Washington State Elks Association
Elks Care, Elks Share
Any child in Washington State with an Occupational or Physical Therapy prescription for treatment and whose family lives within reach of our therapy team is eligible to be helped by Washington Elks Therapy Program for Children. However, only those most critically in need can be accepted into the therapeutic program. While the children we serve range in age from birth to 21, preference is given to infants and young children who are medically fragile or who would otherwise go without services due to their family’s lack of resources, and to children who will experience deterioration in their status without therapy.
Eligibility for services does not require affiliation, membership, or association with the Elks, any of its members, or lodges
The home-based nature of the Elks Therapy Program allows families to learn about their child in the environment that they are in the most (their home) and how to use the resources they already have at their disposal to help their child succeed. Gena is a 3½ year old, who has very mild Cerebral Palsy,… Read more
This is the story of Vaughn as written by his Mom: December 2015 we were given an even better gift we could have ever imagined. About 12 hours after the birth of our first born we were told that he could possibly have Down Syndrome. We were shocked, scared and feared for his future, but… Read more
Willow is six years old. She has been receiving occupational therapy from the Washington Elks Therapy Program for about a year and a half. Together, we work on developing her fine motor strength, coordination, and balance. This helps Willow keep up with meeting her developmental milestones. She keeps me laughing, she keeps me on my… Read more
I would like to introduce you to Miss Aiva! Aiva is three years old. She loves playing with her toys, watching cartoons, and getting her nails painted. Aiva has a genetic condition, known as Congenital Myasthenia. This condition causes a disruption in the communication between her nerves and her muscles. As a result, Aiva’s muscles… Read more
This is our 6 year old daughter, Julie. After suffering a lack of oxygen at birth, Julie began having seizures and spent her first 9 weeks in the hospital. During this time, she was also diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy, Cortical Visual Impairment, and Reflux. At 15 months old, she developed Hydrocephalus and had a shunt… Read more
One year ago, 4-month-old Thea was admitted to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital under very scary circumstances… Previously a healthy infant, Thea was now experiencing fever activity and disinterest in feeding – a red flag for any parent. The onset of seizure activity and a diagnosis of septic shock led to a 6-day stay in the… Read more
Meet Lola and Emilia. Born at only 26 weeks (14 weeks early), they have been fighters since the beginning. Due to their prematurity, both girls were born with significant immune compromise, and require at home therapy to help reduce exposure to illness. The girls had many needs early on, from learning to tolerate food on… Read more
A real “plus” for the Elks Therapy Program sessions being held in the home is showing parents how to use everyday household items as therapy “tools” to help their children. Two-year-old Angelito has mild cerebral palsy from being born three months prematurely. A plastic tote is just the right size for him to pull up… Read more
I would like to introduce you to Hannah! She is a freshman in high school. Hannah is a social butterfly and has many friends! She has a cheery disposition. Her favorite projects at school are art class, cooking projects, and class outings. She loves wearing makeup, having her older sister do her hair, and playing… Read more
Benedict “Ben” was delivered full-term by C-section in September 2012. By age 4 months he had undergone three open-heart surgeries common with Down Syndrome: Correction of the aorta repair at five days old, complete atrial-ventricular septal defect repair in December 2012, and mitral valve repair in January 2013. At one month, Ben began to have… Read more