Support Lines 11/01

Dear Friend & DCO Supporter,

Our daughter Sydney was born in 1998 with Down Syndrome. Many may consider that a tragedy. We consider ourselves lucky and our family special. While still in the hospital, we learned about Developmental Center of the Ozarks, and their Children's Therapy Program. We called and found a team of experts ready to help our entire family help Sydney learn to take a bottle, sit up, walk and talk. Our dream for Sydney to lead a "normal" life seemed possible. DCO taught us how to be "therapists" at home, and they offered us counseling to learn how to work together as a family to help Sydney lead the highest quality of life possible. They told us all of the things Sydney would and could do with the recommended therapies. That was three years ago. DCO has made so many things happen for Sydney and with this terrific early intervention, her foundation and promise is strong for the future. When you make a gift to DCO you make dreams, like ours for Sydney, possible for hundreds of area families.

We would like to take the time to thank you for your past and future support of DCO's programs. Without good friends and neighbors DCO wouldn't be able to provide services to approximately 900 families a year. These families come to DCO filled with hope, wonder and sometimes dreaming of miracles untold. I know we did. Sometime in November you might receive a letter from us sharing our story of Sydney with you. In case you don't, we thought we'd include a version here in this newsletter. For DCO to continue meeting its' mission to help area families, they need your help.

With your support, hope, wonder and miracles untold can be achieved. Please take a moment to read our story, then look at the pledge cards on page 3 or 5 and give thoughtful consideration to how you can help make a difference in the lives of hundreds of area families each year.

--Becky & Jim Von Behren

2001-2002 Campaign Chairs

We are hoping you will consider a gift to DCO. Today we serve more than 450 individuals and their families each day. We were greatly encouraged by community support. Now, as we are facing a great challenge to continue providing the needed services, we are writing to community members, such as yourself, to see if you can help us continue to meet the needs of families with special developmental needs in our community.

Today we need your support to provide speech, physical, occupational and developmental therapy to infants and children, as well as, prepare adults to enter competitive employment in our community, and help them acquire a job.

Your sacrificial gift will make a significant difference in the quality of services as well as the number served. Without good friends like you, we wouldn't be able to serve hundreds of area families from 11 counties through six programs. Your generous support is a source of encouragement to us all as we work to provide the needed services to area families who are counting on us depending on our staff to provide the highest quality services to their son, daughter, sister, brother, or friend.

At this time in our history, it reminds us more than ever how proud we are to live in a nation where we have made a promise to take care of our neighbors in times of need and we gladly and freely do. The families who need DCO are counting on us, and they're counting on you. We wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving...and urge you to think of the hundreds of area families who are as thankful for you, as we are for your support of services that benefited our family and Sydney. Remember, we make a living by what we do, we make a life by what we give.

Thank you from the bottom of

our hearts,