Mid Rivers Newsmagazine 12-13-23

20 I
December 13, 2023
MID RIVERS NEWSMAGAZINE
@MIDRIVERS_NEWS
MIDRIVERSNEWSMAGAZINE.COM
The Joy of Giving: Local charity plays ‘Santa’ with help from community
By LAURA SAGGAR
This holiday season more than 100 local
children with special needs will get to open
an adaptive toy thanks to The Arya Foundation,
a Chesterfield-based non profit that
assists families and caregivers of children
with disabilities in the greater St. Louis
and St. Charles County area. Through this
end-of-year program, families of children
with disabilities are invited to apply for an
adaptive toy up to $250 in value. This year
the foundation broke their record, awarding
116 gifts to area children. That’s not all
The Arya Foundation does to help children
with special needs in the community.
Named for their daughter who was born
with disabilities, Arya, the foundation was
created in her memory in 2014 by her
mom, Sunanda Dhananjay; dad, Dhananjay
Kokate; and brother, AJ Kokate. AJ
was 9 years old when his sister was born
on Valentine’s Day in 2004. Arya died five
years later in 2009. While AJ was young
at the time, he said he remembers the support
from the community that helped their
family tremendously.
“In the time she was around, there was
so much support from the community that
we got from the various organizations and
we wanted to, in memory of her, give back
to the community,” AJ said. “And after
understanding a lot of the struggles and
hardships that families who have kids with
a disability go through, we want to help
alleviate that in a way.”
AJ knows firsthand that leaving the house
with a child in a wheelchair is not a simple,
or inexpensive, task. Adaptive equipment
for children with special needs is expensive
and not always covered by health
Arya Kokate
insurance. The Arya Foundation grants
up to $1,000 per child per year toward
the purchase of adaptive equipment. This
includes communication devices, ramps,
customized wheelchairs and glasses, just
to name a few. The cost of adaptive equipment
adds up. Hearing aids can cost more
than $1,000; an adjustable hospital bed is
estimated to cost $850; Tomato glasses, a
brand of flexible, durable eyeglasses, cost
more than $400; a cranial molding helmet
costs more than $1,000; a bathroom lift
system is nearly $800. Dustin Taber, Arya’s
director of networking, said they awarded
45 pieces of equipment in 2023 and they
hope they can give more next year.
“Add the word ‘adaptable’ to anything
and the price goes up,” Taber said. “It’s
expensive enough to raise a child without
special needs. We want to help children
have as normal of a childhood as possible.”
In order to qualify for assistance, families
must be referred to the foundation by
a social worker or physician, and provide
a statement from the child’s physician
regarding the necessity of the item, along
with a completed application through
thearyafoundation.org. Applicants can
expect to receive a response within 30 days.
The item will either be ordered and shipped
to them, or they will receive a check made
payable to the provider.
Another mission of the foundation is to
bring awareness to the community about
the different resources available to those
who have a family member with a disability.
One way they provide those resources is by
hosting a Disabilities Awareness Convention
from noon-4 p.m. on March 24, 2024,
at the DoubleTree Hotel located at 16625
Swingley Ridge Road in Chesterfield.
Admission to attend is free and everyone
is invited. The convention features exhibits,
workshops and presentations in an effort to
educate participants on the latest opportunities,
best practices and legislation in the
community. AJ said the convention is one
of the largest in the Midwest for people
with disabilities.
The foundation is still accepting vendors
for the convention. This is the third year
for the convention, but the first time it has
been held since 2020 due to the COVID-19
pandemic.
Exciting news for 2024 is the launch
of The Arya Foundation’s TAF House
online store that will feature jewelry made
by Arya Foundation kids and volunteers.
The online store is set to go live on Jan. 1.
Jewelry sales serve as a fundraiser for the
foundation and previously had only been
available at various craft fairs held around
the area. Michelle Todd, director of philanthropy
for the foundation, said the jewelry
is so popular that people ask her where they
can buy it all the time.
“All of our jewelry is handcrafted by kids
with special needs and adult volunteers,”
AJ said. “Everyone really enjoys coming
together in a group and making it together.
It also helps with fine motor skill improvement.
At the Parkway Central craft fair we
were selling a piece of jewelry every three
minutes. The TAF House gives kids the
chance to be creative. They even design
the box the jewelry is packaged in. Just
like the jewelry, every (box) is their unique
design.”
AJ is hoping to boost the foundation’s
presence online in order to reach more
families and caregivers. There are several
ways the community can help.
“Join our events to learn about us,” AJ
said. “Share our content. We love donations
and volunteers. The more people who
know about us the better because we’d
love to help as many people as possible.”
The Arya Foundation can be followed on
social media at thearyafoundation on Facebook,
and @aryafoundation on Instagram.
A newsletter is available at thearyafoundation.org.
AJ also suggests that volunteers
are always needed. All of the board members
are volunteers.
Over 90% of donations go directly to
purchasing equipment for kids.
The foundation’s website sums up The
Arya Foundation’s mission best:
“We are more than an organization:
we are the hopes and dreams of children
everywhere in promoting a brighter future.
It’s about making a positive difference and
building happier moments. Most importantly,
it’s about ‘turning challenges into
opportunities.’”
Group of local women keep busy
crafting gifts – with love in every stitch
By KATE UPTERGROVE
If you enter Joann Fabrics in St. Peters
on almost any Monday or Thursday afternoon
and follow the sound of laughter,
you’ll find a group of 18 to 20 women
sitting in the store’s classroom, happily
chatting and crocheting. At first glance, the
Let’s Crochet & Knit group might seem
like simply a social gathering, but according
to Nancy Young, co-leader of a local
Alzheimer’s support group, the women are
actually “angels at work.”
“About 20 caring women spend about
three hours almost every Monday and
Thursday crocheting, or knitting, fidget
sleeves and mats and lap afghans for
Alzheimer’s patients along with items, such
as lovey blankets and slap bracelets, to be
placed in Alleluia Baskets for distribution
in April,” Nancy said. “They use their own
materials or some that have been donated,
and they don’t worry about recognition or
praise. They are simply glad that others
can smile because of their handmade gifts.”
Yvonne Solt leads the group and credits
her husband with getting the ball rolling.
“He said, ‘Yvonne, you’re at home too
much crocheting. You need to get out
more.’ And I said, ‘OK, I’ll get out and
start a crochet group.’ Lo and behold, here
we are today,” she said.
Members of the Let’s Crochet & Knit at Joann Fabrics in St. Peters.
That was in 2013. The group gathered at
various locations and even met on Zoom
during the pandemic before finding the
room at Joann Fabrics.
“We’re their best customers,” Yvonne
chuckled, “because we have to walk
through the yarn department to get to the
meeting room.”
Most of the women say they learned
how to crochet in their youth. That goes
See CRAFTING, page 22