Help a sister out.

That's my sister, Jayne, at Dreams Work. She goes there each day during the week so that she can get out of the house and experience enrichment activities.

Dreams Work offers day services for severely disabled adults who have graduated from local schools at the age of 21. When Jayne was preparing to graduate, my mom knew that she would need services, so that she would continue to learn and grow like she did in school. As my mom usually does, she spearheaded the effort to start Dreams Work, so that Jayne and others like her would have a place to go each day. It was quite the effort - fundraising, grant writing, looking for a building that could be the facility, more fundraising, searching for activities for the clients to participate in each day.

The goal of Dreams Work is to improve the quality of life for adults with special needs, assist caregivers with the challenges of providing care for disabled adults, and to provide hope for people with disabilities. As you can see by the photo of Jayne, she really enjoys her time spent there each day, and getting to see her friends every day.

This Wednesday, Dreams Work, Inc., will celebrate its seventh anniversary. Kansas Medicaid provides monies for clients to attend Dreams Work, but that money barely covers the cost of staffing Dreams Work. In order to continue to provide enrichment, private donations are becoming even more important.

Would you help me honor my sister and my mom by celebrating Dreams Work's seventh birthday by donating? It's easy to do - just go to the Dreams Work website. On the top right, there is a donate link. All you have to do is click there and enter your information. The donation is tax-deductible, and everyone who donates after reading this post will be entered into a drawing for a handknit scarf and hat - perfect for this time of year. (I will custom-make the set for you - in your chosen colors, and it can be made for a man or woman.)

The Chittum Files averages about 40 readers each day, so if each reader donates just $7 (for the seventh anniversary), that's $280.

If everyone donates $17, that's $680.

If everyone donates $27, that's $1,080!

If I could talk you into $70, that would be $2,800!

I know that it's tough this time of year, and especially in this economy, to find the extra money to donate, but if you could you would really be making a difference in the lives of people like my sister, and you just might help make it possible for Dreams Work to stay open for another seven years.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. It really means a lot to my family and I. Please consider adding Dreams Work to your list of charitable donations each year. We're small, so we don't have the marketing machine (or money!) that most of your well-known charities have, so it's all a grass-roots effort. Every little bit helps.