The Lucas Project Resource Database
There are 12 distinct categories in our resource database, including: respite, scholarships/funding, therapy, community, churches, residential services, day programs, special needs family friendly vacations, conferences, books, media, and products.
We add a new resource weekly! Check out below for some examples of what we offer.
We are a United States focused database. If there is a resource you are in need of please reach out to us at [email protected]
Resources
A Kid Again offers free local events and activities called Adventures for families who have a child facing a life-threatening condition.
4 Paws for Ability enriches the lives of people with disabilities by placing life changing service dogs.We breed, raise, and train our service dogs in preparation to assist their partner with specific tasks and skills that mitigate the impacts of their partner’s disabilities.
A Mother’s Rest is a nonprofit organization that provides different types of respite retreats for special needs parents for affordable prices. There are different options for families, couples, and mothers individually. They have locations all over the United States.
Autism Care Today can provide your special needs family with a grant for up to $5,000. These grants are designed to provide access to individuals and families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders. They also have special grant opportunities for military families.
Blended With Grit & Grace
With wit and wisdom, Jess offers fresh perspectives on managing different parenting styles, developing family traditions, and meeting the special needs of your family. Jess, with frequent asides from Ryan, also probes deeper marital and family concerns that are often experienced but not talked about like grief, breakdowns in communication, finances, and insecurities. Filled with gentle advice, Blended with Grit & Grace transports readers into the Ronne’s kitchen so you can ponder the detours that have come up in your own life.
Blue Bridge Autism Training is a program that trains first responders to know how to treat situations where an individual with autism is involved. It was created to raise awareness in first responders to prevent misunderstandings in intense situations.
Join Jess Ronne, author, speaker, and caregiver advocate as she chats with caregivers about the joys and trials of raising a child with complex needs. Jess is also the founder & executive director of The Lucas Project, a non-profit which provides recognition, resources, & respite for special needs families & associate director of the Unseen film.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/coffee-with-caregivers/id1519009943
HopeKids provides ongoing events, activities and a powerful, unique support community for families who have a child with cancer or some other life-threatening medical condition. We surround these remarkable children and their families with the message that hope is a powerful medicine.
Key Ministry was founded to help churches welcome families of children with hidden disabilities. Since 2002, we’ve provided knowledge, innovation, and experience to the worldwide church as it ministers to and with individuals and families of kids with hidden, developmental, and physical disabilities. In addition to being a disability inclusion ministry resource, we find ourselves uniquely called and positioned to serve churches seeking to become more intentional and effective in ministry with children, teens, and adults impacted by mental illness and trauma.
Kids’ Waivers is a compilation of information about Medicaid waivers, Katie Beckett or TEFRA programs, and other programs for children with disabilities or medical needs. This website is the product of years of ongoing research on these programs.
Lasagna Love is an organization that will deliver a hot meal of lasagna to your family as a night of respite from cooking dinner for the crew! It does take a little time to set up, so sign up early!
Lori’s Voice provides financial assistance for families who are unable to afford adaptive equipment, travel, therapy and other items that are not [fully] covered by insurance or other organizations.
Lovin’ with Grit & Grace: Straight-Talk about Romance, Sex, Fun, and the Tough Stuff Too
Jess and Ryan blended their families after losing their spouses to cancer in 2010.
In Lovin’ with Grit and Grace, they offer a his-and-hers perspective on this unexpected marital journey with their eight children, seven of whom have lost a parent, including their eighteen-year-old son Lucas who is profoundly disabled. They address many tough topics, like grief, addictions, and intimacy, with a vulnerable honesty that is a breath of fresh air in an age when most would rather avoid these difficult issues.
The Miracle League removes the barriers that keep children with mental and physical disabilities off the baseball field and lets them experience the joy of America’s favorite pastime.
Meerkat Village connects you with your child’s providers and supporters in one place.
The My Gym Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping children with disabilities and those struggling financially by awarding critically-needed gifts of equipment and services. Through the generosity of our supporters, we provide these indispensable articles and services to children living with physical or developmental disabilities and those facing chronic illness or severe economic limitations.
The Interagency Access Pass is part of the America the Beautiful – The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass series and is available free for US citizens or permanent residents with permanent disabilities.
https://www.nps.gov/subjects/accessibility/interagency-access-pass.htm
Ronald McDonald House provides rooms for parents to stay nearby a hospital where their child is receiving treatment to get a little rest during a stressful time while remaining close to their loved one for peace of mind.
SafeSplash is a premium learn-to-swim and performance-based swim school that teaches all skill levels ranging from the fundamentals of water safety to competitive instruction so that our swimmers love the water, are safe and swim for life.
Sunlight Burning at Midnight
Starting out in life as a young wife and mother, you never imagine the ways your hopes and dreams might be completely shattered. For Jessica and her husband Jason, a series of unrelenting heartbreaks struck, beginning with their baby’s diagnosis with a life-changing disability. Just a few short years later, thirty-three-year old Jason lay in a hospital bed, battling a Glioblastoma brain tumor. And within the span of six years of marriage, Jessica became a widow left alone to care for their four young children, including one with special needs. But the story doesn’t end there. In the midst of storm after storm, Jessica stubbornly clung to God, and she found him to be faithful. Enter Ryan Ronne, a young widower and father of three. Ryan had also lost his spouse to brain cancer-in fact, around the same time Jessica’s husband, Jason, had succumbed to the disease. Just as the idea of sunlight burning at midnight sounds impossible, so it seemed unlikely anything beautiful could arise from their devastation. But a new love story emerged, along with a combined family that now numbers eight children.
Talk to Me Technologies is an organization that will fight on your behalf for your insurance company to cover the cost of a communication device for your child. If they are unable to do so, the can provide funding to cover the costs for your family.
Tools to Grow, Inc. is a place to share ideas and inspire others with engaging print and go resources, interactive digital teletherapy technology activities, handouts, worksheets, activities, games, and educational material.
The Unforgotten Families is an advocacy group working to get the family CNA program implemented in every state. This would allow parents to be paid as a caregiver for their special needs child, or a family member can provide the care as well. This could provide some much needed respite and financial relief for special needs families.
Unseen follows Jess and Ryan Ronne, a blended family with 8 children, including Lucas, who has profound disabilities requiring total care. Their situation has gotten more and more challenging as Lucas gets older and stronger. With limited resources and support, caregiving takes a toll on their physical and mental health. It’s a common story among parent caregivers: the isolation, uncertainty about the future, lack of options, and a never-ending daily to-do list means the role of caregiver overpowers nearly every other facet of life. Video diaries from diverse caregivers featured in the film illustrate this universality, while interviews with mental health and policy/legal experts provide a broader view on the societal impacts.