Discoveries Ministries, Inc., which offers spiritual retreats for special needs and chronically ill children, adults and their families, is hosting a spirituality day for parents and caregivers of children with special needs on Sunday, Jan. 26 from 12 noon-4 p.m. The event will be held at the ministry’s Discovery Retreat House located at 3730 Richard Ave. in Mullica Township.
The afternoon will include presentations by Howard and John Clark of Clark and Associates, a financial planning firm in Braddock, and Mercedes and David Rizzo, developers of the First Eucharist Preparation Kit and authors of “Faith, Family and Children with Special Needs.”
Howard and John Clark are the father and brother of a special needs adult, and will discuss the financial concerns families face in their presentation, “Financial Planning for Special People.” They will address the growing need for advance planning for parents with special needs children, particularly in today’s world of continued medical advances and the extensive rules and regulations placed on estate planning for the families.
David Rizzo is a physical therapist who works with children and adults with developmental and physical disabilities. He and his wife, Mercedes, have four children, one of whom has autism and is non-verbal. The Rizzos developed a series of learning tools to be used by special needs children preparing to receive holy Communion. This work was the inspiration for their First Eucharist Kit, published by Loyola Press.
Msgr. Michael Mannion, advisor to the Board of Discovery Ministries, Inc., said, “We are pleased to offer this program to the families and caregivers of special needs children. We recognize there is a need for this type of support and are happy we can provide the opportunity for participants to connect with each other and God, emotionally and spiritually.”
For more information about the event, please contact Margie Abrams at 609-932-6134 or mabrams64@comcast.net.
For more information about Discovery House, visit www.discoveryministriesinc.org