Kenna’s Story

Last year Kenna and her family were struggling to find Kenna support each day after school. One of Kenna’s brothers is engaged in extracurricular activities and her oldest brother was going off to college. Her parents, are both teachers and were unable to leave school early enough to get her off of the bus (one of them is already going in late each day to get her onto the bus). Her grandmother had been helping, but she was having a difficult time getting Kenna and her chair into the house. Kenna does not have a lift, so she would need to stay in her chair (after already sitting in it for a long time during the day) which caused her to be agitated most evenings. This was hard on Kenna and very stressful for her family. Her grandmother wasn’t going to be able to continue helping much longer, due to her own health concerns.

Kenna received Crisis Resolution funding for Support Services each day after school. Kenna’s mom, Melanie, said since Kelly has started working with her, Kenna has been much happier. They thought it may be odd to have someone in their home when they get there each evening, but it has been such a relief! They don’t feel rushed or stressed. They come home and Kenna is laughing, she has had her snack, is clean, out of her wheelchair, and is laying down. Melanie said she can’t even describe the positive impact that it has had on their family. Not only did they receive the supports, but Kenna now has MA and they are working on having them cover her diapers, which has long been a financial burden for them. We are also working on getting Kenna a lift through MA, to help her and her family even more!