The resources section will always be a work in progress!
If you would like to submit new resources or corrections to the resources listed email Info@flaf.team.
The information and links are being provided as a convenience and for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or an approval by the Full Life Ahead Foundation of any of the products, services, or opinions of the corporation, organization, or individual. The Full Life Ahead Foundation bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality, or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.
Athens/Limestone County Respite Programs
| Respite Care Program Name | Respite Care Program Mission | Respite Care Program Contact |
| First Baptist Church of Athens | Is equipped with an extremely knowledgeable staff on how to minister effectively to those who have disAbilities. The specific ministry at this local church is U Matter Ministry and they accept children of all ages and provide individualized care to each child. On campus, there is a sensory room including special lighting, padded walls, calming equipment, and tools to accommodate each child. U Matter also has the capacity for volunteers to receive dedicated and personalized care. They also have on-call medical assistance as well as respite care and the ability to have birthday parties in their facilities. The ministry hours include Sundays 9:45 am-12:15 pm and Wednesdays from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm. | https://fbcathens.org/ministries-umatter/ 256-232-0602 201 East Hobbs Street Athens, AL 35611 |
| Lindsay Lane Baptist Church | Has a high functioning children’s ministry and within this ministry they have Hope Ministry. The main focus of this ministry to show the love of Christ to each child that comes into the room despite the physical or mental disAbilities. Hope Ministry provides one-on-one care for each child with the goal of integrating them into their age-group specific kids program. They are equipped to allow each child to grow at their own pace. | https://lindsaylane.org/hope-ministry/ lori@lindsaylane.org 256-232-0020 1300 Lindsay Lane Athens, AL 35613 |
Birmingham/Jefferson County Respite Programs
| Respite Care Program Name | Respite Care Program Mission | Respite Care Program Contact |
| Aaron's Staff | Is a non-profit that provides free respite care for parents to enjoy a night out. Care that is included can range from arts and crafts, music therapy, pet therapy, story time, recreational activities, and movies and the care provided ranges from the age of infants to those who are 21 years old. Aaron’s staff is equipped to serve a multitude of different disabilities and provide specialized care for each child. There is no cost for this respite care, but reservations are required. | https://aaronsstaffrespite.org/ (205) 261-9914 2698 Highway 58 |
| Alabama Head Injury Foundation | Provides not only respite care for families and individuals affected by special needs, but also provide a multitude of other resources including zoom support groups, mental health counseling, and well as two different camps throughout the year. | https://www.ahif.org/services.html (205) 823-3818 500 Chase Park South Suite 130 Hoover, AL 35244
|
Caregiver Action Network (CAN) | Is a non-profit organization that provides peer support, education, and resources to family caregivers. CAN is one of the nation’s leading family caregiver organizations that improves the quality of life among more than 90 million Americans that care for their loved ones with disabilities, chronic conditions diseases, and old age. CAN serves a wide variety of family caregivers ranging from children with special needs to adults caring for parents. | https://www.caregiveraction.org/ (202) 454-3970 1150 Connecticut Ave NW Suite 501 Washington, DC 20036-3904
|
Collat Jewish Family Services (CJFS) | Is a non-profit organization based out of Jewish beliefs with a passion to serve those in every faith, age, and race. They serve induvial in every stage of life but focus primarily on supporting and bringing independence to older adults. Their respite program, CJFS Cares, provides programs such as music and pet therapy, arts and crafts, intergeneration activities, chair exercise, and service projects. It is offered Monday to Thursday from 10am to 2pm with a $40 fee. | https://cjfsbham.org/our-mission/cjfs-cares-respite-program/ (205)879-3438 3940 Montclair Road, Suite 205 Birmingham, Alabama 35213 |
| Information for Caregivers | This website provides resources on how caregivers can take care of themselves to make them more effective when taking care of their family member or individual. Topics included in this website include wellness, stress, seeking help, getting a support system among many others. This is a great website for a new caregiver to gain resources or for a long-term caregiver to know more on how to take care of themselves. | www.familydoctor.org/familydoctor/en/prevention-wellness/emotional-wellbeing/caregiving/information-for-caregivers.printerview.all.html |
| Giving Hands, Inc. | Is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that focuses on those in need with a solution to hand or limb differences. They hope to bring awareness and advocate for those who have missing limbs while providing research and understanding to the public. They also focus on raising money to conduct research to help solve the mystery of missing limbs. | http://www.givinghandsandhope.org/our-story.php |
Highlands Haven Program (Church of the Highlands) | exists to share the love of Christ by assisting individuals needing special accommodations and their families to become full participants and contributors in the body of Christ. This program exists so that individuals needing special assistance can become full contributors in the Body of Christ. With locations all throughout the state of Alabama, Highlands Haven has service programs for children, but they also have teen and adult programs at selection campuses. | |
| Montgomery Children's Specialty Center | Provides assistance in the area of children with specialized care and collaborates with the child’s family, physician, and a team of specialists that are equipped with an individualized recovery and rehabilitation plan. They also provide a caring and nurturing environment which allows each child to grow and develop into their best abilities. | https://montgomerybytutera.com/ 334-261-3445 2853 Forbes Drive Montgomery AL 36110 |
| Next Step in Care: Guide for All Caregivers | Is a website page that provides a guide to assist family caregivers in this transition and gives understanding to the difficult topics that arise when a family member faces the reality of having to take care of their family member. This resource also provides knowledge on how healthcare workers can improve their performance in the area of the nature of care that they provide. The topics for caregivers that can be found influence but are not limited to doctors’ visits, hospice care, hospital stays, rehabilitation, and many more resources. | https://www.nextstepincare.org/ |
| Special Connections | Is a ministry to people of all abilities through Briarwood Presbyterian Church. Our desire is to see society and the Body of Christ show equal concern for people with disabilities and their families as is shown for others. Therefore, our focus is ministering, in word and deed, both to and alongside people touched by disability. We seek to enable people with disabilities and their families to hear the gospel of God’s grace, fully participate in the Body of Christ, and fully contribute to their churches and communities. They have a Sunday and Wednesday reservation tab that is found on the website as well as audio recordings of the services that are provided at church. Briarwood also hosts a Special Needs Resource Fair once a year that displays over 40 local organizations that aid those with disAbilittes. | https://briarwood.org/ministries/special-connections/ 202-776-5200 2200 Briarwood Way Birmingham, AL 35243 |
| Times Out Inc. | Is a not-for-profit social service organization that provides support services for persons 15 and older who have intellectual disabilities, mental illness, or pervasive developmental disabilities. The organization will provide companion services that will enable the person to participate in social and recreational activities within their local community such as eating out, going to movies, attending and participating in sporting events, etc | (205) 243-3951 |
| UAB Civitan Programs | Offers the following programs: Day in the Life Mentoring program, Project heroes, and UAB early Head Start. These programs provide a space for families and teachers to receive social skill intervention with teens that have autism spectrum disorder. The Day in the Life Program provides experience for tour trainees to gain experience on how a family with a child of special needs functions at home and in the community. | https://www.uab.edu/civitansparks/programs-horizontal-nav-do-not-de 20th St Community Health Services Bldg, 930 20th St S, 20 Suite 101 Birmingham, AL 35205 |
Huntsville/Madison County Respite Programs
| Respite Care Program Name | Respite Care Program Mission | Respite Care Program Contact |
| Alabama Lifespan Respite Resource Network | Is a statewide program affiliated with the United Cerebral Palsy of Huntsville of Huntsville and Tennessee Valley with resources in reimbursement for respite care services as well as respite resource information and referrals for caregivers. With an abundance of resources provided, they pride themselves on increasing the ability to provide high-quality respite care in the state of Alabama. Their website also mentions information on how to find and hire respite caregivers and this link is found in this section after the Alabama respite website link. As mentioned, this resource provides respite care reimbursement, and the application can be submitted every year. This website link can be found at the end of this resource. | (256)859-8300 1856 Keats Drive, Huntsville, AL 35810 |
Asbury United Methodist Church (Madison) | The Asbury Special Needs Ministry offers a caring and supportive environment for children of all ages that have a disAbility. No matter what the disability may be, they are willing to work with each individual and family to provide the best care plan possible. They provide tailored environments with trained professionals in kids, students, and adults with special needs. Their goal is to integrate each individual back into the age group class including SonShine Friends which is the age of 3 years old until 5 years old, Asbury Students for the age group of 6th grade until 12th and Devoted to Jesus which is for adults 18 years and older. They also provide a Family Room which is equipped with a sensory wall and calming activities for the individuals that need a calming environment. Reservations must be made ahead of time which can be found on their website. | https://www.weareasbury.com/specialneeds 256-837-0365 980 Hughes Road Madison AL 35758 |
| Faith Presbyterian Church PALS Program | Partners with the PALS program which stands for Positive Adult Learning Support, and they provide specialized activities for young adults to develop in the skills of self-help, vocation, scholastic learning, physical wellness, and social support all in an environment that is centered around the love of Jesus. This program provides a Biblical-based learning approach, and they believe that every child should have the ability to know the Lord in a deeper capacity. The program meets Tuesdays through Fridays at 9:30am until 12:30pm and is in room 202 and 204. | 256-881-4811 5003 Whitesburg Drive Huntsville, AL 35802 |
