Champions for Children Program

The Easter Seals Georgia Coalition was awarded the grant for the Champions for Children with Exceptional Needs Initiative. Included in the Coalition are Easter Seals North Georgia, Easter Seals Southern Georgia, Easter Seals West Georgia, Easter Seals East Georgia, Easter Seals Middle Georgia, and Parent to Parent of Georgia. The Champions for Children Program is funded by a $4.87 million five-year grant from The Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. This grant was made possible by a one-time 2006 Georgia legislative allocation.

Counties served by Easter Seals North Georgia include:

Banks                     Floyd                    Newton                                        
Barrow                    Forsyth                 Oconee
Bartow                    Franklin                 Paulding
Catoosa                  Fulton                   Pickens
Chattooga               Gilmer                   Polk
Cherokee                Gordon                  Rabun
Clarke                     Gwinnett               Rockdale
Clayton                   Habersham            Stephens
Cobb                       Hall                      Towns
Dade                       Henry                   Union
Dawson                   Jackson                Walker
DeKalb                    Lumpkin                Walton
Douglas                   Madison                White
Fannin                     Morgan                 Whitfield
Fayette                    Murray

The Champions for Children Program is designed to primarily assist children and families who do not meet the eligibility requirements for the TEFRA/Katie Beckett Medicaid program. The program will provide direct financial assistance and support services for Georgia's medically fragile and special needs children and their families. An Easter Seals Champions for Children Coordinator will work directly with families to determine eligibility, identify service needs as described by the family, and connect them with resources and services.

Families may access services by calling the Easter Seals Georgia Coalition
toll-free number: 1-866-584-3742 or by visiting
the Easter Seals Champions for Children Program website: http://www.championsforchildrenga.org/.

A description of the Champions for Children Program, the application for services and other information is available on the site. While the $500,000 in annual funding over the next five years will be a wonderful resource for families, we recognize that all needs will not be addressed. However, the Easter Seals Georgia Coalition is committed to serving the needs of children and families to the greatest extent possible using a family-friendly approach.