The Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association, CHASA, is the oldest organization in the United States dedicated to improving the lives of children and families affected by hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, often resulting from a perinatal or childhood stroke, traumatic brain injury, hemispherectomy, cancer surgery and a host of other causes. CHASA is a 501(c)(3) organization and serves families around the world with information, support, and advocacy. Read more about the history of CHASA below.
2023
Awarded CHASA college scholarships
Awarded Orthotic Grants
Awarded Athletic Scholarships
Awarded Let’s Play Scholarships so kids and teens could try new activities
Increased Let’s Play Scholarship program offering to twice this year
Hosted Zoom Meetups for families
Collaborated with researchers to recruit research study participants
2022
Awarded CHASA college scholarships
Awarded Orthotic Grants
Awarded Athletic Scholarships
Awarded Let’s Play Scholarships so kids and teens could try new activities
Increased Let’s Play Scholarship program offering to every year instead of every other year
Hosted Zoom Meetups for families
Created specialty coding scholarship for youth middle school and under
Collaborated with researchers to recruit research study participants
2021
Awarded CHASA college scholarships
Awarded Orthotic Grants
Awarded Athletic Scholarships
Awarded Let’s Play Scholarships so kids and teens could try new activities
Hosted Zoom Meetups for families
Collaborated with researchers to recruit research study participants
2020
Awarded CHASA college scholarships
Awarded Orthotic Grants
Awarded Athletic Scholarships
Hosted Zoom Meetups for families
Created new support groups for needs of families during pandemic
Created Family Support grants to help families in need during pandemic
Collaborated with researchers to recruit research study participants
2019
Signed contracts for the 2020 CHASA National Family Retreat
Awarded CHASA college scholarships in November 2019
Hosted the the 2019 CHASA Retreat for Moms in Denton, Texas – doubled our attendance estimation
Awarded Orthotic Grants
Awarded Athletic Scholarships
Awarded Let’s Play Scholarships so kids and teens could try new activities
Collaborated with researchers to recruit research study participants
2018
Creating plans for the 2019 CHASA Retreat for Moms and the 2020 CHASA National Family Retreat
Awarded $13,000 in CHASA college scholarships in November 2018
Hosted the CHASA National Family Retreat in Denton, Texas – 5 days of fun with 375 attending
Awarded $13,850 in CHASA Family Retreat Scholarships to help families attend the CHASA Retreat
Awarded Orthotic Grants
Awarded Athletic Scholarships
Collaborated with researchers to recruit research study participants
2017
Awarded $18,700 CHASA college and vocational scholarships – November 2017
Creating plans for the 2018 CHASA Family Retreat to be held in Denton, Texas
Hosted CHASA Young Adult Retreat
Awarded 5 young adult retreat scholarships
New initiative: Let’s Play Scholarships
Awarded Let’s Play Scholarships to 33 children, teens and young adults
Awarded 8 Athletic Scholarships
Awarded 15 Orthotic Grants
Collaborated with researchers to recruit research study participants
2016
November 2016 – CHASA Awards 14 college scholarships totaling $16,800 to students with hemiplegia
October 2016 – CHASA orthotic grants going out to families in need
August 2016 – Set up new Careers & Networking group to assist young adults with hemiplegia
July 2016 – CHASA National Retreat held in Lexington, Kentucky with over 400 in attendance
July 2016 – Awarded national retreat scholarships to 21 families
June 2016 – Sponsored athletes in the National Junior Disability Championship
May 2016 – Set up the new CHASA Babies group to support families of newborn pediatric stroke survivors
April 2016 – Published first book in the Kandu series – Kandu Fun & Games – gave books to 1300 families, schools and community organizations
March 2016 – Crazy numbers of Pediatric Stroke Awareness shirts will ship in time for the May Awareness month
January 2016 – We continue to provide orthotic and hand brace grants to families in need.
2015
October 2015 – Making plans for 2016 CHASA National Retreat. Kids meet others who understand what it’s like to wear a brace or take seizure medication. Parents and siblings find support. It’s a great event for the entire family!
October 2015 – Wrote another letter of support for an National Institute of Health pediatric stroke research grant proposal went out to researchers today. So happy to support the good work these dedicated professionals are doing to make life better for our children, teens and young adults.
September 2015 – Purchased an orthotic for a little stroke survivor whose family that cannot afford insurance. We catch those families who fall between the cracks.
August 2015 – Helped a family purchase an orthotic for their 3 year old daughter. Negotiated a lower price for the orthotic with the clinic.
July 2015 – Awarded two scholarships to families for a CHASA Reunion. They were very excited to meet other families for support.
June 2015 – Awarded Athletic Scholarships to six athletes with hemiplegia and their coach for a regional disability sports competition
June 2015 – Awarded orthotic grants to four families
June – July 2015 – Organized five regional family gatherings – AZ, ID, IL, PA, TN
May 2015 – Helped a family purchase an orthotic grant to help their son walk
April 2015 – Interviews with several news outlets about Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month
April 2015 – Promoted Pediatric Stroke Awareness by sponsoring a pediatric stroke survivor in the Kid’s Center for Pediatric Therapy’s Walk & Roll in Louisville, KY. Thousands will read our Kids Have Strokes, Too Banner in the parade.
April 2015 – Sponsored a 4 year old pediatric stroke survivor in a beauty pageant – helping dreams come true and raising some awareness along the way – full page awareness ad
April 2015 – Awarded two orthotic grants
March 2015 – Made 250 kids who have hemiplegia or stroke feel pretty great when they received a free stuffed penguin, our CHASA Mascot, Kandu in the mail. Love those kids!
March 2015 – Crazy numbers of Pediatric Stroke and Hemiplegia Awareness shirts are shipping in April. How many people will see those 1300+ shirts and learn more about pediatric stroke and hemiplegic cerebral palsy? Go team!
March 2015 – Teamed with researchers at the Center for Brain Plasticity and Recovery at Georgetown University Medical Center to recruit little stroke survivors for a research study. Researchers are studying the effects of childhood stroke on cognitive and language abilities. We definitely got the word out and heard the researchers were overwhelmed by the number of families offering to participate!
March 2015 – Teamed with researchers at the University of Minnesota to recruit participants for a study of function of the child’s weaker hand.
March 2015 – Great Neuropsych Experience shared by a CHASA mom.
March 2015 – Family Fun day at the Discovery Center in north Texas
February 2015 – Awarded an orthotic grant
February 2015 – Pediatric Stroke Awareness event in NYC shared information about pediatric stroke with over 150 attendees
February 2015 – Teamed with researchers at the University of Minnesota to recruit participants for the Synergistic Effect of Combined tDCS/CIMT in Children with Heimparesis study.
February 2015 – We continue to build our Individualized Education Program (IEP) bank to help families and educators discover new ways to help our kids in school.
February 2015 – Announced our FIVE CHASA Family Reunion locations. CHASA has hosted 13 national family retreats and we noticed that’s it’s really expensive for families to travel to one central location, so this year, we’re spreading out the fun! Families will meet in Arizona, Idaho, Chicago, Nashville and Pennsylvania to share support and fun with others who “get it.” There is no registration fee and CHASA has secured group rates at many of the hotels.
January 2015 – Our CHASA Shoe Exchange has reached over 400 members. Exchange shoes with another child or adult who wears different two different sizes of shoes.
January 2015 – We continue to provide orthotic and hand brace grants to families in need.
January 2015 – CHASA Florida Group outing to a basketball game. Fun, fun, fun! CHASA kids play basketball, too.
2014
December 2014 – 51 Facebook groups reaching over 16,000 each week
November 2014 – Awarded $14,000 in college and vocational school scholarships to 14 young adults with a diagnosis of hemiplegia.
November 2014 – Funded Moms’ Weekend in Southeast Region.
October 2014 – Provided pediatric stroke educational video, Lincoln’s Story, to over 300 participants at the Tennessee Academy of Family Physicians
August 2014 – Awarded six orthotic grants to help kids with hemiplegia keep on walking.
July 2014 – Provided shoulder massages to 21 stressed out parents at a constraint therapy camp in New Jersey.
June 2014 – Largest national retreat in CHASA history with over 280 in attendance! Our local group session drew over 40 participants and we are already helping new groups form in different states. It’s very important for children and families to meet others who can share information and support.
June 2014 – Awarded 22 retreat scholarships to 22 families to enable them to attend the CHASA Family Retreat.
June 2014 – Funded family outing in Greensboro, North Carolina.
May 2014 – Awarded 4 athletic scholarships and one coach scholarship so CHASA athletes could attend the NJDC event in Iowa.
May 2014 – Funded family outing in Grapevine, Texas.
May 2014 – CHASA Board voted to sponsor Paralympic hopeful Danny Scrivano and awarded an athletic scholarship to Danny.
April 2014 – Teamed with Stuart Sharp, Head Coach of the U. S. Paralympic National Soccer Team, to reach out to children, teens, and adults with hemiplegic cerebral palsy and grow both the soccer player pool and the game as a whole.
April 2014 – Launched three Pediatric Stroke Awareness shirt designs to help the world know that Kids Have Strokes, too!
April 2014 – Funded family outing in Wisconsin.
March 2014 – CHASA Family Retreat 2014 will be CHASA’s largest retreat on record.
February 2014 – CHASA assisted Kenda Grover, PhD and colleagues at the University of Arkansas with recruitment for a wellness and adult learning study, targeted at learning more about the social, physical, and coping aspect of parents of pediatric stroke survivors.
February 2014 – Funded art project for kids in North Carolina CHASA group.
January 2014 – CHASA assisted Jeffrey Max, MD and colleagues at the University of California, San Diego and Rady Children’s Hospital with recruiting participants for the Childhood Stroke: Attention and ADHD research project designed to provide information regarding emotions, behavior and thinking in children and adolescents who have had a stroke.
January 2014 – Awarded 13 college and vocational school scholarship to young adults with hemiplegia.
January 2014 – Funded a CHASA Moms Weekend for Southeast CHASA group.
2013
Winter 2013 – Shipped 250 plush penguins to children and teens living with a diagnosis of hemiplegia. Kids were urged to make a brace for their penguin, just like the brace they wear. This was based on the CHASA mascot, Kandu, and penguins were provided at no cost to families. Parents have reported that their kids feel much more positive about wearing a brace. Read more about Kandu and donate to our CHASA Cares program. If funding allows, we will send 250 more penguins in the Spring of 2014.
November 2013 – Provided Speech Language Pathology graduate student with brochures and information for a pediatric stroke presentation.
Fall 2013 CHASA Moms’ Weekends – Moms gathered in north Texas and Alabama for a relaxing weekend.
July 2013 CHASA Family Retreat – Families of children and adults with hemiplegia from around the globe to gathered in Alabama for 4 days to connect, encourage, and learn from each other. CHASA offered scholarships to 23 families and 18 accepted. Seventy-five families attended and this was the first retreat for 30 of those families. A total of 220 individuals attended.
May 2013 Partnered with the Center for Cerebral Palsy Research at Columbia University to recruit participants for study that examines the effects of extensive practice on affected hand/arm use and lower-limb use. Recruitment will begin at the CHASA Family Retreat in Florence, Alabama.
May 2013 Provided $10,000 seed money for research that examines the effects of extensive practice on affected hand/arm use and lower-limb use. Study is being conducted by the Center for Cerebral Palsy Research at Columbia University.
May 2013 Awarded CHASA Athletic scholarship to promising young athlete with hemiplegia
May 2013 Provided CHASA Think Big Grant to assist with the Strong as Steel Adaptive Sports and Allard USA Track, Field, and Fun Day in Pittsburgh.
April 2013 Launched CHASA Cares! program. CHASA will send a new plush penguin, modeled after the CHASA mascot, Kandu, to children and young adults who are diagnosed with hemiplegia or pediatric stroke. Our first group of penguins will go to kids who are having a difficult time and need some cheering up. They may be in a hospital, facing surgery, feeling sad about bullies, or some other stressful or sad situation. Kids are nominated for the program. If you’d like to help fund this program, please donate.
April 2013 Pediatric Stroke Awareness booth at A Touch of Understanding Exhibit in California
March 2013 Awarded CHASA Think Big Grant to pediatric stroke awareness project in Rhode Island
February 2013 Assisted professor/researcher at Children’s Hospital, Ain Shams University in Cairo, Egypt with locating information on how to start an Egyptian Cerebral Palsy Registry
February 2013 Awarded CHASA Think Big Grant for two family fun activities in Illinois
February 2013 – May 2013 Awarded CHASA Orthotic Grants to help families in need purchase foot orthotics for their children who have hemiplegia
February 2013 Assisted the Teachers College at Columbia University: Center for Cerebral Palsy Research with survey to gather information about parent participation in a home-based bimanual therapy program.
2012
December 2012 Sponsored Pediatric Stroke Awareness Tree at the Brookfield Zoo
November 2012 CHASA Facebook Groups grew to over 7,000 members
November 2012 Awarded College and Vocational School Scholarships to Young Adults with Hemiplegia – Megan Chesney Scholarship Fund
November 2012 Assisted 4th year product design student in Ireland. Helped student collect information to aid in design of assistive toy/aid to encourage use of foot and leg muscles.
October 2012 Offered Awareness Shirts to promote Hemiplegia Awareness, Pediatric Stroke Awareness, Cerebral Palsy Awareness, and a special Kandu Shirt because our Kids Can Do.
October 2012 CHASA awarded National Stroke Association RAISE Award for Outstanding Organization
September 2012 CHASA Local Support Group Directors committed to hosting several support group meetings in their state each year
September 2012 Awarded first of many CHASA Orthotic Grants. These help families purchase an orthotic (foot brace) or hand brace or splint for their child who has hemiplegia. Many families fall through the cracks and either have a very high insurance deductible or do not qualify for government assistance, yet, do not have the funds to purchase these orthotics. The orthotics are important – they help the child with hemiplegia learn to walk and balance while they walk.
September 2012 Provided Pediatric Stroke Awareness Shirts to the CHASA Illinois Support Group for Pediatric Stroke Awareness Project
August 2012 Assisted the Teachers College at Columbia University: Center for Cerebral Palsy Research with recruitment of participants for a new treatment involving bimanual therapy.
July 2012 Assisted University of Minnesota Physical Therapy Department with recruitment of participants for non-invasive brain stimulation research study.
July 2012 Provided CHASA Family Retreat scholarships to families in need
July 2012 11th CHASA Family Retreat, featuring the CHASA Teen Panel and new Teen/Adult Two Day Pre-Retreat Event
July 2012 Partnered with University of Arkansas College of Education & Health Professions Assistant Professor. Examining how parents directed their own learning after the incident to make decisions about cause, treatment options, and recovery.
May 2012 Assisted families in obtaining Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month Proclamations in over 25 states
2011
December 2011 Sponsored Pediatric Stroke Awareness Tree at the Brookfield Zoo
November 2011 Awarded Megan Chesney Scholarship Fund college and trade school scholarships to young adults with hemiplegia
October 2011 Assisted the Teachers College at Columbia University: Center for Cerebral Palsy Research with recruitment of participants for a new treatment involving bimanual therapy.
October 2011 Assisted the University of Chicago with recruitment of participants for an fMRI study on reading and language comprehension in children with brain injury.
September 2011 Assisted with pediatric stroke awareness article in the Raising Arizona Kids Magazine
September 2011 Awarded a scholarship to a teen athlete with hemiplegia for the National Junior Disabilities Championship
August 2011 Helped coordinate the Western Pennsylvania Family Fun Day outing for families of children who have hemiplegia.
August 2011 Assisted Northwestern University’s Department of Physical Therapy and Human Movement Sciences with recruitment of participants for a coordination study of the upper extremity of individuals with hemiplegia.
August 2011 Assisted Franciscan Hospital researchers with recruitment of participants for a study that looks at the physical activity level of children, ages 8-18, who have cerebral palsy.
August 2011 CHASA board votes to develop a small grant program to assist families in need with the purchase of orthotics (foot and hand braces). Children with hemiplegia frequently need these braces to help with proper positioning, balance, coordination, and movement.
July 2011 Created the CHASA Junior Advisory Board composed of youth ages 15-25. This board will advise the CHASA board, help plan the annual family retreat, create content for the CHASA website, advise younger kids who have hemiplegia and their parents, and more!
July 2011 Provided CHASA Family Retreat scholarships to families in need
July 2011 10th CHASA Family Retreat, featuring the CHASA Teen Panel
2010
October 2010 Co-sponsored the Neurobiology of Disease in Children Symposium in Providence, Rhode Island, with the Child Neurology Society and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Strokes (NINDS) and the Office of Rare Diseases Research. This symposium featured presentations from pediatric stroke researchers from around the world and provided information to hundreds of child neurologsts regarding the latest research on pediatric stroke. The symposium allowed pediatric stroke researchers to exchange information about the future direction of pediatric stroke research. CHASA contributed $40,000, multiple years of CHASA’s research budget.
October 2010 Sponsored 20 young investigators, interested in pediatric stroke research, at the NDC symposium.
October 2010 Awarded Megan Chesney Scholarship Fund college and trade school scholarships to young adults with hemiplegia
July 2010 Provided CHASA Family Retreat scholarships to families in need
July 2010 9th CHASA Family Retreat, featuring the CHASA Teen Panel
Jan 2010 Announced location for 2010 CHASA Family Retreat, June 27-July 1, Florence, Alabama
Jan 2010 Assisted a global contract research organization in locating pediatric stroke clinics for possible clinical trial sites
2009
Nov 2009 Collaborate with Department of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California to recruit participants for the “Study of Reaching and Grasping Patterns in Children With and Without Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy”
Nov 2009 Awarded $9,500 Megan Chesney Scholarship Fund college and trade school scholarships to young adults with hemiplegia
Sept 2009 Collaborate with the Division of Physical Therapy at Ohio State University to recruit participants for the Training in Infants with Neonatal Stroke Project
August 2009 CHASA announces a series of awareness and fundraising efforts to take place throughout the month of May 2010, as members celebrate Childhood Stroke Awareness Month
July 2009 Collaborate with Department of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy at the University of Southern California to recruit participants for the “Child Habilitation and Motor Performance Skills Clinical Research Trial” for children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.
July 2009 CHASA provides $7600 in retreat scholarships to families of children who have hemiplegia
July 2009 8th CHASA Family Retreat – 198 attend
July 2009 E-mail family discussion group reaches 1584 members
May 2009 CHASA receives grant from Bahl Foundation
March 2009 Childhood Stroke Fact Sheet presented at University of Minnesota Medical Center Nursing Skills Fair
January 2009 Developed Infant and Childhood Stroke Informational Brochure directed at physicians. These feature infant and childhood stroke survivors and include information on early stroke and the need for early detection, intervention and referral, and research.
January 2009 Developed Infant and Childhood Stroke Tabletop Display for use at Medical Conferences and other public awareness events
January 2009 Assisted pediatric stroke researcher in applying for grant for pediatric hemiplegia research study
January 2009 Launched new Bulletin Board Forum to facilitate development of local state and international groups, provide avenue for discussions about projects, and a place for parents to socialize outside of discussions of hemiplegia on the listserv.
January 2009 Launched Young Adults with Hemiplegia Forum
January 2009 Mentored a parent interested in forming a new nonprofit pediatric stroke awareness group
January 2009 Sent two representatives to the 1st Annual Southeast Regional Stroke Conference to network and set up a two day Exhibit to feature infant and childhood stroke survivor awareness including information on early stroke and need for early detection, intervention and referral, and research. Audience included physicians, nurses, social workers, physical, occupational, and speech therapists and others who treat stroke.
January 2009 Location of 2009 8th Annual CHASA Family Retreat announced
January 2009 E-mail family discussion group reaches 1488 members
2008
December 2008 Awareness Project: Childhood Stroke Awareness Gift Card Tags
December 2008 Awareness Project: Childhood Stroke Awareness Christmas Ornaments
November 2008: CHASA locates physician speaker on pediatric stroke topic for 1st Annual Southeast Regional Stroke Conference
November 2008 – Awarded $8,000 Megan Chesney Scholarship Fund college and trade school scholarships to young adults with hemiplegia
October 2009: Assisted professional in writing article designed to educate nurses about infant and childhood stroke
September 2008 Sent board member/physician to American Heart Association’s Health Care Reform Issues for Individuals with Congenital Heart Disease in Washington, DC
September 2008 Launched Childhood Stroke Awareness on Firstgiving website to honor children with hemiplegia or stroke
September 2008 E-mail family discussion group reaches 1415 families
July 19, 2008 Sponsored Hemi-Kids North Texas Area BBQ for 55
July 12, 2008 Sponsored Hemi-Kids Rockford, IL Pizza Party for 44
June 19, 2008 Sponsored Hemi-Kids Meeting in Grand Mound, WA for 41
May 4, 2008 Sponsored Hemi-Kids Philadelphia Area Picnic and Fun Day for 49
May 3, 2008 Sponsored Childhood Stroke Awareness Day
April 2008 – Launched Kids Have Strokes site on Cafe Press to provide pediatric stroke awareness products
March 2008 E-mail family discussion group reaches1260 families
2007
November 2007 E-mail family discussion group reaches 1170 members
November 2007 Awarded $7,000 Megan Chesney Scholarship Fund scholarships to young adults with hemiplegia
Summer 2007 Facilitated a number of family gatherings across the nation
May 2007 Creation of the Megan Chesney Scholarship Fund
January 2007 E-mail family discussion group reaches over 1000 members
2006
November 2006 Provided Honorariums for Professional Speaker Program. Funded six speakers in Pennsylvania.
October 2006 – Awarded $2400 in CHASA College Scholarships to two young adults with hemiplegia.
July 2006 – Annual CHASA family retreat held in Estes Park, Colorado
June 2006 – Awarded $5000 to a pediatric stroke research study at University of California – San Francisco
Spring 2006 Sponsor KidsHaveStrokes.org new design for wristbands
February 2006 Transfer Childhood Stroke Awareness Program to volunteer Dawn Perkins of Boston
2005
July 2005 – Awarded $3000 in CHASA Scholarships. A total of $3,000 has been offered to eight college students, three technical school students, and one Paralympic athlete. Approximately 50 students applied for scholarships this year. Scholarship recipients live in VA, MN (2), IA, IN, SC, WI, WA, CO, MN, FL, and IL. Congratulations to these hard working young people. We wish these students a successful year!
July 2005 – CHASA awards $2930 Retreat Scholarships to families attending the Georgia retreat.
July 2005 – Annual CHASA family retreat held in St Simons Island, Georgia.
Spring 2005 – Sponsor Kids Have Strokes awareness wristbands
May 2005 – National Childhood Stroke Awareness, with proclamations in a number of states. Mini-thons and fundraisers held across the nation.
March 2005 – Participant in University of Kansas project to study paralysis data collection (funded by the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation)
February 2005 – Teamed with the Alexandra Beale Foundation to work on 2005 Childhood Stroke Awareness campaign
January 2005 – Maryland/Pennsylvania Family Fun Weekend organized by Mary Ellen and Sue
January 2005 – CHASA board announces locations for 2005 and 2006 family retreats
January 2005 – CHASA declares May 7, 2005 Childhood Stroke Awareness Day
2004
December 2004 – CHASA website splits into three websites to help create more user friendly websites for families. www.chasa.org www.hemikids.org and www.pediatricstroke.org
November 2004 – Kids Have Strokes website designed to increase awareness of strokes in children and infants
October 2004 – Assisted a student at the Florida State University School of Nursing with a childhood stroke awareness program for middle and high school students. Donated Kids Have Strokes ribbons, made by Dawn Perkins.
October 2004 – North Texas Family Fun Day
September 2004 – E-mail family discussion group reaches 900 members
July 2004 – Fifty-eight families of children who have hemiplegia met in Wisconsin for the 5th CHASA Retreat and Medical Conference.
June 2004 – Dawn Perkins designs and makes purple and gold Childhood Stroke Awareness ribbon lapel pins to increase awareness
June 2004 – Fall 2004 Awarded $1500 in CHASA College Scholarships. Recipients are Derek A. of MO, Brandon A. of MD, and Bridget W. of CA. Congratulations to these hard working young people. We wish them a successful year!
May 2, 2004 – North Texas Family Fun Day organized by Heidi Leedy and Nancy Atwood.
May 2004 – Fifth Annual CHASA Walk-a-thon
May 1, 2004 – National Childhood Stroke Awareness Day, with proclamations in a number of states. Family Fun Days held in several states.
January 2004 – E-mail family discussion group reaches 826 members
2003
October 2003 – Special Support Group gathering in Boston
July 2003 – Fourth Annual retreat with forty families in Arlington, TX.
May 2003 – Fourth Annual CHASA Walk-a-thon
May 3, 2003 – National Childhood Stroke Awareness Day, with proclamations in a number of states.
2002
December 2002 – Online eNewsletter launched, courtesy of Andrew Sherwin of Sentient Inc.
November 2002 – E-mail family discussion list reached 750 members
Fall 2002 – Third issue of the “Helping Hands” newsletter
July 2002 – Two College Scholarships awarded to students who have hemiplegia.
July 2002 – Third Annual retreat with 75 families in Hershey, PA. Scholarships awarded to 13 families in need.
June 2002 – Florida Family Fun Day organized by Andrew Horowitz and family.
May 2002 – Third Annual CHASA Walk-a-thon
May 4, 2002 – National Childhood Stroke Awareness Day proclaimed in 20 states. A grassroots effort created by our families and friends interested in raising awareness.
December 2001 – E-mail family discussion list reached 642 members
Fall 2001 – Second issue of the “Helping Hands” newsletter mailed out.
2001
October 2001 – E-mail family discussion list reached 600 members
August 2001 – Donation given to CHASA to cover newsletter costs in the amount of $10,000
July 2001 – Second Annual Family Retreat and Conference; Added speakers, including physicians and therapists
July 2001 – Awarded $4600 in family scholarships
May 2001 – Second Annual CHASA Walk-a-thon
Spring 2001 – Launched “Helping Hands” newsletter to reach parents without internet access; Editor: Andrea Fuentes; Printing donated by Henry Serrano of VistaColor, Inc.
2000
Winter 2000 – Dr. John Lynch, pediatric stroke researcher at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, joins CHASA as a medical advisor
Winter 2000 – Anonymous grant to CHASA in the amount of $5000
Fall 2000 – Name change to Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association, CHASA. Name reflects respect for “people first” language
July 2000 – Awarded $1900 in scholarships to children with hemiplegia
July 2000 – First Hemi-Kids Family Retreat
May 2000 – First major fundraiser event, Hemi-Kids Walk-a-thon
March 2000 – IRS granted tax-exemption status to the Hemi-Kids Foundation. The foundation is officially a 501 (c)(3) organization.
February 2000 – A new record high for membership in the Hemi-Kids parent email list. 353 parents are finding support and information on the list.
January 2000 – Hemi-Kids Foundation is currently waiting for tax-exemption status to be granted by the IRS.
1999
August 1999 – Hemi-Kids reached an all time high list membership of 270 members
July 1999 – Local chapters of Hemi-Kids formed to provide “in person” support for families.
July 1999 – Articles of Incorporation filed in the State of Texas for Hemi-Kids Foundation
May 1999 – Added question and answer forums to the Hemi-Kids website.
1997
August 1997 – Hemi-Kids e-mail discussion group found a permanent home at St. John’s University, New York. List grew to 35 members. Website renamed “Hemi-Kids”
1996
Fall 1996 – Five mothers of children with hemiplegia joined together for support, via the Internet
