Sorority donates backpacks to WIHD

From left: Marla Green, WIHD socio-therapist; Jackie Boucher of AKA; Danielle Weisberg, director of child welfare services at WIHD; Katherine Kelly, AKA; Jenean Castillo, WIHD assistant director of child welfare services; and Lena Anderson and Kathleen Sheldon of AKA.

The Westchester Institute for Human Development (WIHD) received 60 new backpacks filled with school supplies from the Pi lota Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Children being served by two home-based WIHD programs will benefit: the Project Impact and Every Family Counts Aftercare programs. 

The children who received the backpacks range in age from 5 to 16. Project Impact provides in-home parent training to parents with an intellectual disability whose children are at risk for foster care placement. These services are specifically designed to meet the learning needs of parents with cognitive disabilities. The Every Family Counts Aftercare Program provides community-based supports and services to families that have been reunified following a foster care placement. These families have overcome significant obstacles in order to be reunited with their children.

For more than 40 years, WIHD has been a regional resource for children and adults with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, neurological and cognitive disabilities, hearing and vision problems, and other conditions. Its services, which often follow a person throughout his or her lifespan, include comprehensive dental and adult medical care programs, service coordination and planning, education and support services.