Special Projects
The Philly Baer Foundation's goal is to positively impact children's lives by financially supporting therapies, therapeutic equipment and medical research.
Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley Partnership
The Philly Baer Foundation’s partnership with Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley was born out of a shared mission to support children with disabilities and their families. Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley provides expert pediatric therapy services for infants, children and adults with mild developmental delays, complex disabilities or undiagnosed concerns. Since January 2020, the Philly Baer Foundation has donated $40,000 to provide financial assistance for children with complex medical needs. These gifts increase the number of therapy sessions available to families with Medicaid when they need them most. We ensure additional support for families facing surgeries, medical setbacks or special situations that require extra therapies or in-home services. These therapies are critical to helping children build the strength, stamina and skills they need to thrive.
The Philly Baer Foundation also provided $10,000 to support teletherapy sessions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For more information, click here.
The Kids' Equipment Network
The Kids' Equipment Network "connects children with special needs to durable, adaptive equipment that helps them thrive." TKEN used a grant from the Philly Baer Foundation to purchase a high-low Wombat chair for 10 year old Kelsey. Kelsey's mom, Crystal, said that "Kelsey has been diagnosed with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, seizures, dysphagia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, airway malacia, asthma and developmental and intellectual delays. Despite these hurdles, Kelsey works diligently at school, in therapy, and at home. She is determined to defeat these obstacles that are in her way and succeed. Kelsey is very happy, outgoing and sociable. She enjoys cheerleading, walking in her gait trainer, swinging on her swing, swimming, taking walks in the neighborhood, going to school, participating in therapies and spending time with family and friends." The Wombat chair has allowed her to participate in many new activities and opened up many more possibilities. Special thanks to Anita Shah and Tim Caruso.
Since 2021, the Philly Baer Foundation has provided $15,000 of unrestricted grants to help TKEN fulfill their mission of giving children with special needs the tools for independence.
For more information, click here.
Adaptive Equipment
The Philly Baer Foundation purchased an adaptive swing in 2019 for the new special needs playground at Maple School in Northbrook, Illinois.
The all-inclusive playground was completed in 2020. For more information, click here.
Mattis Reil, OT
Kathy Barnard, OT
Sarah Hehir, PT
Daisy Tan, PT
Pathways Partnership
The Philly Baer Foundation partnered with Pathways, a pediatric center in Glenview. The Philly Baer Foundation's vision is to guarantee children with limited resources and/or restricted insurance benefits to receive the therapy services needed to help them reach their full potential.
The Philly Baer Foundation's donation was also intended for children to attend the Mary Massery respiratory clinic where they will receive an expert evaluation and possible follow-up appointments for breathing techniques while providing the treating therapist with hands on mentoring. Additionally, The Philly Baer Foundation's donation was designated for the purchase of equipment to assist in providing therapy to children.
Philly Baer Fellowship
In 2007, The Philly Baer Foundation and its founders provided a grant to The University of Chicago to support medical research conducted by William B. Dobyns, MD. Dr. Dobyns led a broad-based research program investigating the nature and causes of a wide range of human developmental brain disorders. Between 2008 and 2010, the grant funded The Philly Baer Fellowship, a post-doctoral research position on Dr. Dobyns' research team.
In September 2019, Neurosciences Research highlighted the findings of Dr. Dobyns's long term research on brain development.
For more information, click here.
