Ask a Shlucha about the biggest sacrifice of Shlichus. Her answer may have nothing to do with shipping kosher food, missing family or paying two mortgages. If she is one of dozens, she and her husband are struggling to raise their child with special needs while serving their community—and often, one or the other suffers.
Unbearably high medical bills and unending calls for attention—familiar tests to any parent of a child with special needs—become drastically harder when paired with Shlichus activity.
Providing care and programming for a child with special needs can exceed $40,000 annually. This week, a group of yungeleit, Shluchim and businessmen unveiled Yaldei Shluchei HaRebbe and yaldeishlucheiharebbe.org so no parent has to choose between their children and their Shlichus.
A recent review suggests that over 125 families on Shlichus are caring for a child with special needs. According to Menachem Mendy Krinsky, chairman of Yaldei Shluchei HaRebbe, “Many Shluchim aren’t aware of the support options available to them. We have created a fund to help them financially, offer programming resources and share information that will help the Shluchim, their children and their communities continue to grow.”
When they sign up, each family is assigned a service coordinator to maintain regular contact and offer practical help. “It could take months for Shluchim to sort through the available government grants or to find local programs that can be enormously helpful to their child,” explains Krinsky. Yaldei Shluchei HaRebbe is researching the programs offered in each of the 50 United States and making the information available to Shluchim.
On the spiritual side of things, a sensitive decision often requires the skill and confidence of an expert rov. Yaldei Shluchei HaRebbe has a growing list of experienced rabbonim who have donated their time and knowledge to help. Many other services target sibling support, physical fitness equipment and homecare.
Yaldei Shluchei HaRebbe is a registered 501(c) non-profit and is an entirely free service that relies on private donations.
Find out more and add your support at www.yaldeishlucheiharebbe.org.
thank you to all those caring individuals who put this org. into action.. you are personally now responsible for all the success the shluchim in their communities will achieve. may the aibeshter bless all of you in your own work and your famiies. thank you! thank you!
I think NY provides so much help in terms of therapy and support for families with spec. needs children. Like, chai lifeline homevisits and sibling support , rides to hospital etc.— I only found out about it after the crisis was over…..
There could be help for us non-shluchim as well however. Many of us struggle as we are pushed by our small Lubavitch schools around the country to not give our kids Lubavitch educations instead of finding a way to make things happen. Assumptions are made because we are not shluchim our kids are not as important. As a parent going through this right now, I have spent many nights crying because our school would rather turn us away from Lubavitchkeit than work with us, all cause we are not shluchim.
Amazing work. Hatzlocho Rabba!!!
Its very nice of them to think of special kids needs, and lending hand is a really bracha!! some special needs kids are to emmbarresed to tell anybody that they have special needs.. so I think this is very good! Providing care for a child with special needs can exceed $40,000 annually. This week, a group of yungeleit, Shluchim and businessmen unveiled Yaldei Shluchei HaRebbe and yaldeishlucheiharebbe.org so no parent has to choose between their children and their Shlichus. Ask a Shlucha about the biggest sacrifice of Shlichus. Her answer may have nothing to do with shipping kosher food, missing… Read more »
My sister is a shlucha with a special needs child and caring for him depletes them of so much koichos and money. A lending hand is a real blessing. Thank you.
This is most definetly one of the utmost important issues.
Thanks for responding to the silent but deep cries of so many of the shluchim families.
Lots of luck