Starfire
6457 Glenway Avenue, #230
Cincinnati, OH 45211
Starfire Family Network, serving children and young adults with developmental disabilities
The Starfire Family Network enriches the lives of children and young adults with DDs.Each family is provided with a Starfire Family Mentor who, as a parent of a child with a DD, has first-hand knowledge of the social isolation because of disability. Each Mentor has launched their own Family Project and grew relationships.Mentors meet with each family 1:1 and in group settings every month to listen, talk, and identify the gifts and interests of each loved one with a DD.Mentors help families create projects to allow the kids and young adults to share their gifts. Starfire gives each family a micro-grant to offset project costs and remove financial barriers. Each family is given a stipend for beginning and completing their Family Project.While each project is unique, the results are universal: Connections are sparked, sustainable relationships built – predicated on common interests versus pity.
Program Goals:
I. Recruitment & Outreach
To grow from 30 events in 2022 that reached 790 individuals to 56 events reaching 860 people in 2023, expanding the number of people learning about Starfire and inclusion of people with disabilities.
II. Families in the Family Network
To grow from 139 families of children with disabilities in the Network in 2022 to 150 families in 2023, with a special focus on reaching Latinx families in two underserved neighborhoods of Price Hill and Mt. Healthy.
III. Projects Launched
To launch 10-15 community projects led by families of children with disabilities in 2023.
IV. Project Attendees
To grow attendees at family community projects from 410 attendees in 2022 to 450 attendees in 2023, giving more people positive experiences connecting people with and without disabilities.
V. Number of Children/Young Adults Impacted
To serve 50 children and young adults with developmental disabilities, 600 family members of children with disabilities and 450 “ordinary citizens” through our work in 2023.
Program Results:
I. Recruitment & Outreach
To grow from 30 events in 2022 that reached 790 individuals to 56 events reaching 860 people in 2023, expanding the number of people learning about Starfire and inclusion of people with disabilities. 2023 was a huge success in that we hosted 63 events where people could learn about Starfire’s Family Network and inclusion of disabilities, surpassing our goal of 56. Even more exciting was that those 63 events attracted 1,146 attendees, exceeding our goal of 860 by far!
Getting the word out about the benefits of inclusion to members of our community is a critical part of providing families and children the with disabilities the potential for the kind of local support only a community can provide.
II. Families in the Family Network
To grow from 139 families of children with disabilities in the Network in 2022 to 150 families in 2023, with a special focus on reaching Latinx families in two underserved neighborhoods of Price Hill and Mt. Healthy. We are thrilled to report that our Family Network now includes 162 families of children with disabilities. This growth shows the need for our work and our approach and fills us with hope for the future as we help families start working on inclusive communities around their children from a young age. 10 of the 19 completed community projects were led by Latinx families with children with disabilities. Eight of those 10 families were from Price Hill and Mt. Healthy. The other two were from other neighborhoods in greater Cincinnati. Through a partnership with Santa Maria Community Services and multiple translators, we were successful in our efforts. This funding helped us connect with a population that we had previously not been able to learn from and with, and provided additional capacity to our programmatic outreach.
III. Projects Launched
To launch 10-15 community projects led by families of children with disabilities in 2023.. We are happy to report that during the funding cycle, we completed 19 community projects led by families of children with disabilities! In addition, we were able to launch another 23 community projects led by families of children with disabilities that have not yet completed, but will be completed in the coming months. We are grateful to the Charles H. Dater Foundation for the increased capacity to reach more families than we originally planned.
IV. Project Attendees
To grow attendees at family community projects from 410 attendees in 2022 to 450 attendees in 2023. One of the most important metrics for our family community projects are the number of new connections they create for families of children with disabilities. Our goal for this objective was to grow to 450 attendees and we are happy to report that we surpassed that goal. Our family-led community projects attracted 631 attendees. This is a critical step in building community support and raising the odds that connections like these can turn into relationships for children with disabilities and their families.
V. Number of Children/Young Adults Impacted
To serve 50 children and young adults with developmental disabilities, 600 family members of children with disabilities and 450 “ordinary citizens” through our work in 2023. Over the span of this funding cycle, we were able to directly impact the lives 54 children and young adults with disabilities through our family led community projects. We were also able to impact 648 family members of children and young adults with disabilities through our outreach and education efforts, and included 631 ordinary citizens by helping them develop a direct connection to a family with a child with a disability.
These efforts created the beginnings of a more inclusive culture for each family, helped people connect beyond the label of disability and fostered the development of new mindsets amongst families and neighbors. We are proud of the work that led to these outcomes and thankful for the funding from the Charles H. Dater Foundation that made it possible.
Amount: $40,000
Date: March 2023
