I have been a volunteer with A Touch of Understanding since 2016 as a speaker and lead instructor at the activity stations. I am totally blind, have CP, and have a learning disability. It is a luxury to be able to speak to students and to hear their responses, knowing they are taking in everything that they are learning and will apply to their lives. Volunteering with ATOU has helped me to grow and has given me a passion for something that I always tried to avoid and now love to talk about and share with others. It is true magic as students get to see how someone with a disability can accomplish their goals. I can also see how this program has caused disability awareness to spread amongst our community. I look forward to seeing the continuous impact this program makes.
ATOU is an outstanding program - teaching community members and students the importance of awareness, empathy, compassion and gratitude! It is very difficult to truly understand and appreciate the experiences of others, until we experience it for ourselves. Attending an ATOU fundraiser where the guests were challenged to eat dinner while fully masked was, well, eye-opening! Until a blind volunteer took us through the process of attempting to cut meat, buttering bread, "air bites", we took those basic tasks for granted. My husband and I left with a much better understanding and appreciation for the challenges of the visually impaired. This program was/is extremely important in schools. Bullying - particularly cyber-bullying - has become almost acceptable among students because they are not fully exposed, or even present, when they target other people in this way. ATOU helps students to both sympathize and empathize with their fellow, challenged students. That empathy usually leads to kindness. And the world needs more kindness! I highly recommend this outstanding organization!
A touch of understanding is the best nonprofits I've ever seen, they give you a real sense of what the people are going through and there challenge is in life this make you want help with all your powers.
What an amazing nonprofit ATOU is! ATOU is an organization that not only benefits the participants directly but also makes our community as a whole more accepting and inclusive. Their work with both schools and local businesses give a true picture of what living with a disability looks and feels like allowing authentic empathy to form in the participants.
I have also worked alongside them as they have rolled this program out to our region and specifically to our business community. Teaching the same values of understanding and inclusivity to a different audience and allowing their impact to go even farther.
In addition to all the amazing work they do, I can't help but applaud this organization for their ability to adapt during this pandemic while ultimately never compromising on their mission to educate others to understand the challenges associated with disabilities and to accept and respect all individuals.
Kudos ATOU- you truly are an asset to our community!
mail 06/30/2022
Thanks Amy for your review and for your support over the years. You are truly an asset to ATOU!!!
Dedicated Team who cares and helps as much as they possibly can. They rarely ask; but, tend to give and share. Optimism is their moto. Positive attitude: how can we make it work?
Amazing nonprofit! Been involved with them for over 10 years. Truly an inclusive, friendly, and caring environment that teaches kids / adults what’s it’s like to have a disability! Go ATOU!
I have worked with ATOU for many years and the outreach to the community and the hard work and dedication makes them one of the non-profits I will always support. I have been to their fundraisers which offers the opportunity to not only hear about the good works they do and meet the dedicated staff and volunteers, we are also able to meet with some of the people that ATOU has helped. The fact that they go into the classrooms and help dispel the fear and confusion that some children (and adults!) have when they are confronted with children with disabilities provides the actual touch of understand that children and adults can learn by spending more time with folks with disabilities and calm their fears about interacting with them. Every year ATOU provides an opportunity to walk in the shoes of someone with vision impairments through their Evening of Insight events. It's truly eye-opening (pun intended) and for me, it really showed how blessed I am to have the gift of sight. My compassion for those with disabilities and my understanding and learning how to help has been taught to me by the wonderful wonderful people at ATOU. They provide an enormously important and effective service to our community. I'm proud to be a small part of what they do and have accomplished over the years.
mail 08/26/2021
Thanks Debra for all your support and help promoting and donating to our mission over the years. You are a fantastic Community Partner! -RPS
The staff working for Touch Of Understanding is the reason why go back to them. I appreciate how personal and caring they come off. Would highly recommend!
mail 08/17/2021
Thanks Slava for your support and review of ATOU. We are fortunate to have you as a Community Partner.
Amazing experience to participate in the ATOU program at the Roseville elementary school. The intrigue, questions and discussion from the students were great to hear on how everyone can be understanding of each other. I learned a lot from participating in the workshop and listening to the guest speakers.
Thank you for what your organization does to provide disability awareness to understand the challenges associated with disabilities and to accept and respect all individuals.
Testimony from Ali Goff:
"ATOU is a wonderful local charity that helps students with compassion and understanding of people with disabilities. They are hard-working and very prudent with their resources. They partner with other businesses and schools to bring their wonderful programs to thousands of children each year." - Ali Goff, donor
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I spent 30 years working with adults with disabilities and had recently retired when I came across A Touch of Understanding. After years of working in a couple different careers, I found myself asking…”What do I want to do now? What could I do that would provide a sense of purpose while making a difference in the lives of others?” There was still the burning desire to use my work and life experiences in a manner that would be a value add with any organization I might team up with.
Enter ATOU… As I prepared for my interview with Leslie I reviewed the ATOU website and read all the testimonies of teachers, volunteers, staff and students that had participated in one of more of the ATOU programs. Over and over you could sense the genuine passion that everyone had about A Touch of Understanding and how the program(s) had changed and/or impacted their lives. The more I read about ATOU’s mission to encourage the acceptance and respect for all individuals I knew this was an organization I could get behind and make a contribution.
Today I am so grateful to be part of this wonderful organization that makes a difference in the lives of children every day, with and without disabilities. The transformation that occurs is priceless and has the potential to be life altering. It is an honor and blessing to part of something larger than ourselves. There is no greater gift than to help others. I am proud and humbled to be a part of ATOU.
I wish I could add another star! I've supported ATOU for more than 10 years and believe very strongly in their mission. I've attended several school workshops and witnessed first-hand the transformation in the children who participate--from unawareness, intolerance, or out-right bullying of those with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities to understanding, acceptance, and support. It's truly amazing to see!
ATOU is a great organization that fosters understanding and awareness of disabilities and differences among students. To understand the disability is to understand the person. I support ATOU every way I can because I believe this is something that kids need to be aware of and make them better citizens going into adulthood.
ATOU covers an area of need that most people don't realize exists. Having some special needs children myself, I see the difference in their treatment because of the message delivered by ATOU. Instead of going straight to teasing, children have asked questions and sought to understand. My children have then had the opportunity to grow their confidence and have friends they otherwise might not have had. What a blessing to give to a child!
My first exposure to ATOU was as a donor because I love what they do. I then attended a workshop and appreciated everything they do even more. I have 2 small granddaughters that are growing up in a world where acceptance and inclusion can become the norm, not the exception. Watching the mind-shift of students during a workshop was amazing. I know they go home and share what they learned with their family members when the school day ends. As adults we oftentimes forget the learning lessons of the past and that children can remind us and teach us with the things they are learning. Opening our hearts, removing the barriers brought on by fear because we don't understand...these are all the things ATOU shares with our younger generation. May we all embrace the things ATOU shares to make our world a better, more loving place for us all to thrive in. If you have the opportunity to attend one of their workshops...do it...it will be a life altering experience for you.
This organization puts on an incredible educational hands-on program in schools. It teaches children compassion and empathy and also allows them to ask questions. I believe this encourages children to be more understanding and inclusive to others that they might not have understood without this program. This program is the epitome of what it is to walk in someone else's shoes. I only wish they had this program when I attended school.
A Touch Of Understanding is an incredibly empowering organization! Attending an ATOU workshop was an invaluable educational experience for me personally, and I hope as many people as possible have an opportunity to attend an ATOU workshop at somepoint in their life.
I'm so thankful for the dedicated community of staff and inspiring volunteers who all help make A Touch Of Understanding the impactful organization that it is today.
I had the privilege to attend an ATOU event at the Excelsior Elementary School in Roseville and I found it to be an amazing experience. ATOU exposes these children to the challenges of being disabled and thereby encourages compassion and understanding. I believe this to be of integral importance to our society to help bridge the gap between those with and those without disabilities. Wonderful program!
ATOU has such a great impact in the community. Their staff and volunteers are committed to their mission and truly make a big difference to the students, teachers, and future leaders of this area. I am happy to have supported ATOU with financial support so that they can continue their mission.
In the last 2 and a half years that I have been involved with A Touch of Understanding, I have had the pleasure of attending in-school workshops, and watching lives change before my very eyes. While at workshops, I have heard students say things such as "this is the best day of the whole year", "I love learning about all of these tools the people use", and some students often feel comfortable enough to share something they may struggle with. That sense of de-isolation that allows them to share, knowing they aren't alone in their challenge, is one of the greatest gifts the workshop provides. At one workshop one little girl shared something she has been struggling with, and after hearing peers say that they have a similar struggle, her shoulders relaxed, and she said "finally, I'm not alone." What a powerful realization for a young child to have. I have loved watching students learn empowerment, and empathy, kindness and compassion, regardless of the things that make us seem different for any reason. I will continue being a donor to ATOU for that very reason.
A Touch of Understanding has changed my life. This program cannot be described in a small area such as this. To see the way children respond to the volunteers and really understand why they should be including children of all abilities in their lives is truly amazing. But the school programs are just the beginning. The ATOU Youth F.O.R.C.E. (Friends Offering Respect ~ Creating Empowerment) has grown into an unbelievable program for young people... and young at heart. They work together to bring "fun" to everyone that attends their events! The other program ATOU provides to the community is the AccessToCare Fair. This is a free community event where they provide an opportunity to see the services and products that are available to people with disabilities.. that includes senior citizens, Veterans, just about anything you can imagine. A Touch of Understanding can change your life too... just come to a program and witness the experience. I challenge you to come back without having a completely different attitude about children and people in general... and if you really want to make a difference in the world, write them a check or how about spending a little time volunteering?