January 2019

In 2011, I created Fluttering Families amidst my own challenges in having a child with special needs. At the time, there were few, if any, opportunities to enjoy childhood activities where my family felt comfortable and welcomed. I felt driven and called to create these opportunities so that families like mine could experience these rites in an environment of respect, value, and inclusion.

Today, I am so proud to say that we were able to accomplish just that. With support from friends, family, donors, and volunteers, we were able to adapt the most cherished of childhood activities for families of children with special needs. Our most popular activities include private visits with Santa, a Sweetheart Dance, and an Easter Egg Hunt. At each event over the past seven years, my heart has been filled with immense peace and joy. It has been such an honor to have been a servant to other families of children with special needs.

In recent years, our Central Ohio community has been blessed with a burst of services, events, activities, and opportunities for families of children with special needs. Private businesses have even taken it upon themselves to adapt their offerings for our exceptional children and families. Likewise, new nonprofit organizations have been born to address the unique needs that continue to develop within our families and community.

It is because of this growth in opportunity and support that I feel comfortable to announce that, effective immediately, Fluttering Families will begin the process of dissolving as a nonprofit organization. There are several motivating factors that have led to this outcome. Above all, I must fully address the competing priorities within my own life. Over the summer, I was blessed with the opportunity to further my career as a nurse. These roles, and the responsibilities that come with it, are an honor and a treasure. However, they require my full attention. Further, each of my three children are growing and their needs are changing. Between extracurricular activities, school responsibilities, meltdowns, quality time, appointments, therapies, and daily life, my “free time” has become much less. Lastly, my daughter’s special needs are greater than they have ever been. These needs often prevent us from leaving the house, and require her to have 1:1 supervision and caregiving at all times. In order to be the best partner and mother to my family, I need to be as emotionally, mentally, and physically present as possible.

During this dissolution, all account balances and value of assets, including donations from the GoFund Me event from 2016, will be distributed to the Family Support Program of the Early Childhood Resource Network Plus (ECRN+) at YMCA of Central Ohio. This organization was selected as the recipient given it’s closely related mission and vision of providing support and activities for children who have special needs (developmental delays, disabilities and special health care needs) and their families. With that being said, please turn your attention to the Fluttering Families Store for a liquidation sale of all clothing and merchandise.

Thank you for giving me and my family hope, light, and love for the past seven years! Everything I have done, and everyone I have met along the way, have been such a gift.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns about this dissolution, please contact me at [email protected]. Thank you in advance for your understanding and best wishes.

Many Regards,

Laura