A TOUCH OF UNDERSTANDING, INC.

“Building Empathy ~ Igniting Respect”

Report of Activities 7/1/05-6/30/06

Mission Statement: The mission of A Touch of Understanding, Inc. is to encourage acceptance and respect for all individuals. Its educational programs are designed to enhance understanding of differences, thereby minimizing the discrimination and social isolation suffered by people who are perceived as different for any reason, but especially children and adults with disabilities.

In support of this mission, A Touch of Understanding has made the following presentations:

A total of 4,000 students in 149 classes have participated in ATOU programs this year.

Date Location # of Classes grade # of Students

9/8,15,22,23	Antelope Crossing Middle School, Antelope	13 6^th	435
10/7	Folsom Hills Elementary School, Folsom	1 6^th	30
10/13	El Dorado High School, Placerville	1 sophomore	50
10/14	Spanger School, Roseville	4 3^rd	85
10/21	Heritage Oaks Elementary School, Roseville	6 3^rd	130
10/27	Quail Glen Elementary School, Roseville	8 3^rd	170
11/3	Thomas Jefferson Elementary School, Roseville	3 4^th & 5^th	95
11/10	Tremont School, Dixon	4 6^th	120
11/17	Valley High School, Sacramento	2 soph/senior	90
11/18	Crestmont Elementary School, Roseville	3 4^th & 5^th	90
12/1,2	Sierra Gardens Elementary School, Roseville	5 5^{th &}6^th	170
12/8	Sierra Oaks Elementary School, Sacramento	2 4^th	70
12/9	Robla School, Sacramento	2 5^th	85
12/15	Two Rivers School, Sacramento	3 4^th	100
1/6	St. John’s Christian School, Roseville	3^rd - 8^th	80
1/12	St. Albans Country Day School, Roseville	4 5^th – 8^th	100
1/13	Twelve Bridges Elementary School, Lincoln	3 5^th & 6^th	100
1/19,20	Olive Grove School, Antelope	7 3^rd	150
2/2, 3	Antelope Meadows School, Antelope	8 3^rd	170
2/9	Bowling Green Elementary School, Sacramento	6 2^nd & 3^rd	130
2/10	Twin Oaks School, Rocklin	3 4^th	100
2/16	Blue Oaks Elementary School, Roseville	3 5^th	85
2/17	Dry Creek Elementary School, Roseville	4 3^rd	85
3/2,3	Coyote Ridge Elementary School, Roseville	8 3^rd	170
3/9	Hiram Johnson High School, Sacramento	2 sophomore	55
3/10	Del Campo High School, Fair Oaks	2 special ed.	45
3/16	Sargeant Elementary School, Roseville	3 4^th & 5^th	160
3/17	Cirby Elementary School, Roseville	4 3^rd	80
3/23	Foresthill Elementary School, Foresthill	3 4^th	90
3/30,31	Maidu Elementary School, Roseville	8 2^nd	155
4/21	Pride Industries, Roseville	mixed	20
4/26	Woodbridge Adventure Club, Roseville	mixed	40
5/4	Esparto Middle School, Esparto	3 6^th	85
5/11	Sargeant Elementary School, Roseville	2 6^th	75
5/5,12	Excelsior School, Roseville	6 6^th	160
5/18,19	Greenhills Elementary School, Granite Bay	7 2^nd	145

A Sampling of Students’ Comments

High School Student:

It will be easier now to make friends with someone with a disability because now that we learned about people with disabilities I am more aware that they are no different from me and they have the same feelings as me. Just because someone walks or talks or does or has something different than me doesn’t change who they are and it’s not the outside it’s the inside that counts.

Elementary School Students:

Because now I know it isn’t funny to have a disability, it is probably hard, so I can be friendly. It’s not funny or scary to have a disability.

I know what they are going through and I don’t want to leave them out just because they might not be able to do what you and I can.

Just because you have a disability doesn’t mean you can’t follow a dream or meet a goal.

I won’t be scared from artificial arms and legs people have or wheelchairs. I will still remember, people are the same inside. I first, was scared. But I learned a lot and I am not afraid.

I especially loved it because I play with lots of kids that have disabilities and they’re very nice. I think people shouldn’t stare but they should learn about disabilities and be friends with people who have disabilities.

Thank you for teaching us about how we should act when we see a person that has a certain disability. Now when I see people with disabilities I will smile at them in a good way to make them feel happy.

You taught me to not stare at people with disabilities and to care for them. Because sometime I might have a disability.

I learned about so many things about blindness from you. People are just like you, they should not laugh, they should not stare, they should be kind, they should talk in a nice way or they could start a conversation.

I learned how to be friends with people who have wheelchairs, braces or even can’t see. They are the same as anyone else. Thanks for teaching us all how to feel about people who have learning disabilities.

I learned you should never take one look at a person and just say, “That person is dumb.” You shouldn’t. You should get to know the person better.

One thing I learned was to respect people with disabilities. My brother has high order autism and my family treats him the same but when we go to the store everyone points and stares. They just won’t take the time to listen. He does everything I can just differently. He even goes to different countries websites and learns their language!

I am very grateful. Now I can tell my friends and family how people may look different but still are the same on the inside. You taught us a very good lesson. Thank you for helping me understand.

Students’ Responses to Questionnaires

New this year! We now distribute questionnaires to all participating students. These are the results of the 244 students who returned the questionnaires:

93% said ATOU made them more comfortable around someone with a disability
96% reported that they understood more about the tools people with disabilities use
86% said it would be easier to make friends with someone with a disability since they participated in A Touch of Understanding.

A Sampling of Teachers’ Comments

My students loved the challenges in the Adventure Book. They also cherished the Braille alphabet. A story I’d like to share that shows how wonderful your program is: We have an autistic student who had quite a loud episode while class was in session the other day. She was screaming in the hallways and banging on windows. My class started to giggle and some were annoyed since we were testing. I asked them all to think about the bookmarks they signed and their buttons and the message, “I CHOOSE TO BE KIND!” I reminded them that life can be hard living with a disability. They immediately changed their attitudes. I saw looks of anger turn to acceptance and laughter turned to an understanding silence! Thank you so much for giving me the tools, the words to use, and the experience for my students. I’m not sure how the situation would have looked a few weeks before?!? Your program is amazing!!

Elementary School Teacher

We have a special needs child in our class, so I found the program especially good this year. Although my class has always been very caring about this child, your presentation gave us an opportunity to discuss the ideas of empathy versus sympathy. Thank you so much.

Elementary School Teacher

I believe that many students don’t have a lot of experience with disabled people. I do think that when they will come in contact with them, they will now be much more understanding and empathetic because of ATOU. I think it’s a fabulous program.

Elementary School Teacher

Teachers’ Responses to Questionnaires

During the 2005-2006 school year, 41% of the participating teachers responded to our questionnaires. Below are the results of their responses:

· 98% considered A Touch of Understanding a valuable educational experience and influential in improving relationships and communication, with a long-term positive effect for their students.

· 95% responded their students had an increased awareness of disabilities and sensitivity and respect for disabled individuals.

· 95% reported improved peer interactions among their students

· With respect to interactions with students with special needs:

o 83% reported that their students had contact with students with special needs

o 79% reported that those contacts had been positive in the past

o 49% responded that interactions with students with disabilities had improved as a result of ATOU

A Sampling of Parents’ Comments

She talked about this program and the people she met for days. She understands and we talked about how people with disabilities are very able and use their abilities to overcome their challenges and difficulties and are happy individuals with special needs. This is a wonderful program. Elementary school parent

It opened up a new discussion into her brother’s condition that made her see what his life would have been like 40 years ago without as much “science” (Living in institutions). She decided she’s glad he’s at home with us. Elementary school parent

She shared the entire program with us many times – all areas. I think she will be more understanding and more helpful to people with various disabilities. Elementary school parent

Although my daughter had been exposed to both physically and mentally disabled people, I think it’s always valuable for kids to see other types of disabilities and be able to socialize and not feel intimidated. I think that your curriculum and your speakers are very valuable and I think it’s a wonderful program. Keep up the good work! Elementary school parent

She was excited about the knowledge of disabilities she was previously unaware of. Compassion has certainly taken over where the lack of knowledge was. Elementary school parent

My son is having more compassion for those with disabilities and a willingness to include everyone in his circle of friends. Elementary school parent

We have some family members with disabilities, but he had been uncomfortable around amputees. Now, he says he’ll be fine around them. Thank you!! Elementary school parent

She will know how to accept and behave around individuals with disabilities. Thank you! I think other children just don’t know how to act around others with disabilities and this program brought real people and stories to clear things up. Elementary school parent

He talked about it for a couple of days; the fact that he is no longer afraid of the unknown. He said to me, “You don’t have to be scared.” Elementary school parent

They may be more comfortable approaching or interacting with disabled persons and realize they are more alike than different. I have never heard my sons talk so much about a school assembly. They really learned a lot and enjoyed it. Thank you! Elementary school parent

[He will have] more compassion for people with disabilities. His older brother has Down syndrome. He did not understand that his brother has a mental disability and now he understands it more. Elementary school parent

If you are not exposed to people with disabilities, when you see them you feel curious and scared. Even if you want to approach them you don’t know how to act. It’s important for kids to realize that they are people just like them and to experience interactions with them to gain a level of comfort. My daughter’s participating in the program lead to some insightful conversations in our home. Thank you! Elementary school parent

Parents’ Responses to Questionnaires

New this year, as well! For our first year of requesting responses to questionnaires from parents of participating students, we’ve gotten the following responses from 155 parents:

93% reported their child was excited about sharing their ATOU experience
64% said their child knew someone with a disability
99% anticipate that the ATOU experience will encourage their child to accept and include individuals with disabilities in their lives
94% anticipate ATOU having a lasting, positive experience on their child

Our Growth and Expansion

Well, we made it! We have presented our disability-awareness program to 4,000 students this year! Each student has experienced both parts of our program and received all the follow-up materials we created last summer. Every student participated in the activities stations to help them understand the challenges associated with disabilities. They’ve used the wheelchairs, written their names in Braille and used white mobility canes. They’ve handled the braces and artificial limbs. They’ve participated in our mirror-writing activity to help them understand the frustration of a learning disability. And they’ve heard our speakers who have disabilities, who have shared their experiences and insight with humor and compassion. For the first time this school year, each student received a packet of follow-up materials after they completed A Touch of Understanding. They took home: a 12-page Adventure Book filled with activities to remind them of the activities and speakers, and to encourage them to take the experience a step further into their own social lives, a bookmark which asks them to commit to being kind, a button which reinforces the lesson of empathy, and a Braille card, with a sentence to decode that says, “I choose to be kind.” We have heard from teachers and parents that the students treasure these materials and enjoy the activities.

We now have a new website. Check us out at www.TouchOfUnderstanding.org. A big “THANK YOU” to Granite Bay High School’s GBit Program and to the student who created our website, Matt Chalmers. We are still working out a few glitches and have much more to add. Please visit the site and meet our incredible team! We will be updating it often with ATOU Highlights, schedules, speakers’ stories, media coverage, information on volunteers and volunteer opportunities, and much more. Please log on frequently and see what is new!

Thanks to PASCO Foundation, River Cats Foundation, The Optimist Club of Sacramento, Sue Ellen Stavrand, John Harcourt and countless individual donors, we now have a new trailer and vehicle to pull it. We were able to purchase a cargo trailer to transport all the equipment for our presentations: wheelchairs, mirrors, artificial limbs, braces follow-up materials, and lots more. To tow the trailer and provide much-needed transportation for some of our volunteers, we were also able to purchase a seven-passenger 2004 Dodge Durango. Thank you all, so much!

As we anticipated last summer, the addition of our three new young volunteers has brought a new spark to the volunteer team! Paige and Courtney, (with her Canine Companion, Lucey) share their experiences of living with hemiplegia. Kiersten (accompanied by her CCI dog, Wella) answers students’ questions regarding autism. We knew the students would quickly identify with young volunteers, which is exactly what has happened. We are so thankful these girls are able to join us for presentations. This makes the age range of our volunteers, 14 to 79 years! Never too young or too old.

Sponsorship has been generously given by the following:

Albertson’s $ 47.57

City of Roseville Citizens Benefit Fund $25,000.00

CPS Human Resource Services ` $ 5,500.00

Eberhart & Company $ 400.00

Kaiser Permanente, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc. $ 1,000.00

Lyon & Associates Inc. $ 250.00

Optimist Club of Sacramento $ 1,760.00

Raley’s, BEL AIR, NOB HILL, FOOD SOURCE $ 799.46

Ralph’s/Kroger $ 135.86

Roseville Automall Association $ 1,000.00

Wal-Mart Foundation $ 500.00

Kiwanis Club of Granite Bay $ 250.00

In-kind donations have been made by:

Corporate Campaign Contributions:

Many other individuals are giving generously through their corporate campaigns:

PASCO Foundation United Way, California Capital Region

Memorial Donations:

In memory of Joy Albers, by Grace and Erik Stavrand

In honor and memory of Joan (Sophie) DeDora, by Andrew and Gertrude Howe

In memory of Travis Doran, by John and Margaret Hardwick

In memory of Lauris Ennis by Jacquelynne Callahan, Edward Ennis, Grace and Erik Stavrand

In memory of Dorothy (Dottie) Hickey by Jacquelynne Callahan, Charlotte Nielsen, Arlene and Don Steele

In memory of Charlie Kops, by John and Margaret Hardwick

In memory of Linda Leachty, by Leslie and Richard DeDora, Rebecca Hensley

In memory of Chad Mallo, by Annmarie Mallo

In memory of Rhea Metzinger, by John and Margaret Hardwick

In memory of Dorothy Newhall, by Grace and Erik Stavrand

In memory of Richard Penney, by Leslie and Richard DeDora

In memory of John Schiebelhut, by Margaret and John Hardwick

In memory of Betty Stokes, by John and Margaret Hardwick

In memory of Paul Studer, by John and Margaret Hardwick

In memory of Betty Whitmarsh, by Edward Ennis, Grace and Erik Stavrand

Honoring Donations:

In honor of Edward Ennis, by Grace and Erik Stavrand

In honor of Lauris Ennis by Jacquelynne Callahan, Edward Ennis, Grace and Erik Stavrand

In honor of Tina Frazier, by Kenneth and Suzanne Johnstone

In honor of Frances Jaffee, by Davina and Barbara Dubnick

In honor of Jim Knudson, by Martha Kabele

In honor of Meta Stavrand, by Grace and Erik Stavrand

Our Challenges for 2006-2007

More and more communities and school districts, such as those in Roseville, Foresthill, Antelope and Granite Bay are seeing the benefits of A Touch of Understanding for all students. It is exciting to see the long-lasting effects in these districts that have provided the program to students for ten or more years. It is not surprising that surrounding districts are seeing the impact and desiring it for their students. Our challenge is to meet this increasing demand.

Our objective is to teach children in new districts and schools while continuing to serve our present clients. This requires recruiting additional staff and volunteers and increasing our fundraising. We require greater visibility to attract these resources and have begun working with Peppers.TV to produce DVDs for this purpose.

Our staff and volunteers provided character education and opportunities to raise the emotional intelligence of 4,000 students this year though our ATOU disability awareness presentations. This brings our grand total up to approximately 23,000 students. The students who experience A Touch of Understanding each year, have this experience thanks to the efforts of an incredible team of volunteers and the financial commitment of foundations, corporations and individuals like you. Thanks to you, A Touch of Understanding is able to continue to touch the hearts and minds of our children and young adults to “Build Empathy and Ignite Respect.”

Thank you for being our partner in this mission!

“Building Empathy ~ Igniting Respect”

Date Location # of Classes grade # of Students

Pride Industries, Roseville

Woodbridge Adventure Club, Roseville

Esparto Middle School, Esparto

Sargeant Elementary School, Roseville

Excelsior School, Roseville

Greenhills Elementary School, Granite Bay

Elementary School Teacher

Elementary School Teacher

Elementary School Teacher

Albertson’s $ 47.57

CPS Human Resource Services ` $ 5,500.00

Avalon Printing and Graphics

Tom Cox

Gil Machado

Grace Nolasco

Sharon and Ron Middlekauff

Corporate Campaign Contributions:

Memorial Donations: