Children's Assistive Technology Service

Overall goal is to ease access to durable medical equipment to provide children the opportunities they need as they grow. The sooner they can start to use the equipment the more successful they become not only from a developmental standpoint but also in many of their body systems (respiratory, gastrointestinal, bone density, muscle stretching, cognition, and language). Assistive technology allows a child with disabilities to play with friends and siblings, to have more opportunities for learning, and to be more independent. All of these can lead to a happier child and healthier families!

Hundreds of families whose children have outgrown or no longer need expensive adaptive devices and mobility equipment have continued to donate these items to C.A.T.S. for re-use. Hand-me-downs for a hand-up -- C.A.T.S. is filling the gap in Virginia healthcare for children with disability when third-party payers deny equipment or the process stretches into months or years before approval for needed equipment is fully achieved.

Accept donations of gently used pediatric-sized durable medical equipment.
Use wide base of volunteer workforce to clean, inspect, repair, and re-distribute equipment to children who live or receive medical care in the state of Virginia.
Develop and maintain an on-line inventory which is accessible to families, caregivers, teachers, and therapists.
Develop transportation opportunities to move equipment between locations.
Increase number of locations to make equipment available within 2 hours of where a child lives.
Grow depth of board membership and volunteer base for long-term sustainability.
Grow depth of grant and private donations for long-term sustainability.

Have established collaboration and support with several colleges and universities to provide volunteer base and educational opportunities. These students participate in cleaning of equipment and fitting at delivery events.
Board Members with vested interested in success of the organization including physical, occupational, and speech therapists; parent; and community business leaders.
Development of locations in Roanoke, Richmond, Hampton Roads, and Marion areas to provide greater reach across Virginia.
Private donors, grants, and state support for funding. Continuing outreach to increase depth of financial support.

In 2018:
More than 300 volunteers contributed 4, 092 hours, not including Board Members who fill unpaid staff positions.
Equipment valued at $933,680 was returned to communities and reassigned to children with disabilities who needed it in 2018.
Two transit vans purchased to solve equipment transportation problems.
Communication Loan Library in Hampton Roads flourishing with service to 22 children and plans to expand.
Collaboration with University of Lynchburg on the Kids Equipment Palooza receiving recognition at the American Physical Therapy Association conference in June 2019.
Second annual HalloWheels fund-raiser was a smashing success providing 6 children with costumes of their dreams.
In 2019:
C.A.T.S. established its first "full-services" placed of business in Richmond.
Multiple large scrub/cleaning events to put equipment in to inventory.
Adding paid program managers at Hampton Roads and Richmond to supplement Roanoke's program manager.
In 2020:
Consolidated services in the Roanoke area to be all under one roof from donation to cleaning to repair to distribution.
Modified processes to be complaint with COVID-19 restrictions on gatherings.
Continued to grow HalloWheels fundraiser.
Entered into agreement with Emory and Henry to develop 4th location to serve far southwest Virginia.
In 2021:
Transitioned from volunteer executive director to paid executive director.
Program directors continue to be volunteers with therapy backgrounds with program day to day management being handled by paid part-time staff.

What's next?
Develop funding sources to maintain and grow financial stability.
Continue outreach into community to educate families and therapists of C.A.T.S. as a resource.
Board development and depth of skill sets and representation across the state.
Increase online presence through consolidated presentation of information across social media sites.