We offer Community Health Education and Support for anyone in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia area.
Through the years, we have all found it difficult to find the needed resources that are available. It is like the children’s telephone game. One person hears about a resource and they share it with someone else and so forth.
However, just like the children’s game, by the time the fifth person hears the news, the message has changed. We want to enhance this process. We want one website that everyone can use as a reference for all disability-related resources available in the DMV.
Mission
The mission of CHES For All is to be the premier website for people in the Maryland area caring for children and young adults with physical, mental, intellectual, and developmental disabilities.
5 Goals of CHES For All
- Form a community for families to ask questions about available resources
- Easy to obtain needed applications
- Source for new resources
- One-stop “shopping” for parents with children with new diagnosis; or foster parents, or someone who has recently been given the responsibility of caring for an adult with a disability
- Remain current and relevant
Board Members
Brenda S. Thompson is a proven strategic workforce and business development professional with over 25 years of industry experience in relationship building with educational institutions, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and Fortune 500 corporations. She currently serves as the Regional Workforce Manager for NC, SC, and VA for a training company that provides training leading to national certifications in Healthcare, IT, and Project Management.
In addition to CHES4ALL, Ms. Thompson currently serves on the Board of two nonprofits in North Carolina – Healing Vine Harbor and Bunk 57 Ministries. Healing Vine Harbor provides assistance and resources to homeless women, and Bunk 57 Ministries focuses on providing service to men transitioning from being incarcerated.
Patricia “Patty” Hall Porter is an experienced and understanding advocate who provides help to other parents of children with disabilities. She is the founder and Board Chair of In God’s Loving Hands, a not for profit organization that provides advocacy and support for families caring for children and young adults with various disabilities.
Patty is a dynamic mother of two exceptional children. Cortez, an adult, has spina bifida and global developmental delays. NaNa is a teenager with cognitive/emotional disabilities. Ms. Porter, who is hearing impaired, understands the difficulties of locating resources in the community.
Robin Evans is wife, mother of a teenaged son (named Wyatt) with cerebral palsy, ordained minister, corporate consultant, Washington Post Bestselling author, and small business owner.
After the traumatic birth of our son, my husband and I unexpectedly found ourselves on the special needs journey. We were lost, overwhelmed, and felt ill-prepared to navigate the world with a medically fragile child. I was motivated to write a book, “Living a Happy Life with a Special-Needs Child,” to help families organize their new lives, discover critical resources, and regain happiness. My husband and I also formed a company called WyattWear to fill a void in the adaptive clothing industry. Parents of adolescents and adult children who drool don’t have great bib options, so we started a company that has recast the image of the bib into a fashion accessory. When you find a hole, fill it.