Hand in Hand is seeking dedicated volunteers to assist in their upcoming summer camp for children of all abilities. The camp will be held from July 10th – 14th and July 17 – 21st from 8:15 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. at Scott County Park.

Fifteen St. Ambrose students walk through the door of Tessa’s Place on a Friday morning ready to read, play, and lesson plan for our inclusive programs. They are the newest group of occupational therapy students to visit Hand in Hand. Hand in Hand has been partnering with St. Ambrose University’s Occupational Therapy Department since 2021.

People with Purpose is a social Dayhab program offered to individuals ages 18 and up. Participants gain social engagement while getting involved with the Quad Cities community and volunteering at a variety of area charities and organizations.

Catherine gave her first gift of $75 to Hand in Hand at the height of the pandemic in 2020. Her gifts always come wrapped in beautiful stationary or a holiday card with thoughtful, kind words handwritten on the inside that never fail to make us smile.

The UnityPoint Health® – Trinity Project SEARCH Program was awarded the fourth annual Happy Joe Whitty Award at Hand in Hand’s Chili Cook-Off Saturday, February 4.

There is a very real need in our community for childcare, especially childcare that accepts children with disabilities. According to the Iowa Women’s Foundation, Scott County has already lost 38% of its childcare businesses over the past 5 years.

People with Purpose just wrapped up a new pilot program with the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. The My Wellbeing program, called Wellness Wednesdays by PWP, provided an introductory, interdisciplinary approach to enhance adult individual wellbeing and quality of life in ways that are personally meaningful to participants with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

Jim and Jayne Field have been supporters of Hand in Hand since the early days of the organization giving tirelessly and supporting Hand in Hand’s vision to create an inclusive Quad Cities. They first learned about the mission from Vinnie Smith, one of the founders of the organization.

Tessa’s Place renovations are finally complete. After a long journey of construction dust, swapping classrooms, and many days of putting together new furniture and toys, most of the building is brand new! One of the major renovations you’ll notice is our brand-new playground.

The purpose of Autism Awareness Month was always to empower individuals with autism, but the terminology change calls for autism acceptance and gives space to improve support and opportunities in education, employment, healthcare, social programs, and more.