Helpful Links -The Jade Foundation

Last Updated:
February 15, 2010

Helpful Links

NOTE: These links are provided for informational purposes ONLY. The Jade Foundation does not endorse any product or service listed here.

MN State Governmental Agencies with Programs for Kids & Families with Special Needs

MNDisability.gov – The new guide to MN State Government Services for people of any age with disabilities. There are links to state services in special education, health care, transportation, accessibility, economic assistance – you name it! Easy to use.

Children's Hospitals in MN

Children's Hospitals and Clinics -- In their words, "the largest pediatric health organization in the Upper Midwest." In addition to contact information and descriptions of all their services, there is an online discussion forum for teens with chronic illnesses. Parts of the site are available in Hmong, Somali, and Spanish.

Gillette Children's Hospital -- Gillette's specializes in healthcare for kids with disabilities, and the site features information about their clinics and other programs besides their main facility. There is also an extensive resource center, with LOTS of information in many media (books, articles, videos, etc.) about children's disability issues.

Shriner's Twin Cities Hospital -- Administered by the Shriners, this facility provides "high-quality short-term orthopedic care"...and it's free! The site includes heartwarming patient success stories from around the country, along with details about which conditions are treated at the hospital.

University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital, Fairview – With two hospital campuses, a network of affiliated pediatric clinics, and specialist physicians and nurses in many, many areas of children’s health, U of M Children’s Hospital – Fairview is well-known for providing high-quality health care to kids from around the world.

Organizations in MN for Kids with Any (or Many) Kind of Special Needs (and their families)

Adopt A Room – Founded to facilitate the creation of comfortable, home-like hospital rooms for seriously ill children and their families, Adopt A Room provides a way for companies and individuals to sponsor the construction of these wonderful rooms – and their first two suites are now open at University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital – Fairview. * Jade Foundation Grant Recipient, 2006! *

Cheerful Givers – They collect and distribute toys and gifts to children who are homeless or living with poverty. They are based in Eagan, MN.

Children's Defense Fund - MN -- Advocacy, education, and training for children's rights in Minnesota.

Community Health Charities of Minnesota -- They bring findings of research by healthcare nonprofit organizations to the community. A source of information for families of special needs children.

Courage Center -- Courage Center is known around the country for its very wide range of services for people with disabilities of all ages. They provide physical and occupational rehabilitation, vocational training, academic tutoring, advocacy training, assistive technology, several camps for kids, and more.

FirstCall Minnesota -- Huge database of human service resources in MN.

Greater Minneapolis Crisis Nurseries – Do you need day care for your kids while you look for housing or work? An advocate for issues related to your kids? Overnight care for your kids for up to 3 days while you resolve a crisis? Or just someone to help you through a crisis? This agency provides free emergency support services for these and similar situations, and they have a 24-hour help line too.

Highland Friendship Club – Based in the Highland Park area of St. Paul, MN, they provide a wide variety of social opportunities and fun activities for teens with and without disabilities.

InterSeed LLC – InterSeed provides training, mentoring, and support for parents and care providers of children with special needs. They offer a wide variety of workshops and individualized services.

Make-a-Wish Foundation of Minnesota -- Are you the parent, legal guardian, or health-care provider of a child or teenager with a life-threatening condition? Or, are you that child or teenager? The folks at Make-a-Wish just may be able to grant a very special wish for you.

Opportunity Partners -- Comprehensive vocational, residential, and independent living services for adults with disabilities.

PACER Center -- PACER is also nationally known for its services. They have a comprehensive advocacy training center for kids with disabilities and their parents, plus a lot of information on special education/disability law, disability education, assistive technology, different conditions and disorders, and lots more.

Ronald McDonald House – They provide “homes away from home” for the families of seriously ill children who have extended hospital stays, all over the US and in many other countries. Also, they work with other nonprofits to prevent child abuse and help refugees. The two MN Ronald McDonald Houses (in Minneapolis near the U of M campus and hospitals, and in Rochester) do not have their own web sites, but all their contact information is available by clicking the link above.

South Metro Therapy, LLC – Located in New Prague, MN, South Metro Therapy provides a variety of occupational and physical therapeutic services for children with special needs.

Spare Key – They help make house payments for families of children with critical illnesses.

Tender Roots – Formerly known as Wigs Without Worry, they provide wigs and hair care products and services for women dealing with hair loss, and that includes young women: their youngest client came to them at age 11! They also have a line of nutrition and health care supplements.

Wishes & More – They grant the wishes of kids (ages birth to 18 years) in MN with life-threatening conditions…along with Scholarships of Hope to help meet wish kids’ eventual college expenses, and memorial gifts to families of kids who do not live to see their wishes granted. *Jade Foundation Grant Recipient, November 2004 & February 2008!*

Adoption, Foster, and Respite Care

Children's Home Society of Minnesota -- Committed to the well-being of Minnesota's children, with and without special needs. They provide respite care of kids (including crisis nurseries), abuse prevention programs, and adoption.

Northeast Residence, Inc. -- They provide short-term respite care, day care, and long-term residential care for children with developmental and other disabilities, along with general education and support for their families. *Jade Foundation Grant Recipient, Nov. 2000!*

PATH in MN -- They specifically serve kids with special needs at locations throughout Minnesota, providing foster parenting, medical, respite, therapeutic, and family support services.

Counseling and Therapeutic Services for Special Needs Kids and Families

Fraser – They provide comprehensive educational and therapeutic services for kids with special and typical needs, as well as their families. They also provide some independent living options for adults with developmental disabilities.

Reuben Lindh Family Services -- Especially for inner-city children with special needs and their families. RLFS does early childhood and parenting education, chemical dependency aftercare, housing assistance, and advocacy. *Jade Foundation Grant Recipient, March 2000!*

St. David's Child Development and Family Services -- They provide a very broad range of services to children and families: early childhood special and inclusive education; summer daytime activities; respite care; physical, occupational, and music therapy for children and young adults with special needs; parenting education and support; child and family counseling; and more. *Jade Foundation Grant Recipient, February 2002!*

Washburn Child Guidance Centers -- Diagnosis, therapy, education and support for at-risk children and families, at several locations around the Twin Cities. *Jade Foundation Grant Recipient, Nov. 2000!*

Schools for Children with Special Needs

Calvin Academy -- A private school in Moundsview, MN, for students in grades 3-12 who have mental health issues, ADHD, information-processing difficulties (such as learning disabilities), or who are gifted and/or underachieving. They also provide counseling and free testing for certain conditions. This school features a one-to-one student-teacher ratio (that's right, one teacher per student!), and teachers and clinicians work collaboratively to meet each student's special needs.

Fraser Academy – An inclusive elementary school in Minneapolis, MN, for children with and without special needs.

Fraser School – An inclusive early childhood education center/preschool in Richfield, MN, for young children with and without special needs. Special services such as physical, occupational, speech, and music therapies are available.

Groves Academy -- A private P-12 school in St. Louis Park, MN, especially for students with learning disabilities and/or ADHD. Also features lots of individual attention for students.

Metro Deaf School -- A charter P-8 school in St. Paul, MN for students who are deaf. Also bilingual (English and ASL are taught equally).

The Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf -- A residential school in Faribault, MN, especially for students who are deaf. Both English and American Sign Language are used.

Sobriety High -- A secondary school with campuses in Edina, Burnsville, and Maplewood, MN, for teens in recovery from substance abuse. In addition to traditional high school subjects, the curriculum includes some very interesting elective courses, and a focus on maintaining sobriety.

Adaptive/Therapeutic Sports and Recreation and Animal-Assisted Therapy

Bolder Options -- They pair adults who enjoy running and biking with at-risk kids ages 10-15, for mentorship and companionship participating in these sports together.

Camp Confidence/Confidence Learning Center -- Year-round recreational and outdoor experiences for people with developmental disabilities.

Courage Center -- In addition to all their other services, Courage Center offers lots of adaptive sports and recreation for people with disabilities of all ages, including skiing, horseback riding, and swimming.

Friendship Ventures -- Educational, recreational, and social activities for people with developmental disabilities, including Camp Friendship.

Majestic Hills Ranch -- Therapeutic horseback riding for children with disabilities.

MN LINC (Minnesota Linking Individuals, Nature, & Critters) -- A variety of animal-assisted therapy programs, primarily with dogs and horses, for kids who are at-risk and/or have disabilities. *Jade Foundation Grant Recipient, June 2001!*

North American Riding for the Handicapped Association's Riding Centers in MN -- Here is where to find other centers in the state devoted to therapeutic horseback riding for kids with disabilities. NARHA has member organizations throughout the state, including Jade Foundation Grant Recipients Victory Riders in Rogers (July 2000), Health Directed Riding in Grandy (Nov. 2000), and Hoofbeats & Heartbeats in Elk River (Jan. 2003).

No Boundaries -- They arrange adaptive vacation and respite services for people with disabilities.

Special Olympics Minnesota -- Opportunities for kids with developmental disabilities to make friends from all over the world and build self-confidence through a wide variety of sports.

Wilderness Inquiry -- They help people with disabilities enjoy the outdoors in MN. Resources include an online guidebook to universal access to MN state parks.

Arts Organizations for People with Disabilities

Family Institute for Creative Well-Being -- Art therapy and involvement in the arts for families of people with disabilities.

Fraser Music Therapy Program – Primarily for children under 7 years, Fraser’s Music Therapy Program is part of their Rehabilitative Services.

MacPhail Center Music Therapy Program– They provide music therapy, in individual or group settings, for everyone from babies to adults. Board-certified music therapists tailor the therapeutic program to each student’s special needs.

Reuben Lindh Family Services Music Therapy Program – Reuben Lindh provides music therapy as part of its Unified Therapies program. * Jade Foundation Grant Recipient, March 2000!*

Upstream Arts – They help young people with disabilities to improve their social and vocational skills and independence through learning about and participating in the creative arts.

VSArts of MN -- Involvement in the arts and art education for people with disabilities. They have a number of school partnerships and other programs just for kids. *Jade Foundation Grant Recipient, Dec. 1999!*

Disorder- or Condition-Specific Organizations in MN

These organizations provide support, community, education, and advocacy for people with particular conditions and their families. Any additional services are noted too. You can sign up to volunteer for many of the organizations or donate securely to them right on their websites too.

Arthritis:

Arthritis Foundation of Minnesota -- The North Central chapter of the Arthritis Foundation. They have offices in St. Paul, Thief River Falls, and Duluth, and an online discussion forum for young adults with arthritis. Also, the AF's Juvenile Arthritis page has lots of helpful, supportive information especially for young people with arthritis and their families.

Attention Deficit Disorder:

Attention Deficits Support Services of MN

Autism Spectrum Disorders:

Autism Society of Minnesota

Fargo Moorhead Families for Early Autism Treatment

Birth Defects:

March of Dimes Minnesota Chapter

Blindness/Low Vision:

American Council of the Blind of Minnesota

Brain Injury:

Brain Injury Association of Minnesota

Cancer (any kind):

American Cancer Society -- The MN chapter doesn't have its own website, but its contact information is available from the main ACS page. (For specifics on leukemia and lymphoma, see the link further down.)

Cerebral palsy:

United Cerebral Palsy of MN

United Cerebral Palsy of Central MN

Chemical dependency/substance abuse recovery:

Minnesota Recovery Page -- Not just a single agency, but a listing of all kinds of recovery groups in MN!

Cystic fibrosis:

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of MN

Deafness/hearing loss:

Self-Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH)

Twin Cities Deaf Community News and Events

DeafBlindness:

DeafBlind Services of MN

Minnesota DeafBlind Association

Developmental disabilities:

The Arc of MN

Diabetes:

International Diabetes Center

Down Syndrome:

Down Syndrome Association of MN

Epilepsy/seizure disorders:

Epilepsy Foundation of MN

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Effect (FAS/FAE):

MN Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS) -- *Jade Foundation Grant Recipient, June 2001!*

Learning disabilities:

Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) Minnesota

Leukemia and Lymphoma:

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Lupus:

Lupus Foundation of America -- MN Chapter

Mental illness:

MN Association for Children's Mental Health

National Association for the Mentally Ill - MN Chapter (NAMI-MN) -- *Jade Foundation Grant Recipient, January 2003!*

Multiple Sclerosis (MS):

National MS Society -- MN Chapter

Speech and hearing disorders:

MN Speech-Language-Hearing Association -- They also help people with swallowing and balance disorders.

Tourette Syndrome:

Tourette Syndrome Association -- The MN Chapter doesn't have its own website, but full contact information is available from the national site.

Turner's Syndrome:

Detailed Article about Turner’s Syndrome on Healthline.com

****More links are added to this section from time to time, so check back often!****

This is only a sample of resources in Minnesota for kids with special needs. Don't see what you need here? Go to the Minnesota Online Special Needs Directory, created and maintained by the Jade Foundation Webmaster as a companion to the Jade Foundation site. Over 1370 listings available at a glance, with complete contact information, representing all regions of Minnesota and a very broad range of disability- or condition-specific organizations along with general human services.