2023 Cerebral Palsy Family Day
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Save the date: Saturday, June 24th, 2023
Fostering connection and empowerment within the CP community
This event is co-planned with Christopher R.J. Worth and Kelly Moffatt, both individuals with CP and prominent activists for the disability community in St. Louis.
Family Day aims to help bring about a shift in people’s way of thinking. “We aren’t just aiming for universal access – we want universal thinking,” says Worth. “It’s important that caregivers start visualizing how their role can shift to supporter so their child can become as independent as possible. Ultimately, we hope caregivers see that their child’s independence is a really a kind of interdependence.”
Learning will be led by community partners from various disciplines with a common goal — improve the lives of individuals with disabilities. Caregivers will explore how to navigate state and federally-funded support while having the opportunity to visualize and plan for their child’s future.
Venue
Missouri Botanical Garden
4344 Shaw Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63110
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We chose the Botanical Garden for this event because they are committed to accessibility. Learn more about what the Missouri Botanical Garden is doing to ensure the Garden is accessible for visitors.
Speakers

Sean Gold
Resource Fair Speaker

Kelly Moffatt
Keynote speaker

Kelsey Steffen
Event Organizer
Kelsey is the Research Coordinator for the CP + Mobility Disorders Clinic at Children’s Hospital in St. Louis Missouri. She spent nine years as a special educator and has a deep interest in connecting families to resources. Her work focuses on improving outcomes for people with disabilities as they transition into adulthood.

Christopher Worth
Event Organizer
Agenda
Time | Caregiver | Children |
---|---|---|
9:00 – 9:30 a.m. | Registration + Mingle | Registration + Buddy pair up |
9:30 – 9:50 a.m. | Keynote + Transition to breakouts | Overview of rules + activities |
9:55 – 10:20 a.m. | Session 1 | Rotate through: Children’s Garden |
10:25 – 10:50 a.m. | Session 2 | Sensory Garden |
10:50 – 11:05 a.m. | Break | Exploratory Center |
11:05 – 11:30 a.m. | Session 3 | Boccia in plaza with DASA; Music in plaza with Different Dynamics |
11:30 – 12:00 p.m. | Resource Fair | Transition back to lunch |
12:00 – 12:15 p.m. | Reunite with kids + Grab lunch | Reunite with caregivers + Grab lunch |
12:15 – 1:00 p.m. | Eat + Mingle + Thank you from the Garden | Eat + Mingle + Thank you from the Garden |
While leaving | Pot a plant | Pot a plant |
Arc of Illinois
The Arc of Illinois provides statewide information and resources for people of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their family members and caregivers, and professionals.
Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) Clinic
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
Washington University physical therapists manage movement dysfunction and enhance physical and functional abilities through high-quality patient care. The physical therapy specialists promote optimal physical function and health and wellness, and participate in the advancement of movement science.
Carol and Paul Hatfield Cerebral Palsy Sports & Rehabilitation Center
St. Louis Children’s Hospital
The Carol and Paul Hatfield Cerebral Palsy Sports & Rehabilitation Center is designed to promote the integration of young people with Cerebral Palsy and related disabilities into sports activities. CP Sports classes are supervised by physical therapists or other individuals who are trained to adapt activities to the individual participant and continuously monitor each child’s progress.
Different Dynamics
Different Dynamics, a center for special music education in the St. Louis area, provides youth with special needs and their families with adapted music programming.
Disabled Athlete Sports Association (DASA)
Through adaptive sports and fitness, DASA empowers individuals with physical disabilities to find their inner athlete. DASA supports athlete empowerment by creating an environment that maximizes our athlete’s physical abilities to experience the benefits and positive impact of living an active lifestyle.
Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC)
University of Illinois – Chicago
The Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) helps families of children with special needs through two key programs: the Core Program and the Home Care Program.
Our Core Program works with a broader population of children with special healthcare needs and provides free care coordination.
The Home Care Program provides care coordination to children with increased medical complexity who are medically fragile and technology dependent or who require in-home shift nursing.
Family & Community Engagement (FACE)
Missouri Special School District
Family & Community Engagement (FACE) partners with students, families, and staff to support students’ specialized academic, social, and emotional needs to promote self-determination, equitable opportunities, and authentic inclusion.
June Jessee Memorial Foundation
The June Jessee Memorial Foundation (JJMF) is a nonprofit organization that provides relief and support to help children with devastating medically complex, neurological conditions and their families in the St. Louis area and beyond.
Productive Living Board (PLB)
PLB is a public taxing entity, commonly known as a “Senate Bill 40 Board,” that enters into funding contracts with agencies that serve individuals with developmental disabilities in St. Louis County. While adhering to the state statute that makes our work possible, PLB leverages its resources to understand and meet the changing local community needs.
Recreation Council of Greater St. Louis
The Recreation Council of Greater St. Louis supports individuals, whether it be caregivers or self-advocates, to identify programs in their community that best meet their interests and support needs. To find those that might be the best fit, our staff will take the time to ask questions and gather information. We make ourselves available to address questions and provide additional information on programs and funding.
Special Olympics – Missouri
Special Olympics provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes, and the community.
St. Louis Arc
St. Louis Arc helps empower people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families to lead better lives by providing a lifetime of high-quality services, family support and advocacy. Services provided are designed to maximize choice and to support people, as they build quality lives within the St. Louis community.
SUCCEED
University of Missouri – Saint Louis
The UMSL Succeed Program is designed to encourage and facilitate students to gain independence through academics, vocational experiences, and college residential/student life.
- Person-Centered Planning toward individual development and independence goals
- Comprehensive communication with and support from UMSL Succeed staff
- Partnership with families and significant caregivers
Variety Club
Variety Club assists families with children ages birth to 21, through access to vital medical equipment and therapy services as well as the opportunity to participate in innovative Camp and Performing Arts programs.
Contact us
Interested in being a community partner or attendee for next year?
Please reach out to us at:
neuro-cpresearch@email.wustl.edu
