What is SEDOL?
The Special Education District of Lake County (SEDOL) is responsible for providing physically, mentally, and emotionally challenged children from age 3 to 22 with educational opportunities appropriate to each child’s needs. Conditions range from emotional and behavioral disorders to children who are deaf with normal cognitive ability, to children with Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, or Autism.
Demographics: SEDOL serves 31 school districts in Lake County and over 2,200 students with special needs. Approximately 40% of the students come from single parent family homes and another 40% come from low socio-economic backgrounds.
What is the SEDOL Foundation?
The SEDOL Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that serves special needs children and young adults who are physically, mentally and emotionally disabled, and their families. Founded in 1991 by SEDOL, the Foundation is dedicated to helping these children, their parents and siblings with support and services that the district cannot provide because public funding falls short of the enormous needs.
The Foundation seeks funds and other resources for these special families, many of whom are stretched both financially and emotionally in ways most of us will never know. For them, the list of needs is extremely long and growing. For a variety of reasons, all these students need our help.
The SEDOL Foundation was created to help fill the expanding gap between available tax dollars, children’s and family needs and emerging technology and other enabling resources that can improve and extend the lives of those with special needs. Working closely with SEDOL to discover the special needs of children and their families, the SEDOL Foundation provides a broad variety of resources that would otherwise be unavailable to those in greatest need.
What is our Mission?
To generate and distribute resources that enrich educational, vocational, and social opportunities for children with disabilities in Lake County.
What are our Goals?
*To provide enhanced services/programs for students to:
- improve learning skills and academic achievement
- develop the ability to lead more independent and productive lives to include work related and employability skills
- learn appropriate social skills and demonstrate more social confidence
- to enrich the quality of their lives
*To provide technology and equipment where school districts and insurance companies cannot, for example, wheel chairs, assistive technology, strollers and communication devices
*To establish community awareness, interest and support around the mission and the needs of the SEDOL Foundation.
*To provide enhanced services/programs for families of special needs children including counseling, respite care and support services, for example sign language classes for family caregivers and advocates and summer camp scholarships
*To engage an active and effective Board of Directors that uses relevant data and established best practices in its fundraising and decision making.
How can you get involved?
Volunteers are a critical component to the success of the SEDOL Foundation. As the Foundation works to generate resources for children with disabilities, numerous opportunities are available for members of the community to help out.
Opportunities range in time commitment and skills offering a wide variety of activities to choose from. Whether your interest is in:
- Board membership
- Committee membership
- Administrative tasks or
- Special fundraising events . . . there’s something for everyone!
If volunteering your time doesn’t work for you, we always accept monetary donations or donations of goods or services.
Giving of your time, talent or financial resources can make a lot of difference in a child’s life and enrich your own life.
