Burnout, exhaustion, and isolation are common themes in the autism mom and caregiver community and Kate and Amanda know that firsthand. The desire to find support for caregivers inspired the entire More Than Project. With More Than a Caregiver, they work to provide and fund teletherapy and counseling for moms without worrying about respite care or balancing schedules. They also offer events for caregivers to make connections and find support.
The More Than project is the brainchild of Kate Swenson and Amanda Deluca and comes as a great gift to autism caregivers. The various challenges faced by caregivers are often alarming and include negative impacts on psychological well-being, physical health, financial stability, and societal perceptions. Add to it depression and anxiety and you have a recipe for exhaustion and fatigue.
The goal of Kate and Amanda Lynn Deluca’s project, More Than a Caregiver, is to improve the quality of life of autism caregivers. Through this program, caregivers are provided increased awareness through education, information, and discussions about autism and how to better their quality of life.
The More Than Project partners with businesses to sell products with proceeds going back to caregivers, siblings, and teachers supported by the program. The nonprofit worked with The Spotlight Project, a business employing special needs workers who plan, design, sell, and ship bracelets. This was a full circle moment for the project in which special needs adults designed and sold bracelets in partnership with More Than a Teacher and funded sensory classrooms. The More Than Project is always looking to connect and partner with businesses that want to support autism families and caregivers.
Kate and Amanda de Luca’s More than a Caregiver project explores multiple channels on how to interact with businesses supporting special needs families, not only with financial backing but with other resources too. One of the most optimized ways is to tap into companies that offer cutting-edge solutions for caregivers. There are several online Professional Employer Organizations that provide dedicated support to caregivers and organizations like More Than a Caregiver.
In what form do businesses support these projects? It might be free medical and dental services, confidential counseling, access to daycare in their locations, and guidance on how to get through a health crisis, both physical and psychological. Most importantly, Kate and Amanda Deluca through their project extend a helping hand to caregivers, assuring them that it is okay to ask for help.
Kate and Amanda talk about a couple of events they have coming up including a retreat on April 29th and 30th in 2023 where I will be a keynote speaker. Events like these are great opportunities not only to get educated and empowered but to share and make connections with moms who understand your journey. They also talk about contests they’ve done for big giveaways to support siblings and the incredible advocates these children with special needs siblings become.
You can find the More Than Project on social media as well as via Kate’s Finding Cooper’s Voice website! Get connected, get registered, and be a part of this amazing, supporting nonprofit.
Kate Swenson lives in Minnesota with her husband Jamie, and four children, Cooper, Sawyer, Harbor and Wynnie. Kate launched Finding Cooper’s Voice from her couch while her now 11-year-old son Cooper was being diagnosed with autism. Back then it was a place to write. Today it is a living, thriving community of people who want to not only advocate for autism, but also make the world a better place for individuals with disabilities and their families. Her first book, Forever Boy, was released April 5, 2022 and is a national bestseller!
Amanda DeLuca lives in Ohio with her husband Sal, and is a mom of 2 to Monroe, and Jackson. Her son is on the autism spectrum and is what inspired her to begin her journey through advocacy in the IEP process. Amanda works in educational advocacy and proudly serves families both locally and remotely to empower them to come to the IEP table with confidence while working collaboratively with their team. Amanda is a business owner and enjoys teaching at her dance studio, and writing for her blog Jackson’s Journey, Jackson’s Voice.
With both women being special needs mothers, they understood the stress, exhaustion, and struggle that comes with special needs caregiving and wanted to serve others with the support they wished they had years ago. As time went on, they recognized that supporting the caregiver was important but wanted to explore avenues to support the special needs family unit as a whole. This inspired the More Than Project as the overseeing body for More Than a Caregiver, More Than a Sibling, and More Than a Diagnosis
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