All
donations are tax deductible. Federal Tax I.D. #77-0147768
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donation to New Directions for people with disabilities, inc. Or you can call us at (888) 967-2841
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CALL TOLL FREE (have the vehicle title with you)
1-877-CARS-4-US (227-7487) Ext. 2061
You can also donate online at www.donationline.com
WHO
WE ARE New
Directions for people with disabilities, inc. iis a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization providing local,
national, and international travel vacations and holiday programs
for people with mild to moderate developmental disabilities.
These
profoundly enriching educational travel opportunities expand experiential
learning and dramatically enhance the self-esteem of every traveler.
Our
programs open whole new worlds of understanding for both the participants
and the general population.
Through
these programs, people with disabilities are increasingly understood,
appreciated and accepted as important and contributing members of
our world.
Christmas
at Disneyland! Swim with the dolphins in Hawaii! Jet boat in Fiji!
Ski in Colorado! New Directions believes that persons with disabilities
deserve the same opportunities in life that others expect and enjoy.
Our profoundly enriching travel programs expand the self-esteem
of every traveler. Our enthusiastic and professional staff are trained
to work with people with developmental disabilities and offer extreme
safety and fun on every vacation/adventure tour.
HISTORY
AND BACKGROUND
Dee Duncan started New Directions in 1985 after having worked for
eight years in a large residential facility for adults with developmental
disabilities. As part of her duties at this facility, she frequently
arranged travel vacations for its two hundred residents. Of all
the therapeutic programs that this care facility provided, the travel
vacations stood out as the most beneficial. The tours proved to
be the perfect environment for "hands-on" education (so
much better than classroom or textbook education!), for practicing
independent living skills in the "real" world, and for
fostering flexibility in new or different situations (a critical
need for all persons with brain impairment). In addition, the tours
were the ideal avenue for promoting acceptance and inclusion among
the general population.
The benefits were so enormous that Dee felt compelled to offer these
programs to others with brain impairments. She researched and found
no other organization that provided this type of specialized travel
service.
Dee started from the dining room table of her small studio apartment,
with a cardboard box for files, and her 75-year old mother as her
assistant! Starting capital was $8,000-- the total of Dee's personal
savings. Most important, she had an unwavering commitment to making
these important travel programs available to people with disabilities.
In 1985 New Directions celebrated its 20th year. We have successfully
taken over 7,000 people on life-enriching vacations all over the
world--promoting inclusion all along the way. Currently with an
annual budget of over $1,000,000 we offer more than 40 travel vacation
programs annually, a variety of day tours, and an international
exchange program, all of which serve approximately 500 participants
annually. Most participants live in the Southern California area,
but some live in other states and even in other countries. To date,
our youngest has been 7 and oldest 93.
The fastest growing and most successful program has been the Holiday
Happiness Program. Dee Duncan started with one Holiday Happiness
program in 1985. She noticed that many of the residents were being
left behind at the care facility during the holidays, while their
peers as well as staff were packing their bags for home. Dee decided
to take those who had been “left behind” to Disneyland
that year for Christmas. Holiday
Happiness is a 4-day program offered annually in December to
people living in care facilities in California. These persons are
generally wards of the state or have been abandoned by their families.
The program offers a home-style Christmas complete with deluxe hotel
accommodations, gourmet meals, Disneyland and California Adventure,
hand-made stockings, gifts galore, and dedicated staff and volunteers
offering huge amounts of love and joy. This year New Directions
will offer five large programs (25 to 30 participants each) at Christmas
time, with additional programs offered at every major holiday.
ALL
TOURS ARE SUBSIDIZED THROUGH DONATIONS New Directions tours are exceptionally high quality. Preparations
include extensive research, fully custom arrangements, hundreds
of safety-related details, medical/behavior reviews and individual
attention. Staff to traveler ratio ranges from 1:1 through 1:4.
We feel these labor intensive preparations and ratios are essential
to ensure a safe and normalized experience. We strive to offer each
person the maximum opportunity for choice, independence, socialization
and the application of practical living skills. Of course, we don't
forget to add a solid dose of just plain old fun.
If
we charged what it actually cost to provide these services, the
tours would be impossible for most to pay. For this reason, ALL
tours are subsidized through donations.
$10: Will buy materials to hand-decorate one festive Christmas stocking for one traveler with developmental disabilities.
$15: Will buy stocking stuffers to fill the beautiful hand-decorated stocking.
$20: Will buy a cuddly stuffed animal to bring one smile of joy.
$50: Will buy 5 gifts for Santa to deliver to a traveler to open on Christmas morning at the gift-opening extravaganza.
$70: Will buy one Disneyland passport for one day, often
the first visit to Disneyland for our travelers with developmental
disabilities.
$105: Will provide a Disneyland passport and all meals and
snacks for one day to one of our travelers with developmental disabilities
visiting Disneyland.
$250: Will provide round trip airfare for one of our travelers
to Disneyland.
$575: Will provide a half scholarship for a 4 day Holiday Happiness Extravaganza
Tour for one special traveler, which includes ground transportation
to and from LAX, 3 night’s stay at the beautiful Anaheim Marriott, a 2 day passport to Disneyland, all meals and snacks, Christmas gifts, a special
visit from Santa in the Marriott’s Presidential Suite, and
round the clock care provided by our dedicated staff and of course much love from our tour guides and volunteers!
$1150: Will provide a full scholarship for a 4 day Holiday Happiness Extravaganza
Tour for one special traveler, which includes ground transportation
to and from LAX, 3 night’s stay at the beautiful Anaheim Marriott, a 2 day passport to Disneyland, all meals and snacks, Christmas gifts, a special
visit from Santa in the Marriott’s Presidential Suite, and
round the clock care provided by our dedicated staff and of course much love from our tour guides and volunteers!
THE
NEW DIRECTIONS WISH LIST
A 12 passenger van with wheelchair lift, lightweight video camera,
incidental supplies such as tooth paste, tooth-brushes, band-aids,
sunscreen for our travelers, underwear and socks (all sizes for
both male and female travelers), printing supplies and typesetting
labor, large travel bags.
INTEGRATATED
WORK PROGRAM New Directions has an Integrated Work Program, helping people
with disabilities acquire paid employment and the necessary skills
to be competent in the work force. Currently, there are four part-time
employees adding hours of valuable skills to this vital organization.
This program exists to encourage people with disabilities to reach
their full potential and to be contributing members of an integrated
work environment.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Disneyland helpers, airport helpers, office work
SERVICE
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Dee Duncan named “Woman of the Year” by Santa Barbara’s
highly respected Soroptimist International.
Travel
and Leisure Magazine’s Mark of Innovation Award
Honored by Special Olympics.
New
Directions honored by countless local, state, and national newspapers
throughout its history, and most recently had an appearance on NBC’s
The Today Show, with Katie Couric.
To
help keep fees down, we use volunteers and solicit donated goods
and services whenever possible.
Our
longterm goal is to decrease tour fees. We want to publish an affordable
price---that is the same price that others without disabilities
would pay for a similar tour.
With
your help and support through donations we will achieve this goal.
As a non profit organization, we depend on the community and like
minded individuals to help us achieve these goals. New Directions
would be delighted to count you as a supporter. If you would like
further information, please don't hesitate to contact
us. We look forward to hearing from you.
Donations
for Scholarships Needed!
All donations are tax deductible.
Federal Tax I.D. #77-0147768
