Projects – International Order of the Rainbow for Girls

Bert’s Big Adventure

About Bert’s Big Adventure

Established in 2002 by Bert Weiss, host of the nationally syndicated morning radio show, “The Bert Show”, Bert’s Big Adventure is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides a magical, all-expenses-paid, five-day journey to Walt Disney World® for children with chronic and terminal illnesses and their families.

In 2001, The Bert Show aired for the very first time in Atlanta, GA, hosted by Bert Weiss. Six months after the show began, co-founders Bert Weiss and Stacey Weiss began establishing the groundwork for Bert’s Big Adventure. In 2003, the organization took seven children with chronic and terminal illnesses and their families on the journey of a lifetime to Walt Disney World for the inaugural trip. What began as a trip for seven families in need from the Atlanta area grew to an annual trip for 12 to 15 families from all over the U.S. and a lifetime of support.

In addition to the trip, Bert’s Big Adventure now also provides year-round programs that further its mission of supporting these very special families. Our programs include our trip to Walt Disney World, our Fairy Godparent volunteer program and our Reunion Adventures! To date, Bert’s Big Adventure has served 173 children and their families through these programs. Including the family of our very own Grand Worthy Advisor. Kaleigh is now seizing the opportunity to give back to this magical cause that has touched her life so personally and asking Georgia Rainbow to help!

For more information visit Bert’s Big Adventure

Shriner’s Children’s Hospital in Greenville, SC

Shriners Children’s three-part mission has one goal: to change and improve lives.

We do this by caring for our patients, conducting research to gain knowledge and develop new treatments, and providing educational opportunities for physicians and other healthcare professionals.

Both patients and health care professionals find they have entered a very special place when they step into Shriners Children’s. From the first moment, the experience is different. Our compassionate, patient-centered atmosphere immediately sets a tone of hope for the families who come to us.

At Shriners Children’s, we strive to help each patient achieve the best possible outcome. Our commitment to research helps us find new and improved treatments and contribute to the world’s medical knowledge. We continue to pursue seminal, cutting-edge discoveries that will help our patients live full and rewarding lives.

Another way we help children everywhere is by helping to educate health care professionals. Shriners Children's offers educational opportunities in a variety of specialties, through courses, lectures, seminars and workshops. In addition, our physicians and clinicians are known for sharing their experience and knowledge with medical communities around the world, so that more children may be helped closer to where they live.

https://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/shc

Scottish Rite’s RiteCare

About the RiteCare Scottish Rite Childhood Language Program

In the early 1950s, the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry of the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States initiated a program to help children with speech and language disorders. The results obtained from this program led to the establishment of RiteCare Scottish Rite Childhood Language Program (SRCLP) clinics to provide diagnostic evaluation and treatment of speech and language disorders, as well as learning disabilities.

Today, there are SRCLP clinics, centers, and special programs operating or planned for children and therapists located throughout the United States. Each facility is staffed by speech-language pathologists or other trained personnel. Through the support of Scottish Rite members, these clinics, centers, and programs continue to increase.

The value of this philanthropy has long been apparent. Tens of thousands of youngsters across the United States have been helped significantly. With the good work of dedicated clinicians and parents, the Scottish Rite has achieved successes that could only be imagined a few years back. Children who might have remained educationally behind for a lifetime can now talk, read, and lead productive lives.

Canine Assistants

Canine Assistant’s mission is to educate dogs and the people who need them so they may improve the lives of one another. They believe that dogs who are asked to improve the lives of people deserve to be treated with the utmost respect and kindness. They want the relationships they facilitate between people and their working dogs to serve as the model for all relationships between dogs and people.

Service Dogs
Canine Assistants service dogs assist children and adults with physical disabilities or other special needs in a variety of ways. Some of the tasks our dogs perform include turning lights on and off, opening and closing doors, pulling wheelchairs, retrieving dropped objects, summoning help, and providing secure companionship. While all of these functions are vitally important in helping a person obtain greater freedom, perhaps the most impressive gift our dogs provide is social, rather than physical, in nature. The dogs eliminate feelings of fear, isolation, and loneliness felt by their companions. One Canine Assistants recipient made the value of this gift quite clear when asked by a reporter what she liked most about her service dog. Immediately, she responded, “My dog makes my wheelchair disappear.”

Most Canine Assistants service dogs are born, raised, and educated at our facility in Milton, Georgia, while some are occasionally adopted from local organizations or breeders. The majority of our service dogs are Golden Retrievers, Labradors and Golden Doodles.

Seizure Response Dogs
In addition to service dogs and companion dogs, Canine Assistants also teaches and provides seizure response dogs for certain recipients. Following general education, seizure response dogs are taught to remain next to the person during the course of a seizure, summon help in a controlled environment, or retrieve a phone prior to the seizure when indicated by the recipient. Certain dogs may even develop the ability to predict and react in advance to an oncoming seizure once they are placed with their recipient.

Diabetic Alert Dogs
Canine Assistants also places diabetic alert dogs with type 1 diabetic patients. They are taught to alert to changes in blood sugar levels, get help when needed, alert other family members, retrieve medication and to reduce stress.

Georgia Rainbow’s goal this year is to raise funds to provide a service dog to a girl between the ages of 10-20 years of age.

Make-A-Wish

When life-changing wishes are granted, a wish effect occurs. The wish allows children battling critical illnesses to build the hope and strength they need to fight harder and see the impossible become possible. Research shows wishes can give these children a higher chance of survival. And, it’s why health professionals often use a wish as part of their treatment plan, because wishes can build compliance with care and potentially give their patients a better chance of reducing time spent in the hospital. There is nothing more powerful than a child’s wish – that’s the wish effect.