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Chrishaven Foundation

The Chrishaven Foundation is a project of Congressional District Programs, Inc. a registered 501(c)(3) public charity. The Chrishaven Foundation was founded in January 2003 to provide therapeutic services for children and youth diagnosed with labels stemming from neglect, abandonment and abuse manifested through behavioral disorders and sensory integration difficulties that interfere with performance.

Our Goals:

1. To provide continued therapies to children;
2. Provide needed evaluation of a family financial situation to ascertain the amount of financial aide needed to continue therapeutic treatment
for their child;
3. Education of the public to the needs and characteristics of these individuals requiring services;
4. Publication of research, papers and studies leading to a better understanding of the challenges these families face daily;
5. Establish and maintain a learning center where children can be taught according to their learning styles, where parents can find solace for their difficulties and a world-wide learning center where people can come from throughout the world to take and share knowledge;
 6.Continue our summer therapeutic camp program of the last four years.
 
The impetus of starting the foundation began in 2002, after many visits from parents concerning the loss of services for their children. Many of the children we work with are adopted. Their adoptive parents were awarded subsidy services for needed therapeutic intervention at the time of adoption. Many have utilized these services for years with continuing progress. Among the described individuals are children and youth with severe attachment disorders requiring continuous therapies and respite care. However at the present time, these promised ongoing therapies have been curtailed due to a new mandate by the State of Arizona.

In essence, the mandate alters the services to adopted children through the Subsidy Adoption Program. It would now require families to go through Value Options who would evaluate what services/therapies are needed and who should provide the therapies/services. This removed all promised support from adoptive parents of these troubled individuals and left the families to solve their financial problems to continue already established ongoing therapies. This would constitute a loss of a known therapist and rapport that has taken years to develop between the individual and therapist.

To provide immediate help, OPNET, Inc., donated 30 hours a week to continue the therapies for some of these children. The overall need has grown rapidly and a non-profit organization became necessary to continue therapies and network help for these families.

The procedure to further the purpose of helping those individuals described will include the following protocol:

1. Each case will be reviewed by a selected group of knowledgeable professionals including one parent.
2. Each case review will include reports from past therapists and explanation of specific treatment protocols and possible future calendar of need
3. Parental involvement and follow-through will be an integral part of the evaluation
4. A report concerning program changes due to a decline of funds must accompany all requests
5. The decision for funding will be sent to the family within a week of the session.
 
To better further the purpose of this foundation, therapists will be selected for knowledge and known outcomes of previous therapies concerning the individual in question and a contract concerning cost containment. The therapist will be paid by the foundation through existing funds.

The foundation will be primarily volunteer staffed to allow more funds for therapies. An executive director will be the only salaried individual with the foundation.

The funds raised through activities annually will support the needs of many children whose lives will be changed for the better as a result of the generosity of others.

At the present time the economy has dealt a huge blow to the parents of these children. Weekly support is needed for gasoline, food, clothing, etc. The Foundation is currenty supplying these needs with hopes of continuing.

We thank you for your support of our goals.

Rayma Ditson-Sommer, Ph.D.

Click here to donate online for the Chrishaven Program

All moneys raised by the The Chrishaven Foundation are received by Congressional District Programs and become the sole property of CDP which, for internal operating purposes, allocates the funds to the Project. The Program Manager makes recommendations for disbursements which are reviewed by CDP for approval.

Congressional District Programs Policies and Procedures

Contributions can be sent to:
The Chrishaven Foundation
3443 North Central
Suite Arc-5
Phoenix, AZ 8501

For more information on the Chrishaven Foundation please
contact Dr. Sommer:
602-912-0609
602-912-9533 fax
OpNet2@aol.com