<a href="https://reecesrainbow.org/childgrant/vera-2" rel="bookmark" title="Details for Vera">Vera

Vera is a delightful young lady with cerebral palsy. She is known for her wild hair and love of dancing!

Vera receives PT, being stretched and working on maintaining different positions. Her therapist helps bring her to a sitting position and they work on balance. Sometimes Vera is cooperative and engaged and sometimes she rolls her eyes and refuses to take part, which makes us laugh! Vera’s caregivers help her with all her acts of daily living.

Vera’s very favourite thing to do is dance. When a song comes on that she loves, she giggles in excitement, kicks her feet, rocks back and forth and taps her hands against her forehead to the beat. She also really enjoys water play. Now that she is more stable in a sitting position, she is getting more adventurous in the kiddie pool!

Jasmine

Girl, Age: 15

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Blind / VI

Blind, Autism

Listed: Mar 2022

Jasmine is a wonderful teenager who is blind and on the autism spectrum.

Jasmine is known for her big, tight squeezey hugs! She is also known for her strength. Jasmine loves water play more than anything else. She dunks her whole head in the water and comes up for a breath with a loud laugh. As soon as she hears water, she beelines for it and tries to dive into it, even if it’s a caregiver filling up a bucket to wash her clothes or another child’s bathtime! She also really likes the sit and spin and the trampoline. She jumps very high!

Jasmine has some commands in both English and her native language that she can follow. She vocalizes but is non-verbal. Jasmine needs support for her acts of daily living but feeds herself. She loves food from her culture and rarely tries even a bite of western food! Jasmine is a happy and loveable girl who brings a lot of laughter wherever she goes.

Priscilla

Girl, Age: 3

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Blind / VI, Cerebral palsy, Epilepsy/ seizure disorder

seizure disorder, congenital adrenal hypoplasia, cerebral palsy, global delays, visual impairment

Listed: Mar 2022

Priscilla arrived in her care home in July 2021 and has become more alert and engaged since her arrival. She can roll on her sides but struggles with maintaining head control. She doesn’t yet appear to have very developed receptive language but communicates with her caregiver with cooing sounds and smiles when they interact together. If she is upset, she visibly relaxes when her caregiver talks to her. At the Christmas party, Priscilla moved from lap to lap of all the aunties in the home, as they each wanted to take part in watching Priscilla experienced her first Christmas! She received a swing for her gift and seems to enjoy the soothing motion of being pushed in the swing.

Mae

Girl, Age: 11

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Blind / VI

Blind (bilateral microphthalmia with light perception)

Listed: Mar 2022

2022 MACC, Available to Single Fathers, Available to Single Mothers

Mae is a funny and loveable young girl who is blind. She has bilateral microphthalmia with light perception.

For her most recent birthday party, Mae requested a pool party with chicken nuggets and french fries! She loves making up stories and playing Hungry, Hungry Hippos. She enjoys playing her keyboard and inventing songs and she has a great imagination. She pretends she is being chased by monkeys, laughing and running, or she will be teacher to the other children and pretend to lead a class.

Mae can read uncontracted braille and type on her Perkins braille writer. She dresses herself and feeds herself and is really growing in independence with her daily living skills. Mae speaks well in both her native language and in English. She walks independently with a white cane. Mae has some delayed skills due to institutionalization, particularly her gross motor skills are weak, however she gets around well. She is friendly, funny and loves to laugh. Mae is a comedian who loves life and would be a valuable addition to a family.

Isaiah

Boy, Age: 10

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy

Listed: Feb 2022

Isaiah is a sweetheart who has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy with low muscle tone in his lower trunk area and high muscle tone in his arms.

Isaiah practices walking with a gain trainer and the other boys cheer him on as he takes off in a cute, hoppy walk! When he gets tired he vocalizes loudly and one of the older boys pushes him around while he giggles. He continues to work on independent sitting and crawling and always laughs through his exercises. He can’t 4-point crawl yet, but is working on it, however he moves himself around the room in an army crawl. He can sit by himself if his back is against the wall, for short periods of time. Isaiah’s communication is growing. He is working very hard to control his body movements enough to reach for an item or choice he wants to make. His receptive language in both his native language and English is excellent, and responds non-verbally with facial expressions, body movements and sounds. He is learning colour identification in class. Isaiah cannot yet eat solid foods and his food is also blended for him.

Isaiah got a bowling set for Christmas and he giggles endlessly when his caregivers help him knock the pins down! He likes watching music videos and kicking along to the dance moves and really enjoys his fabric tunnel. He moves through it and laughs and laughs when his caregiver pretends she can’t find him. Isaiah then kicks or hits the side of the tunnel to “help” her find him! Isaiah also loves knocking over big towers of blocks. He laughs loudly every time! He is pure joy and would thrive in a family.

Katherine

Girl, Age: 9

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Katherine has cerebral palsy and mild scoliosis. She is profoundly deaf and has a cochlear implant.

Listed: Feb 2022

Available to Single Fathers, Available to Single Mothers

Katherine is a sweet, quiet girl with cerebral palsy and mild scoliosis. She is also profoundly deaf. She received a cochlear implant in 2016.

Katherine struggles with keeping her head up, but when she is very motivated she is physically able to find the strength. Katherine is non-verbal and requires full support for all her acts of daily living. She had a hip correction surgery for hip dislocation and this has helped a lot with positioning and pain management. She receives PT where her muscles are stretched and she works on core strengthening.

Katherine is calm and quiet. Her caregiver loves her a lot. For Christmas, she bought her lipstick and jewelry and did a photoshoot! Katherine enjoys basking in the sun on the balcony and likes when her teachers help her finger paint or read touch and feel books. She likes being held and when her caregiver kisses her forehead. She also seems to really enjoy water play and is always content and soothed.

Katherine would be a wonderful addition to a family!

Cedar

Boy, Age: 14

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Blind / VI

Blind, on the autism spectrum

Listed: Feb 2022

Cedar is a sweet boy with an adorable raspy laugh who is totally blind and on the autism spectrum. He is nonverbal and needs support in all his acts of daily living.

Cedar can stand up from the floor by himself and is able to walk independently. He receives training on using his white cane. He can go up and down the stairs independently. Cedar makes lots of sounds but does not yet say any words, although he does understand some words in his native language and in English. He feeds himself.

Cedar loves sensory play in shaving cream, and his last birthday party was a shaving cream party! He covers his whole body in it. The year before, his home played Cedar Says, an adaption of the game Simon Says, where all the kids copied Cedar’s unique sounds and acrobat moves! He loves the standing swing, water play and he gets excited when his teachers help him do the actions to Head and Shoulders. He is known as being his home’s acrobat and can most often be found climbing on something or hanging upside down! Cedar is a joyful kid and brings a lot of laughter wherever he goes.

Rebecca

Girl, Age: 7

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Blind / VI

Blind, abdominal TB

Listed: Apr 2021

Rebecca is of typical social ability, as well as social skills. Her fine and gross motor skills are also typically developing, somewhat delayed due to her blindness. She plays with dolls and communicates verbally with peers and caregivers. She has good behavior with staff and other children. She is described as sober, happy, content, active, and engaged.

Aleks

Boy, Age: 6

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy, Epilepsy/ seizure disorder

Listed: Feb 2021

Aleks is a sweet boy who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. He receives physical therapy and is working on bearing weight and sitting independently. He is active and alert and smiles whenever anyone interacts with him. He loves playing with all the kids and gives big laughs. He enjoys music class and shakes the bells. He dances by kicking his legs and making his chair rock.

Tricia

Girl, Age: 15

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Epilepsy/ seizure disorder

Seizure disorder, intellectual delay

Listed: Feb 2018

**** I am eligible for a $5000 Older Child Grant ****
Grant funds depend on available funding; the link above, shows the current available amount!
To inquire about this child, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ***

January 2022 Update: Tricia is a sweet teenager with seizure disorder and intellectual delay. Tricia loves jewellery and likes having her picture taken! She loves music, dancing, painting and jumping on the trampoline. She likes picking out her prettiest outfits. Tricia has a little speaker that she carries around the house, dancing to all the songs that it plays. We call her the Dancing Queen!

She is progressing with learning her alphabet and numbers in class. She can speak in short sentences in her native language and she uses some words in English. She needs support with her acts of daily living. Her speech is somewhat slurred and she struggles with attending to tasks and conversations. Since Tricia has trouble with concentration, she has dance and song breaks often while in class. She is very motivated by adult attention and is learning boundaries with adults she doesn’t know very well. She desperately asks for a family.

Tatum

Girl, Age: 15

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Other Special Needs

Flaccid Arms (unknown cause)

Listed: Jun 2020

January 2022 Update: Tatum is an incredibly bright, resourceful, and happy teenage girl!

Tatum has no active use of her arms or hands (they are flaccid). No official diagnosis has been given. Tatum is very skilled with using her feet for fine motor tasks and uses them to eat with a spoon and to write. She has beautiful penmanship! She can criss-cross her legs and sit comfortably on the floor. She is not an independent walker and has weak core muscles. She gets around the home by scooting on her bottom and she can also scoot down stairs. Tatum feeds herself, holding the spoon with her toes. She is independent in her toileting and helps with tasks in the home like folding clothes.

Tatum has a sweet and kind personality. She likes to play with and watch over the younger kids in the home. She is interested in painting and singing and she saves all her paintings. She received a Barbie for Christmas and really enjoys playing with it. Tatum has good language and communication skills and expresses her needs and feelings to her caregivers. Her caregivers report that she is a happy and content child with appropriate emotional behavior.

Tatum used to go to a local school but is learning at home now due to covid restrictions. Due to a late start in formal education, she is behind where she should be but appears to have no intellectual delay. She loves school and typically receives A and A+ grades. Tatum is very bright and is eager to learn, and very diligent in completing her work. She is fluent in her local language, progressing in English, and now learning a 3rd language.She says she likes math the best.

Tatum has a charming, endearing personality and is well liked by her teachers, her caregivers, and the other kids in the home. She is an absolute joy and would thrive with more resources and with the love and stability of a family.

Shilo

Girl, Age: 7

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy

Listed: Jun 2020

Sizable Grants $5,000+

February 2022 Update: Shilo is a precious little girl who loves to be held and cuddled. She enjoys dancing to music and being twirled around the room.

Shilo vocalizes a lot but doesn’t speak any words yet. She shows the ability to form healthy attachments. She loves her caregiver and tracks her with her eyes as she walks around the room and kicks her legs and moves her arms when she needs her attention.

Shilo’s dosage for her spasticity has been altered and her muscle tone has really improved. Shilo has greater than partial head control and is learning to sit well by herself with her hands propping her up on the ground. Her therapist is working on core strengthening with her and helping her to balance on all fours. She also spends a lot of time in functional standing.

Shilo enjoys water play. With the assistance of her teacher, she splashes water around a sensory bin; using cups, shovels, and other water toys to manipulate and move the water. Her favorite game is when her caregiver counts to three and then leans her backwards. As her caregiver starts to count, a grin will flash in anticipation of being “thrown” backwards. When her teacher sings the I Love You, You Love Me song, Shilo smiles and vocalizes. When her teacher hugs her in the song, Shilo leans in for a kiss too! Shilo is a deep lover of life and friendship and would thrive in a family of her own.

Penny

Girl, Age: 13

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Genetic Condition (non-DS)

Penny appears to have a genetic syndrome – possibly Rubinstein-Taybi – but further genetic testing is required to confirm. It was also discovered in January 2016 that she is profoundly deaf. Left eye convergent strabismus, right eye dominant, wears glasses.

Listed: Feb 2018

**** I am eligible for a $5000 Older Child Grant ****
Grant funds depend on available funding; the link above, shows the current available amount!
To inquire about this child, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ***

Available to Single Fathers, Available to Single Mothers

January 2022 Update: Penny is a sweet little lady who is called our “sunshine girl” because of her smiley personality. Her favourite time of day is goodnight prayer time. She also loves Circle Time! She shrieks with laughter when her teachers do the actions to Baby Shark.

Penny likes playing with a keyboard that she got for Christmas. She also likes watching TV and she loves sensory play! From sand to clay to water, Penny loves it all! She will sit and giggle and play happily while exploring a container or shaving cream or textured balls. She laughs when the shaving cream lands on her face!

Penny is making progress in PT. We are so excited that she has started to walk with her walker! She is able to pull herself up and stand and reach for objects that she wants. She is still a little cuddlebug and prefers to be carried, but crawls around the house very often.

Penny is a friendly child who loves people so much! When someone walks into the room and approaches her, she gets so excited. Penny will flap her arms and grin from ear to ear, giggling the whole time. Penny loves being held and squeezed tightly. She also enjoys having her face cupped between her or someone else’s hands. Penny finds a lot of amusement in holding people’s hands and guiding them over a light source to create shadows which she intently watches as they bend and flow. Sweet Penny loves deeply and it is very easy to love her right back.

Nolan

Boy, Age: 15

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy, Deaf / HoH

Nolan has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. He is also profoundly deaf. He uses ASL at a beginner level. He received a cochlear implant, but due to the age that he was implanted, it has not been successful in helping him to locate sound. He used to be able to walk independently for short distances with orthotics, but recently lost that ability and crawls within the house or uses a wheelchair outside the house. He has a g-tube for feeding due to aspiration when he eats by mouth

Listed: Oct 2017

**** I am eligible for a $5000 Older Child Grant ****
Grant funds depend on available funding; the link above, shows the current available amount!
To inquire about this child, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ***

August 2020 Update: Nolan is looking older and older every day. There is a new nurse in the home who is a male and Nolan is really enjoying having a male to spend time with, as most of the staff are female. Having a big brother figure to look up to has been so special to him! He is a great big brother himself, and really enjoys bringing toys to the younger kids and trying to help with them. In class Nolan is playing lots of new games that involve following patterns, reading, and categorizing items!

Because of his oral motor challenges, he cannot speak and is on medication to control drooling. No seizures. He does classes every day at home with his tutor. He is very social and loves to be around other children. He is bright and learns a lot, when he applies himself. He knows the full English alphabet in ASL and knows many words. He communicates mostly in single words in ASL, as well as simple sentences like I want… He is potty trained day and night. He craves 1 on 1 attention and cries when the younger children get adopted and he has to say goodbye. He likes to be silly and play jokes. He likes to be a helper and enjoys doing chores. He is sensitive and his feelings are easily hurt. He can get frustrated by lack of ability to communicate and be understood. He would thrive in an environment where sign language is understood.

Mikayla

Girl, Age: 8

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy

cerebral palsy, visual impairment

Listed: Jun 2020

Mikayla has the sweetest smile, laugh, and disposition. She is extremely expressive so it is very easy to gauge what she needs and when she is upset. She likes to be silly. For her own entertainment and the entertainment of others, Mikayla makes silly faces and sounds, gargles her water, and echoes the voices of her friends and caregivers. She is a cuddle bug one minute and a determined explorer the next. She is definitely full of light and love and spirit.

Mikayla has made wonderful, consistent progress since arriving at her current home. She is motivated to communicate and will babble and approximate some words. She is now more willing to engage in sensory experiences and has developed some independent play skills. She has good receptive communication and is spoken to in both English and her native language. She will use various vocalizations and behaviors to express some basic things, like making a kissy noise when she wants a kiss. She is gaining physical strength and can sit independently, move around by rolling, can stand with support and take steps using a mobility device.

Melanie

Girl, Age: 14

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Other Special Needs

Intellectual disability. No spasticity.

Listed: Apr 2018

**** I am eligible for a $5000 Older Child Grant ****
Grant funds depend on available funding; the link above, shows the current available amount!
To inquire about this child, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ***

2022 MACC, Available to Single Fathers, Available to Single Mothers

Feb 2022 Update: Melanie is a social, interactive, engaging teenager who has intellectual disability. She walks independently but her gait is weak. She has a great sense of humour, loves to laugh, and is very content and agreeable.

Melanie is really progressing with her acts of daily living. She feeds herself, applies powder to her face and she can wash her own dishes now. Melanie is practicing beading so that eventually her fine motor skills will be advanced enough to join her home’s vocational class as they work on jewellery making. She follows direction well and can identify her colours. She can go up and down the stairs by herself using the railing. Melanie can undress herself and is learning to dress. She is mostly non-verbal but says a few words that she has learned recently in her local language.

Melanie loves sensory play in the water. She likes trying to trace letters with chalk and she enjoys ball games. She concentrates on one toy for a sustained period of time. Melanie loves splashing at the beach and is very friendly with other kids and adults! Her favourite song is Jingle Bells and she likes to listen to it all year round! She gets very excited when she gets new outfits.

Malachi

Boy, Age: 12

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Blind / VI

Listed: Oct 2020

January 2022 Update: Malachi is a very happy, friendly, active child! He loves to play with the other children in his home, jump on the trampoline, ride his bike, and listen to music. His home recently got gymnastics rings and he loves learning stunts on them and going upside down. Malachi is blind, but has good awareness of his surroundings in familiar settings. Malachi is independent in all his daily living skills. He attended a local school for the blind until class five and is now homeschooled. He is very motivated to learn new skills and new information – one of his favorite activities is listening to the news on the radio and also making up his own pretend news broadcasts. Malachi reads braille and is currently at around a 3rd/4th grade level. He says his favorite subjects in school are math and social studies. Malachi speaks Telugu fluently and English conversationally. In English he can communicate basic needs and sentences and he is continuing to learn more words every day!

Malachi enjoys playing independently as well as in groups of his peers. His favorite activities revolve around music, including learning new songs and playing the piano. Malachi has an ear for notes and can listen to a song and figure out the melody on the piano, without any instruction. Within a few days of starting on the piano he had figured out how to play “Happy Birthday” and “Jingle Bells” just by listening to the songs. He has expressed interest in piano lessons as well as learning other instruments. He plays around on the xylophone and ukelele and watches tutorials on YouTube to learn to play. Malachi got Bop It for Christmas and loves playing with that, as well as the Simon handheld memory game. At Christmas he performed “Oh Come, All Ye Faithful” at the party in both English and his local language. He is a great singer!

In homeschool, Malachi has been working on multiplication, subtraction, basic money skills, and continuing to improve his braille reading skills.

Malachi is a very sweet and spirited child who has formed healthy attachments with his current caregivers. He has a close relationship with a few of the other boys in his home and enjoys including everyone, regardless of ability, into his play. Malachi is finding his sense of humor and likes to try out different jokes and funny sounds to make others around him laugh. He says when he is an adult he wants to make robots! When asked what he likes about himself, he says he likes his strong brain that is good at math. His favourite animal is a parrot and he wants to learn more about parrots in school. When asked his favourite thing to do, he responded he likes to cook soup with playdough!

He has a best friend in the home and they like to wear matching outfits and call themselves twins. This friend is in process to be adopted and Malachi would love to be adopted too. He is a very bright child who would do incredibly well in a family!

Kristy

Girl, Age: 10

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy

Listed: Jan 2021

February 2022 Update: Kristy is such a precious girl! She loves when she is with people that she knows care for her. Kristy eagerly seeks out physical touch from her teachers and caregivers. She crawls up to them and slowly stretches out her body until she is fully in their lap, then she hugs them tightly. It is very endearing. Kristy is very friendly and enjoys having visitors in her home. While Kristy loves to cuddle with her friends, she tends to prefer independent play. She loves to play with musical instruments, swing, jump on the trampoline, and play with balls. She enjoys standing on the balcony and watching the trees. Her favourite song is I Love You, You Love Me and she gets excited when she sees her teacher doing the actions.

Kristy has hearing loss but stopped wearing hearing aids due to her sensory aversion to wearing them. She explores the house and bangs the chairs on the floor to listen to the loud sound! She is a queen of exploration and crawls all over the house, looking for interesting things. Kristy is non-verbal and needs full support in her acts of daily living. She is able to pull herself to a stand holding onto furniture and can walk using a gait trainer under the supervision of her therapist. Right now in PT, she is working on independent standing. She is also working on some activities to strengthen her fine motor skills with the eventual goal of starting to work on more independent living skills. Kristy would make a valuable addition to a family as she has so much love and affection to share with others.

Jamila

Girl, Age: 11

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Other Special Needs

Jamila is listed as having microcephaly as well as hemiplegia on the left side of her body.

Listed: Jan 2019

**** I am eligible for a $5000 Older Child Grant ****
Grant funds depend on available funding; the link above, shows the current available amount!
To inquire about this child, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ***

Feb 2022 Update: Jamila is a vibrant little girl who is full of life and very social. She is active and loves to go on walks around the neighbourhood, jump on the trampoline, brush her baby doll’s hair and play hide and seek. She is not the oldest in the home, but has taken on the role of big sister due to her love of helping the other children. She loves the song Five Little Monkeys and goes around helping the other kids use their hands to do the actions.

Jamila can walk independently and can climb up and down the stairs well. She is independent in many of her acts of daily living. Jamila’s balance has improved over the past year and we see fewer falls. Her left foot slightly drags as she walks but she manages well despite this. Her therapist is working with her on balance and general strength and motor skills. She uses both hands but prefers the right. Her therapist is working with her on fine motor activities using her left hand. Jamila was considered non-verbal up until recently, but her communication is really growing! She is even speaking in short sentences now! It is sometimes hard to understand what she is saying, but she is really motivated. She also uses sign language, such as “water” and “help”. In 2020 Jamila was experiencing recurring illnesses. It was discovered that she was aspirating so a feeding tube was placed. She has been healthy ever since!

Jamila loves wearing fancy shoes all the time. She picks out her outfits every day and knows what she likes! Jamila is our dancing queen! When she has spare time, she loves having music blasted so she can show off her moves. Jamila’s adorable dimples steal the hearts of everyone she meets! She would thrive in a family.

Izzy

Girl, Age: 11

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy

Listed: Jul 2018

**** I am eligible for a $5000 Older Child Grant ****
Grant funds depend on available funding; the link above, shows the current available amount!
To inquire about this child, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ***

Izzy has cerebral palsy. She transferred to her current home in June 2018 and has already made remarkable progress. She is incredibly bright, social, and affectionate. She previously had no exposure to English but now responds to several English commands. She also says several words such as “hi”, “bye”, and “more” and has picked up on several ASL signs which are used in the home. She communicates extremely well with vocalizations and gestures and is perceptive to body language and other social cues in communication. She gets around the house quickly with crawling and scooting. She can pull to stand and remain standing with minimal support. She can walk with hand support or a reverse walker. She can self-feed. She loves playing games such as hot potato, duck duck goose, and catch. She has an infectious laugh and smile and brings a special energy and joy wherever she goes. She often seeks out trusted caregivers and requests hugs and kisses. She will turn her face from side to side to ensure she gets kisses on both cheeks. She would be an incredible gift to any family and has a huge capacity to learn and grow in a family environment.

December 2018 update: Izzy is learning and making progress steadily! She is now potty trained. She is making strength gains, and her ability to use her walker is improving. She is able to go up and down stairs by crawling/scooting. Her receptive language is growing and she now responds to many commands and knows the English words for many household objects. She has learned her body parts and picked up more sign language. She can match colors and do simple puzzles. She knows the names of all the other kids in the house. She is beginning to use a program on her iPad to expand her communication. She enjoys coloring and is beginning to engage in imaginative play with dolls. She loves to dance and has learned the motions to multiple action songs. She anticipates the next activity in her daily routine. Her social nature and love of life continue to be so endearing! Izzy is so bright and would THRIVE in a family! Videos available.

Aug 2020 Update: Izzy has grown so much in her communication skills. In class, Izzy uses alternative communication and sign language to participate in imaginary play with friends. She is great at answering questions about her day or week. She has also developed a lot of confidence to ask for very specific things. Izzy is just always laughing, always dancing, always singing, and always sharing her enthusiasm and love with those around her.

Heidi

Girl, Age: 13

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Down syndrome

Down syndrome, Tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy performed in May 2014. Excellent heart echo, no longer needs follow-up. Structurally normal heart. Normal-sized cardiac chambers. No PAH/COA. Good biventricular systolic function.

Listed: Oct 2017

*** I am eligible for a $15,000 Older Child Grant! For more information or to inquire about this child, please email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ***

2022 MACC, Available to Single Fathers, Available to Single Mothers

January 2022 Update: Heidi is a spunky, loving, mischievous girl with Down syndrome who has really come out of her shell in recent years. She understands and speaks her native language and knows some simple English too. Her speech can be difficult for new people to understand, but her friends know exactly what she is saying. She would benefit greatly from speech therapy.

Heidi received Barbie dolls both for Christmas and her birthday and this is her absolutely favourite thing to play with. One of her Barbies has a purse with a little dog inside and she carries it everywhere. She sings to the dolls and takes care of them.

She is continuing in her classes and loves art where she has all the freedom to work out her own projects, showing her creativity and love of independence. Heidi is making progress with spelling simple words and learning addition. She is independent in her self care routine. She is such a funny girl who brings so much joy!

February 2020 Update: Heidi is a spunky, loving, and mischievous little girl. The sweet presence this girlie brings is a light to anyone’s day. Heidi attends in home classes everyday that includes English, math, art, and life skills. Heidi can understand and speak both he native language and most simple English sentences. Her speech might be difficult to understand for someone who does to know her, but her friends and caregivers know exactly what she is saying, and she is never too shy to tell you what she wants! She would benefit greatly from speech therapy. Heidi loves to write words, and she can write three to four letters words. She is able to do simple addition problems in math and is improving her skills! Heidi enjoys spending time with her friends, making crafts, listening to music, and hiding her toys all around the house to create games to find them later! Every night you can hear her quietly singing and playing with her baby doll on the porch. The people in Heidi’s life see how much she would thrive with a family. She hopes and prays for a family every night.

Georgie

Boy, Age: 8

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Blind / VI

Listed: May 2018

Sizable Grants $5,000+

Georgie was transferred to his current home in April 2018. He had experienced neglect and under-stimulation in his previous orphanage but already his development is progressing and we look forward to seeing Georgie learn and explore the world. Georgie is functionally blind and has very little light perception. He has been doing so well in his transition into this new chapter of life. Everyday we are more captivated by his bubbly, sweet, gentle disposition. Georgie is rapidly changing and developing. He is learning how to scoot around, bear weight, and explore with his hands. He had no experience in his previous home with self feeding, but already is making great progress and is self feeding with minimal support. He had no English exposure previously, but in just a month his English understanding is already developing and he responds to several commands. He is weak, but gaining strength. He can pull up to a stand using a surface for support. Georgie loves making silly noises and often vocalizes silly babbles, finds interesting surfaces to tap on, or picks things up and throws them to hear their clatter. Georgie is very social. He loves to be held and swung around. He sometimes whimpers when he is put down and communicates non-verbally that he wants to be held. He mimics sounds others make and often bursts with excited laughter when playing with other adults and children. We are so excited to see him begin to hit the milestones he is already working towards.

UPDATE July 2020: Georgie has been making steady progress in his language skills. Lately, he has begun to make requests on his own or make jokes in conversations with his teachers, caregivers, and house mom. Georgie’s favorite little joke right now is to reply “JUICE” to each and every question asked of him. He erupts into giggles and repeats the word over and over until tickles and exclamations prompt him to give the real answer that we were looking for. We recently celebrated Georgie’s 6th birthday, and when asked what he wanted to do for his party he answered without hesitation: “DANCE PARTY!” Georgie can count to 10 and is learning his first braille characters!

Evi

Girl, Age: 12

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy

Listed: Mar 2020

February 2022 Update: Evi is a sweet young lady with cerebral palsy who was transferred to her current home in September 2019. Although it isn’t officially diagnosed, it’s possible that Evi may have Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI) based on its high correlation with cerebral palsy and the presence of several characteristics of CVI in Evi’s visual behaviors and processing. Improvements in her visual processing and engagement have been made since her arrival.

Evi is a fun-loving child who loves to listen to music and play with her friends within the home. She is the youngest in her home and takes on the role of “little sister”. The older girls dote on her and try to help her, bringing toys and giving hugs. She enjoys being held and rocked, and being in the sunshine. For Christmas she got a bear toy with different buttons that sing and make music and she really likes this. However, her very favourite activity is dancing. She loves DJ music with a loud, thumping beat. She likes when staff pick her up and dance with her or when the other girls in the home hold her hands and dance beside her. As soon as the music comes on, she lights up, flaps her hands excitedly and squeals.

Evi is able to independently lift her head up and makes purposeful eye contact, laughing and smiling at those she is familiar with. Evi is nonverbal and appears to understand some basic words as she often smiles or laughs in response. Evi flaps her hands when she is excited. She is able to grab and pick up various items, and is working on both hand strength and mobility in physical therapy weekly. Evi has really struggled with weight gain lately and her team is monitoring her food intake closely. Her caregiver is very attentive with making sure she is well positioned and this has helped avoid pressure sores.

Evi is a joy and would benefit and grow exponentially in a family of her own.

Dinah

Girl, Age: 14

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy

Dinah has nystagmus, diplegic cerebral palsy, and speech delay (nonverbal). She can walk independently and can feed herself. She is becoming more independent and is currently working on dressing herself. Is not potty trained but could probably learn in a more stable family environment.

Listed: Feb 2018

**** I am eligible for a $5000 Older Child Grant ****
Grant funds depend on available funding; the link above, shows the current available amount!
To inquire about this child, email childinquiry@reecesrainbow.org ***

Available to Single Fathers, Available to Single Mothers

Dinah is giggly, likes to snuggle, sweet, content. Will play with toys, seek out preferred toys, and seek out preferred children to play beside. She has been working on using a simple voice-output communication system to greet the other children and choose between two toy options. She is social and gets very excited when surrounded by lots of people. She likes to do what the other children are doing. She can follow simple commands in English and can identify body parts by touching them when asked. She shows ability to build strong attachments and follows her preferred caregiver and opens her arms for a hug. She loves to dance and immediately stands up and starts dancing when music comes on.

Aug 2020 Update: Most weekdays, after breakfast, Dinah spends time working on self-care skills.. She also has class where she works on a variety of skills, especially her gross motor and O&M skills. Dinah radiates joy and excitement when she dances!

Connor

Boy, Age: 9

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy

quadriplegic cerebral palsy

Listed: Jan 2018

January 2022 Update: Connor is a sweet, kind, gentle soul with captivating dark brown eyes. He has displayed the ability to cultivate deep connections with a trusted caregiver. The cheeky boy that he is, he loves to wiggle and kick when being fed with his feeding tube. He laughs and laughs as the nurse struggles to administer his feeding!

He loves playing on the trampoline when the staff make him bounce really high! He likes sitting with the adults and being engaged in their conversations and always wants to be involved in whatever is happening in the home.

Connor can identify his body parts and knows his colours in sign language. His favourite colour is blue. His favourite animal is a monkey and he likes the song Five Little Monkeys. He jumps, scoots, rolls and laughs when he hears it! He likes fashion and beams with excitement when he wears a new outfit and staff take his picture!

Connor can sit independently for a few minutes at a time and is able to turn his head to sounds without losing his balance. He is non-verbal but very communicative in other ways. He is now upright for most of the day, in his wheelchair. Being able to tolerate sitting upright for so long has really decreased respiratory issues that he struggled with when he was younger. He would make a wonderful son and his heart longs for a family and deep connection with others.

Blaire

Girl, Age: 7

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy

Listed: Jun 2020

February 2022 Update: Blaire is a sweet, quiet child. She loves to go on walks in the neighbourhood, being pushed in her wheelchair, and likes swinging on the porch swing. Her favourite song is One Little Finger and she laughs when her staff help her do the actions.

At her last birthday party, her caregiver put makeup on her and she seemed to really enjoy all the attention as everyone crowded around her and sang to her and took pictures. She and her caregiver have a sweet relationship. At the Christmas party, her caregiver didn’t put her down as she wanted to see Blaire’s facial expressions for all the dances and treats! She bought her bangles as a gift. Most days, Blaire’s eyes follow her caregiver around the room as she moves. They even do video calls when her caregiver is on vacation!

Blaire spends most of her time upright in her wheelchair, and we have seen this help a lot with respiratory issues she struggled with when she was younger. She has a considerable head lag and very tight muscles. Her therapist stretches her out and works on strengthening to improve head, neck and trunk control. Blaire has a feeding tube and it has helped her to gain weight.

Blaire is a sweet child who lights up with 1:1 attention and would thrive in a family who will love and advocate for her.

Bhanu

Girl, Age: 10

Country Code: S.Asia.1

Region: South Asia

Primary Diagnosis: Cerebral palsy

Listed: Jul 2020