May 8, 2013 -BELLEVUE- On Saturday, May 18, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Interlake High School junior Jason Cummings will lead a crew of volunteers who will build 12 wooden benches to be used for physical and occupational therapy for children with special needs. As part of his efforts to earn his Eagle Scout badge, Jason, also a volunteer at Kindering, plans to give back to the agency that provided him critical early intervention therapies at a time early in his life when he was not thriving.

The Bellevue School District’s Interlake High School, partnering with Jason, will highlight an opportunity for a Kindering graduate to help generations of children by building therapeutic equipment designed to help children with muscle stability and core strength.

As a toddler, Jason Cummings was referred to Kindering, after being diagnosed with idiopathic infantile spasms (IS) and needed physical/occupational therapy and speech and language therapies. The condition causes cryptogenic seizures – and the onset when Jason was 7 months old caused regression to occur. After an onset of a large cluster of seizures, and a 4-day stay at Evergreen Medical Center, Jason began to undergo 10 weeks of ACTH treatment for the infantile spasms.

In April 1997, Jason started physical therapy at Kindering with Elda Harada after completing the ACTH treatment. He could sit up, but could put no weight on his hands or arms, and could not roll over. Working with Elda over the course of the ensuing summer, Jason’s made great strides in his gross motor skills, resulting in his crawling at 13 months, and walking at 16 months. Physical therapy continued in the fall of October 1997, and in 6 months’ time, he made 12 months’ worth of progress. By 22 months, Jason no longer needed physical therapy. Jason also received speech therapy at Kindering and was enrolled in a playgroup facilitated by early intervention staff.

Stated Jason’s mom, Marie Cummings, “If it wasn’t for Kindering, Jason wouldn’t be working toward becoming an Eagle Scout. We’re very proud of his accomplishments – including becoming a competitive swimmer specializing in the challenging 200- and 500-yard freestyle events, and taking AP classes in U.S. History and Environmental Science, as well as two years of Chinese language.”

She added, “I can’t say enough about the importance of children getting crucial early intervention services right away. It made a huge difference for Jason. The early therapies and intervention he received at Kindering allowed him to enter kindergarten with no delays, and have contributed to every success he’s had along the way.”

Jason’s Scoutmaster, Andrew Wahlquist said of him, “He’s gone from a 12 year old boy to a well driven young man. When he puts his mind to something, nothing stops him.”

February 26, 2013 -SEATTLE- Marking one of his first Seattle public appearances as Washington State’s 23rd Governor, the state’s new top executive, Jay Inslee, will be joined by his wife, Trudi, the new Washington First Lady, to host the 19th Annual Auction and Gala, benefitting Kindering. The Gala is scheduled for Saturday, March 2nd, from 6 until 11 p.m., at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, in downtown Bellevue Guests will be treated to a fantastical evening “Under the Big Top” complete with performers, tenting, edible centerpieces, lively auction fun and other Vaudville entertainment. The Gala is Kindering’s largest fundraiser of the year.

Tom and Lesley Todaro will chair the sold out gala event. “This event is all about the very special kids that Kindering supports. Infants with disabilities and their families come to Kindering to receive very special support. We are honored to be a part of such a special organization and cause”, states Tom Todaro.

Gala sponsors include: Diamond Sponsor, Williams Kastner. Platinum sponsors: Explorer Properties, Iron Springs Resort, and Nintendo of America.Additional sponsors includd: the Boeing Company, Costco Wholesale, inome, Kibble & Prentice, Lane Powell PC, Mosaic Rehabilitation, Inc., PayNorthwest, Swedish Medical Center, Puget Sound Energy, Regence BlueShield, and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.

In 1962, five young Eastside mothers established this program for children with special needs. Kindering has been honored with numerous awards and referenced in academic journals; Kindering is a well-recognized national leader in early intervention services for children ages birth to three with disabilities. We are the largest neurodevelopmental center in Washington State. The center treats children with delays caused for example by autism, cerebral palsy, chromosomal abnormalities, vision impairment, extraordinary complications of prematurity, or abuse and neglect.

In 2012, Kindering helped more than 3,400 children and their families. Services include developmental assessments; physical; speech, and mental health therapies; special education; childcare consultation; nutrition/feeding therapy; outreach to homeless shelters, foster and kinship care interventions; family counseling; and parent education.

“Decades of research have proven that ages birth to three are the most critical phase of brain development for any child – a one-time opportunity to make a powerful difference. The Center’s graduate successes are immense-- 3/4 narrow the gap with their typically developing peers and 1/3 no longer require special education services at age three.,” states Mimi Siegel, Executive Director of Kindering. She added, “This saved our school districts nearly $2 million in just the two year period they would have been in school district preschool special education programs.”

February 14, 2012 – BELLEVUE - Community philanthropists, Doug and Janet True, and their daughter Effie, a special education teacher with the Seattle Public Schools, are renowned for their charity work on behalf of many health and human service and arts organizations in the Puget Sound region. On Saturday, March 3rd, they will chair Kindering's 50th Anniversary Celebration. The kickoff, also the major annual fundraising benefit for Kindering, will highlight the local non-profit organization's nationally recognized early intervention program helping infants and children with special needs. Dennis Bounds, KING5 Television News Anchor, will emcee. The event will take place at the elegant Grand Hyatt Hotel, in downtown Seattle.

"We are thrilled to invite you to celebrate with us Kindering's 50th Anniversary," stated Janet True. She added, "Since 1962 Kindering has helped more than 30,000 infants and children with special needs in our community. We join our daughter Effie honoring Kindering’s remarkable and crucial early intervention services and helping to envision the next half century of care."
-Diane Demopulos and Dr. Peter Demopulos, Chairs the 50th Anniversary Honorary Committee.

Underscoring our roots in 1962, the event will also feature a Beatles Tribute performance by Crème Tangerine. For more information on buying individual tickets, hosting a table, or becoming a sponsor, please call Joe Cunningham @ (425) 653-4321.

In 1962 five young Eastside mothers established this program for children with special needs. Kindering has been honored with numerous awards and referenced in academic journals; Kindering is a well-recognized national leader in early intervention services for children ages birth to three with disabilities. We are the largest neurodevelopmental center in Washington State. The center treats children with delays caused for example by autism, cerebral palsy, chromosomal abnormalities, vision impairment, extraordinary complications of prematurity, or abuse and neglect.

In 2011, Kindering helped more than 3,300 children and their families. Services include developmental assessments; physical; speech, and mental health therapies; special education; childcare consultation; nutrition/feeding therapy; outreach to homeless shelters, foster and kinship care interventions; family counseling; and parent education.

Mimi Siegel, Executive Director of Kindering, states, "decades of research have proven that ages birth to three are the most critical phase of brain development for any child – a one-time opportunity to make a powerful difference." According to Siegel, "The Center’s own data show that 97% of our children make progress; 73% narrow the gap with their typically developing peers; and 36% no longer require special education services at age three. Last school year, 141 of the children served at Kindering exited early intervention with age-appropriate skills."

BELLEVUE, October 18, 2010 - Recognizing the need to raise awareness of critical early intervention programs for vulnerable children with special needs, the Seattle Sounders Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champions Taylor Graham, Roger Levesque, Nate Jaqua, Brad Evans, Pat Ianni, Pan Noonan, Osvaldo Alonso and others will be at Kindering (to play games, take pictures and have a great time), the Eastside area birth-to-three-therapy center, scheduled for Monday, October 25th, from 3 to 4:30 p.m., at 16120 NE 8th Street, in the Crossroads area of Bellevue.

The Seattle Sounders players will make an appearance at Kindering with other celebrating teammates in the wake of the team's second MLS Open Cup championship on October 5th – when the Seattle Sounders defeated the Columbus Crew 2-1. The Sounders were the first MLS team (and first team in 27 years) to win back-to-back Open Cups. Before they head into the fierce competition of November, Seattle Sounders players wanted to host an afternoon of fun and excitement at Kindering!

"The children with special needs served by Kindering are heroes and are champions," Seattle Sounders defenseman Taylor Graham stated. He added, "we can all make a difference in their lives."

Responding to the news of the Seattle Sounders' appearance, Dr. Rosita Van Coevorden, a Kindering Board Trustee and honorary co-chair of Kindering's upcoming November 13th Annual Auction Gala stated, "As champion professional soccer athletes, Taylor and his teammates on the Sounders are lending their names and community stature to highlight Kindering's crucial early intervention services." She added, "they are helping us make sure that every child that needs special early help can get it at Kindering."

BELLEVUE - March 25 2009 - Kindering Center in Bellevue, a non-profit neurodevelopmental center that provides therapies and services for infants and children with special needs, has released Tres Familias, a powerful profile of three Hispanic families, who tell their stories about raising their special needs children. The project is sponsored by Washington State Fathers Network, a program of Kindering, with major support from the Foster Foundation and Washington State Dept. of Health, Children with Special Health Care Needs.

The film, an 11-minute documentary, filmed on location in Washington State, by White Noise Productions, has been previewed, and released to selected audiences. One audience member wrote, "the way these families are portrayed makes it easy to relate to them…even though I don't speak Spanish, was born in the U.S., and don't have a child with disabilities."

Another wrote, "As a dad of a child with special needs, Tres Familias tells three important stories, and inspires me on my own journey."

Washington State Fathers Network (WSFN) is the producer of the film, courtesy of major support from the Foster Foundation. WSFN, a program of Kindering Center, is the only statewide program of its kind in the United States. The network provides support and resources for men raising children with special health care needs and developmental disabilities. With sixteen statewide programs, the WSFN serves more than 2,000 fathers and family members . The program speaks with a powerful voice for dads, assisting them in addressing the myriad challenges their children face and lets them know that they are not alone in their efforts to be the best fathers possible.

Washington State Fathers Network Program Director, Greg Schell, notes, "Tres Familias follows the joys, and challenges of three Hispanic families as they raise children diagnosed with autism, epilepsy, and Downs Syndrome. A must see film powerfully told!"

Members of the public can contact Mr. Schell, at (425) 653-4286, or for details on viewing Tres Familias and ordering the DVD.