Special Needs Respite & Jill’s House<\/h3>\n
Parents of kids with disabilities need a break now and then. Cameron Dolittle, director of the respite facility Jill’s House<\/span><\/a>, is passionate about providing quality respite for parents in the Washington, DC area and about training teams to do the same thing all over the country. In the first post in a series about respite for families of kids with special needs, Dolittle introduces you to Jill’s House and one of the families they serve.<\/em><\/p>\n Waverly was four years old and Oliver was 15 months old when they were diagnosed with Sanfilippo syndrome<\/a><\/span>. The life expectancy for someone with Sanfilippo syndrome is 12 to 18 years old. During their short lives, Waverly and Oliver will meet a few developmental milestones but then slowly lose them all. Their parents, Matt and Shannon McNeil, were forced to adjust their expectations for their children. Shannon explains, \u201cPlaydates and sleepovers became physical therapy sessions and doctor appointments.\u201d Like so many other parents raising children with special needs, they had to grieve the loss of the what-should-have-been to embrace the what-is.<\/p>\n The staff of Jill’s House loves Jolene Philo\u2019s book, A Different Dream for My Child<\/em><\/a><\/span>, and particularly the part in which she describes parents, like Matt and Shannon, who had great dreams for the children. She writes, \u201cWhen their children became ill and their dreams changed, they slowly, and sometimes painfully, embraced the different dream God had fashioned for their children and found joy.” This is an important process for parents raising children with a disability, or a chronic or fatal illness.<\/p>\n At Jill\u2019s House, we have the privilege of supporting families through that process. Jill\u2019s House is a short term overnight respite facility for children with intellectual disabilities between ages 6-17. While not many families hope to have a child that qualifies for our programs, God has provided a place of hope and healing for the ones who do. Located just outside of Washington DC, our 42,000 square foot building holds 45 beds, an accessible playground, computer lab, gymnasium, library, and indoor pool. The children stay overnight and their parents get a break.<\/p>\n This break renews the entire family. Parents of children with special needs experience 60% more stress than the rest of the population and are 80% more likely to get divorced. Since we opened in 2010, we\u2019ve been proving empirically that an overnight break drastically lowers a family\u2019s stress level. Shannon explains that while Waverly and Oliver are at Jill\u2019s House, \u201cWe have an opportunity to connect and feel refreshed, to re-center ourselves to deal with the never-ending stress of parenting two terminally ill children.\u201d These short breaks help caregivers be better spouses and parents.<\/p>\n These breaks are also good for the kids. Shannon explains, \u201cWe try to accept that Waverly and Oliver will miss out on so many milestones in life, such as their first dates, driving a car, and getting married. But they have also missed out on so many quintessential childhood activities.\u201d At Jill\u2019s House, kids like Waverly and Oliver have the opportunity to experience those childhood activities. Shannon says, \u201cJill\u2019s House opened our world back up. Waverly and Oliver finally have a place of their own. Jill\u2019s House was made for kids just like them. Every room and activity is modified to allow them active participation. Sleepovers and playdates are possibilities once again.\u201d<\/p>\n Waverly is now ten years old and Oliver is seven. Matt and Shannon know that the next few years are going to be extremely difficult for their family. Shannon says, \u201cWe are grieving, but thanks to Jill\u2019s House, our children know only joy and unconditional love.\u201d (To follow the McNeil family’s journey, visit their blog, Exploring Holland<\/a><\/span>.)<\/p>\n Jill\u2019s House serves hundreds of families like the McNeils in the DC area. But we know that there are thousands of families affected by disability across the country who need respite. In next week’s post, I\u2019ll share the steps we\u2019re taking to meet that need. You\u2019re going to love what God is doing!<\/p>\n What’s your special needs respite story? Are you able to access it? Are you trying to find it? Leave a comment about your experience in the comment box. And come back next Monday for Part 2 in the special needs respite series.<\/p>\n Part 2: Special Needs Respite: Camps<\/a><\/span> Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ background_color=”#b4dbc0″ custom_padding=”20px|20px|20px|20px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blurb title=”@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoicG9zdF9hdXRob3IiLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJiZWZvcmUiOiJCeSAiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsIm5hbWVfZm9ybWF0IjoiZGlzcGxheV9uYW1lIiwibGluayI6Im9uIiwibGlua19kZXN0aW5hdGlvbiI6ImF1dGhvcl9hcmNoaXZlIn19@” image=”http:\/\/differentdream.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Cameron-Doolittle-1.jpg” icon_placement=”left” image_max_width=”100px” content_max_width=”800px” _builder_version=”4.10.5″ _dynamic_attributes=”title” header_font=”Rubik|500|||||||” header_text_color=”#44465f” header_font_size=”14px” header_line_height=”32px” body_font=”Rubik||||||||” body_text_color=”rgba(0,6,69,0.6)” body_link_text_color=”#ffffff” custom_css_main_element=”font-weight: 400;” border_radii_image=”on|100px|100px|100px|100px” border_color_all_image=”#ffffff” box_shadow_style_image=”preset1″ box_shadow_vertical_image=”20px” box_shadow_blur_image=”40px” box_shadow_color_image=”rgba(68,70,95,0.27)” locked=”off” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Cameron Doolittle has been President & CEO of Jill\u2019s House<\/a> since it opened in 2010. He loves that families find physical and spiritual rest through Jesus, and that Jill\u2019s House is helping prepare a new generation of leaders to love children with special needs as God does. Before he came to Jill\u2019s House, Cameron was the \u201cnew business launch guy\u201d at Corporate Executive Board. He\u2019s a graduate of Stanford University and holds a JD\/MBA from UC-Berkeley. Cameron and his wife, Carolyn, live in Falls Church with their four young children.<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][et_pb_row_inner _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column_inner saved_specialty_column_type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_comments _builder_version=”4.4.2″ custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#42313A” button_bg_color=”#EBDCB2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_comments][\/et_pb_column_inner][\/et_pb_row_inner][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_sidebar _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_sidebar][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.2″ use_background_color_gradient=”on” background_color_gradient_start=”#42313A” background_color_gradient_end=”#EBDCB2″ background_color_gradient_direction=”159deg” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” border_width_all=”3px” border_color_all=”#1c1259″ saved_tabs=”all” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”1″ _builder_version=”4.9.2″ width=”100%” max_width=”100%” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” custom_padding=”25px|0px|5px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ module_class=”horizontal_optin_column_1″ _builder_version=”4.3.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.2″ header_text_align=”right” header_text_color=”#45107a” header_3_font=”Dancing Script|700|||||||” header_3_text_align=”center” header_3_text_color=”#B4DBC0″ header_3_font_size=”45px” custom_margin=”10px||||false|false” custom_padding=”||||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.3.4″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_signup mailchimp_list=”JolenePhilo|89f719a52b” layout=”bottom_top” first_name_fullwidth=”off” last_name_field=”off” email_fullwidth=”off” module_class=”custom_emailoptin” _builder_version=”4.4.2″ form_field_focus_background_color=”#42313A” background_enable_color=”off” custom_button=”on” button_text_size=”16px” button_text_color=”#42313A” button_bg_color=”#B4DBC0″ button_border_width=”2px” button_border_radius=”0px” button_font=”|||on|||||” button_use_icon=”off” button_custom_margin=”5px||||false|false” button_custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” border_width_all_fields=”2px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_signup][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.4.2″ header_font=”EB Garamond|600|||||||” header_text_color=”#B6452C” header_font_size=”50px” header_text_shadow_style=”preset1″ global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.4.2″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_blog fullwidth=”off” posts_number=”3″ include_categories=”current” show_more=”on” _builder_version=”4.4.2″ header_text_color=”#42313A” meta_font=”||on||||||” read_more_font=”|||on|||||” read_more_text_color=”#B6452C” read_more_font_size=”12px” pagination_text_color=”#B6452C” pagination_font_size=”20px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_blog][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Special needs respite is a support to parents & children with special needs. Cameron Dolittle tells how Jill’s House does that in difficult situations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10780,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"[caption id=\"attachment_10780\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"] We interrupt today's post to congratulate the winner of The Caregiver's Notebook<\/em><\/a> give away, Pam Christensen. Here's what she says about how she plans to use the book:<\/p>\n Both of our sons have different learning disorders and ADHD. It gets complicated keeping track of their various appts, meetings with teachers, therapists reports, medications, etc. I\u2019m looking forward to using this resource to organize it all in one place. As a caregiver for not only our sons, but also for my mother, I\u2019m also looking forward to using the prayer guide.<\/em><\/p>\n Thanks to all who entered the give away. In the next few months, several other bloggers will be hosting Caregiver's Notebook<\/em> give aways. The easiest way to enter them is to like my Facebook author page<\/a> or follow me on Twitter (@jolenephilo) where they'll be publicized. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.<\/p>\n\nHow Special Needs Respite Supports Parents<\/h4>\n
How Special Needs Respite Supports Kids<\/h4>\n
Your Special Needs Respite Story?<\/h3>\n
Part 3: Special Needs Respite: How to Start a Program<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nSubscribe for Updates from Jolene<\/h3>\n
Related Posts<\/h1>\n
![\"Special](\"http:\/\/differentdream.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Jills-house-resources.jpg\")
<\/a> Petting zoo outside Jill's House on a respite weekend[\/caption]\nSpecial Needs Respite & Jill's House<\/h3>\nParents of kids with disabilities need a break now and then. Cameron Dolittle, director of the respite facility Jill's House<\/a>, is passionate about providing quality respite for parents in the Washington, DC area and about training teams to do the same thing all over the country. In the first post in a series about respite for families of kids with special needs, Dolittle introduces you to Jill's House and one of the families they serve.<\/em>\n\nWaverly was four years old and Oliver was 15 months old when they were diagnosed with Sanfilippo syndrome<\/a>. The life expectancy for someone with Sanfilippo syndrome is 12 to 18 years old. During their short lives, Waverly and Oliver will meet a few developmental milestones but then slowly lose them all. Their parents, Matt and Shannon McNeil, were forced to adjust their expectations for their children. Shannon explains, \u201cPlaydates and sleepovers became physical therapy sessions and doctor appointments.\u201d Like so many other parents raising children with special needs, they had to grieve the loss of the what-should-have-been to embrace the what-is.\n\nThe staff of Jill's House loves Jolene Philo\u2019s book, A Different Dream for My Child<\/em><\/a>, and particularly the part in which she describes parents, like Matt and Shannon, who had great dreams for the children. She writes, \u201cWhen their children became ill and their dreams changed, they slowly, and sometimes painfully, embraced the different dream God had fashioned for their children and found joy.\" This is an important process for parents raising children with a disability, or a chronic or fatal illness.\n
How Special Needs Respite Supports Parents<\/h4>\nAt Jill\u2019s House, we have the privilege of supporting families through that process. Jill\u2019s House is a short term overnight respite facility for children with intellectual disabilities between ages 6-17. While not many families hope to have a child that qualifies for our programs, God has provided a place of hope and healing for the ones who do. Located just outside of Washington DC, our 42,000 square foot building holds 45 beds, an accessible playground, computer lab, gymnasium, library, and indoor pool. The children stay overnight and their parents get a break.\n\nThis break renews the entire family. Parents of children with special needs experience 60% more stress than the rest of the population and are 80% more likely to get divorced. Since we opened in 2010, we\u2019ve been proving empirically that an overnight break drastically lowers a family\u2019s stress level. Shannon explains that while Waverly and Oliver are at Jill\u2019s House, \u201cWe have an opportunity to connect and feel refreshed, to re-center ourselves to deal with the never-ending stress of parenting two terminally ill children.\u201d These short breaks help caregivers be better spouses and parents.\n
How Special Needs Respite Supports Kids<\/h4>\nThese breaks are also good for the kids. Shannon explains, \u201cWe try to accept that Waverly and Oliver will miss out on so many milestones in life, such as their first dates, driving a car, and getting married. But they have also missed out on so many quintessential childhood activities.\u201d At Jill\u2019s House, kids like Waverly and Oliver have the opportunity to experience those childhood activities. Shannon says, \u201cJill\u2019s House opened our world back up. Waverly and Oliver finally have a place of their own. Jill\u2019s House was made for kids just like them. Every room and activity is modified to allow them active participation. Sleepovers and playdates are possibilities once again.\u201d\n\nWaverly is now ten years old and Oliver is seven. Matt and Shannon know that the next few years are going to be extremely difficult for their family. Shannon says, \u201cWe are grieving, but thanks to Jill\u2019s House, our children know only joy and unconditional love.\u201d (To watch a video about the McNeil family, click here.<\/a>)\n\nJill\u2019s House serves hundreds of families like the McNeils in the DC area. But we know that there are thousands of families affected by disability across the country who need respite. In next week's post, I\u2019ll share the steps we\u2019re taking to meet that need. You\u2019re going to love what God is doing!\n
Your Special Needs Respite Story?<\/h3>\nWhat's your special needs respite story? Are you able to access it? Are you trying to find it? Leave a comment about your experience in the comment box. And come back next Monday for Part 2 in the special needs respite series.\n\n
![\"special](\"http:\/\/differentdream.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Cameron-Doolittle-199x300.jpg\")
<\/a>\n\nCameron Doolittle has been President & CEO of Jill\u2019s House since it opened in 2010. He loves that families find physical and spiritual rest through Jesus, and that Jill\u2019s House is helping prepare a new generation of leaders to love children with special needs as God does. Before he came to Jill\u2019s House, Cameron was the \u201cnew business launch guy\u201d at Corporate Executive Board. He\u2019s a graduate of Stanford University and holds a JD\/MBA from UC-Berkeley. Cameron and his wife, Carolyn, live in Falls Church with their four young children.<\/em>\n\nPart 2<\/a>\nPart 3<\/a>\n\nDo you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.<\/em>","_et_gb_content_width":"2880","footnotes":""},"categories":[3559,3753,3583],"tags":[3930,3931,3932,3863],"class_list":["post-10778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-different-dream","category-special-needs-ministry","category-spiritual-support","tag-cameron-dolittle","tag-jills-house","tag-respite","tag-rest"],"yoast_head":"\n