From Director Tiffany Tobkin

I recently heard at a conference that humans often overestimate what they can accomplish in one year and underestimate what they can accomplish in ten. After looking back on the last year, I noticed that Empowering Kids is an exception.

In one year we have gone from providing services to 12 individuals to currently providing services for 34 individuals (which grew to 42 individuals this past summer), provided services to individuals from 15 different communities, provided an after-school program, hosted a summer program with weekly outings, and spoke at 9 different community presentations.

All of these accomplishments were more than I thought we would accomplish in a year and I began to wonder why Empowering Kids was the exception. I realized we made this progress because Empowering Kids doesn’t just include the staff and support inside our walls. We are a collaboration of the Boys and Girls Club, K-12 school staff, social workers, medical professionals, dedicated and supportive parents, passionate board members, an inviting and supportive community, and our generous donors.

We are growing because this vast range of support comes together to provide outstanding services to our families. The services Empowering Kids provides has a profound impact on individuals and their families.

We had one family so dedicated to supporting their child’s growth through our services (and happy with the offerings in our community) that the family actually relocated to Perham and the parents obtained employment here. They sought out and aligned additional services for their child and now the child is thriving on many levels (language, understanding and following a visual schedule, engaging with peers, and positively connecting with family members at home).

If our progress in year one reflects what we can accomplish in ten years, Empowering Kids has a bright future. We have already surpassed my year-long expectations, and we are just beginning our mission of empowering children, families, and the community by providing support and resources to those with autism or social challenges. I am motivated daily to continue to surpass our expectations on this journey with the rest of the team here at Empowering Kids, our families, partnering organizations, professionals in the area, and our wonderfully impactful and irreplaceable community members and donors.