow provides an in-house respite program that provides temporary relief for families or caregivers of children with disabilities. It provides a safe environment where children can be themselves while parents and caregivers can have some much-needed independence.

Now in its 20th year, Project Rainbow offers respite care in four-hour increments to families of children who are chronically ill, developmentally or physically disabled, or medically fragile. During these periods, trained respite care workers supervise all the children in the home, not just the ones with disabilities.

The program is in desperate need of funding, said Krystal Cook, the director of Project Rainbow and respite care.

“Currently, the program serves 51 families with many still on the waiting list,” Cook said. “The grant money we received from Lakewood Ranch Rotary will allow us to fund respite care for three additional families for one year.”

Chartered in 2001, Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch has grown from 26 members to more than 70. The club has been involved in projects in the community and around the world. It has given more than $1.2 million to support various charitable organizations.

For more information, visit www.EasterSeals-SWFL.Org.

Photos via Easter Seals of Southwest Florida

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