Her name is Kailtin. This February she is 7. Kailtin is a very unique little girl. She has Autism, ADHD, and Bipolar disorder. She is a sweet child, with little expressive language but a whole lot of love to give. She has two sweet parents that love her deeply. They have worked very hard to help her, but for the past several years, they have received very little help from any resource.

Finally after 5 years of fighting for help, Kinark granted then funding for 40 hours a week of therapy. Kailtin made tremendous gains even while battling with changes in her medications. We worked with Kaitlin not even a year and then it happened….her funding got cut immediately! Her instructors, teachers, parents and I were devastated. After all the pain this little girl has endured, she deserves more.

Her family cannot afford to continue therapy. They have already exhausted their resources. It is February 3, 2003 and we have 4 days left of working with Kaitlin. What is going to happen now? We have been with her from 9:00am until she goes home at 6:00pm. We work with her at home on Saturday and Sunday to help her go out in the community with her parents. Her school has been incredibly supportive working with us to help Kailtin adjust, and learn. She started off the school year fighting every step from getting on and off the school bus to sitting in one spot for 2 minutes working on her activities.

She has spent the year slowly acquiring skills necessary for her success in a school setting. She still needs help and she cannot function independently yet without continued support. She was beginning to live life with a greater appreciation for people and things. She could play with her toys, tell you "no" or ask "I want". Her aggressive behaviors and fighting slowed down considerably as her communication improved, and she was laughing, hugging, kissing and enjoying others.

We are desperate not only to help her parents…but to also help Kaitlin learn more. She has so much more to learn and her parents need us to continue.
Her teacher, Mr. Montgomery, and her instructors, Gracie, Eti, Adam, Meera, Darren and I, are trying to make things a little easier. We are asking our team of instructors that work not only with Kaitlin but with all our families at CH.I.L.D, our families that receive services, and the community to help us raise funds for Kaitlin. I asked her parents to open a bank account for Kaitlin so that we could give her a gift.

I am asking everyone to please help us raise enough money to get Kaitlin through at least until August 30th 2003. We need to raise enough money to pay for 40 hours of therapy that the provincial government just took away from her. We know that many of our families need this help. Kaitlin is one of our 'neediest' children. We fell in love with her from the beginning. Her parents are incredible and would never ask anyone for help. We (CH.I.L.D. and her school) made it our mission to help Kaitlin get through the school year and the summer.

Please help us raise funds for Kaitlin to continue her therapy. Our goal is to raise $28,000.00 for her therapy. If you can help with our mission please send a cheque to CH.I.L.D. on Kaitlin's behalf. All cheques should be made payable to Kaitlin Bounds.

Thank you for your kindness,

Sandy Palombo
Darren Levine
Mr. Montgomery
Gracie
Eti
Adam
Meera