Courtesy photo

Scott Donovan of Eagle Radio and Cathy Estes of Sunflower Diversified Services take a moment during a fundraising event to air comments about the needs of children with developmental delays and disabilities. Dialing for Dollars raised almost $33,000.

Sunflower fundraiser brings ‘overwhelming’ response for Invest in Kids

The first-ever Dialing for Dollars to benefit infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities and delays resulted in an “overwhelming” show of support, said Connie Oetken, director of development at Sunflower Diversified Services.
Sunflower, a non-profit agency, serves children and adults in Barton, Pawnee, Rice, Rush and Stafford counties. Its Invest in Kids Club specifically benefits children at the Early Education Center and Incredible Years Preschool.
“We hoped to raise about $10,000 during Dialing for Dollars but we were just shy of $33,000,” Oetken said. “The children and families we serve will directly benefit from this overwhelming display of generosity.”
The total includes an anonymous donation of $20,000. The Invest in Kids campaign began in March and is about $13,100 short of its $60,000 goal.
During the Oct. 29 fundraiser, members of the Sunflower Board of Directors and the Sunflower Foundation Board of Trustees manned the phones for six hours; Scott Donovan of Eagle Radio hosted a live remote.
“Sunflower leaders and this caring community came together to help families with special-needs children,” Oetken said. “We wanted to make a personal plea to our supporters and they came through for us.
“Our callers made it clear that this event was a response to budget cuts in Barton County and the state of Kansas,” Oetken explained. “We served more than 300 children last year. The numbers continue to grow and governmental support continues to shrink.”
Cathy Estes, coordinator of children’s services, noted that those who donated understand that central Kansas communities must partner with Sunflower to meet rising costs.
“This event is another example of people opening their hearts when they understand the difference Sunflower makes in the lives of children and their families,” Estes said. “All donors are appreciated. And they can be assured that every single dollar will be used to help youngsters grow.
“So much research proves how quickly infants and toddlers develop when they have the right resources,” Estes continued. “If we don’t provide these resources in the early years, we miss key opportunities for children to meet their potential.”
The early ed center offers free screenings, evaluations and early intervention that entails specialists visiting children in their homes or other natural settings. These professionals include physical therapists, speech language pathologists, early childhood special education teachers and a bilingual early interventionist.
In addition, “Incredible Years Preschool provides a positive atmosphere that assures a good beginning to a child’s education,” Estes said. “Tuition is based on income to help make our programs more affordable.”
The preschool has three full-time teachers, one with a degree in social work. Another has a master’s in early childhood special education, while the third has 15 years experience.
“Our programs at all levels are second to none,” Estes added. “But we simply have to rely on private donations. Tax dollars don’t even come close to meet the increasing needs.”