| Last updated on June 28, 2007 |
Variety - The Children's Charity provides social, therapeutic, recreational, and educational opportunities for children with disabilities.
Description:
Ever since its inception in 1935, Variety - The Children’s Charity of Greater Philadelphia (formerly Variety Club) has remained committed to providing programs and services that are best designed to address children’s physical, social, medical, educational, and recreational needs without regards to economic status, race, creed, gender, or type of disability.
Variety- The Children’s Charity provides a myriad of programs and services to children with disabilities within the Delaware Valley. We also provide funding to other organizations that support children with disabilities.
The Following is an outline of some of the programs and services we provide and the organizations we fund:
VARIETY CLUB CAMP & DEVELOPMENTAL CENTER – is a nationally acclaimed 80-acre facility located in Worcester Township in Montgomery County, PA. Since 1949 the Camp has offered both summer and winter programs, making it one of the few year round recreational facilities for children with disabilities in the Delaware Valley.
Features include the George D. Widener indoor sports pavilion, which accommodates an Olympic style swimming pool, basketball courts, a gymnasium and a weight training room. Also on the camp grounds are 22 cabins, a dining and kitchen facility, a medical office, an arts and craft center, computer and A/V labs, ball fields, an outdoor amphitheatre, a recreation hall, two outdoor pools, a playground, and soon to come – NEW! an eight hole golf course named the Vincent N. Mariniello Golf Course, which will be graciously funded by the Philadelphia Section of the PGA.
The philosophy of the Variety Camp and Developmental Center is to provide a recreational experience designed to foster greater independence and to provide an opportunity for children with special needs to participate in adaptive, age appropriate, and peer group recreational/educational programs.
Programs are designed so that all children can participate to the highest level of their abilities. They include Wheelchair Sports, Weekend Retreats, After School Program, Adapted Aquatics, Music, Dance, Challenger Baseball, Top Soccer and Horticultural/ Arts program as well as much more.
All Camp facilities are completely accessible to persons with disabilities.
DIRECT CARE FOR KIDS – is a unique program that provides medical equipment and devices directly to children and their families. In the event of an insurance company being unable to cover the request of a child with special needs, this program’s goal is to ensure that those families and children receive the equipment necessary for a better life.
Wheelchairs, braces, monitors, prosthetic devices and other additional aids for daily living are all furnished at no charge to the families.
Over the years, Direct Care has provided thousands of dollars worth of equipment to children whose families would otherwise not be able to pay for it.
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM – provide children with disabilities a place during after school hours where they can enjoy educational, recreational, therapeutic, cultural and social activities, such as: homework assistance; art; academic enrichment; community service; tutoring; leadership development; reading/literacy; job training; sports; and social skills.
Additional features include: high staff-to-student ratios, medical support, physical therapy, and dedicated handicapped-accessible transportation.
GOLF BUDDY PROGRAM – is a program established in 1993 in partnership with the Philadelphia Section of the PGA. The program takes children with disabilities and pairs them up with PGA professionals to teach them the fundamentals of golf at no cost.
The program is also very therapeutic for a child’s social development, for oftentimes the PGA professionals establish long lasting relationships with the children during the program.
NEW! Recently, the Philadelphia section of the PGA committed to building a three-hole short golf course on the grounds of the Variety Camp. The course, which will be named the Vincent N. Mariniello Golf Course, will be completely accessible to all persons with disabilities.
New! THE VARIETY FAMILY RESOURCE CENTER FOR AUTISM– is a new program that Variety-The Children's Charity, in conjunction with the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Regional Center for Autism, has started in response to the increasing frequency of Autism diagnoses. The program provides a strong support system as well as training workshops for families and care givers of children with Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Some of the support families and caregivers will find are educational materials, Variety also provides any available resources to children with Autism so that they can acquire higher quality of life opportunities.
Furthermore, The Variety Family Resource Center offers recreational opportunities to all members of the family, including community barbecues and family friendly activities, such as swimming, music, and art, all of which provides a safe, fun, and non-judgmental atmosphere. The ultimate goal of the resource center is to connect families to one another and the resources in their community.
Variety-The Children's Charity also organizes special events each year so that children with disabilities can enjoy participation at various establishments, such as amusement parks, carnivals, museums, and many other places. These events give the children an opportunity to interact with other similar peer groups as well as enjoy a break from their busy lives.
The Following are a few of the special events we host:
SESAME PLACE CHALLENGE – is an event that Sesame Place Amusement Park hosts each year. For two days, one in the spring and one in fall, Sesame Place opens up its park exclusively to Variety Families.
The first “Sesame Place Challenge” is held in the spring before the park opens its season to the public. The attractions are equipped with ramps and other special modifications to make them more accessible. These adjustments give children with disabilities, who might not be able to participate on a normal operational park day, the opportunity to “meet the challenge.”
The second day, which is held in October, has a Halloween theme and the children are invited to come to the park in costume. Here, families are invited to come to Sesame Place to enjoy hayrides, face painting, a corn maze, and a scavenger hunt with candy prizes.
On both the spring and fall day, park admission is completely free for children and their families.
ANNUAL HOLIDAY PARTY – is an event held every December for Variety children. The event takes place in a ballroom of a local hotel and each child receives a meal, a holiday gift, and a day where they can catch up with Variety Camp friends, make new friends, and enjoy the music and holiday entertainment that the Charity provides as part of this celebration.
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY CARNIVAL – is an annual event held at The Haverford School that brings together members of the Jewish community as well as the students in Young Men in Leadership Program at The Haverford School. These individuals volunteer their time and services to provide a free carnival for Variety children under the age of 18 who have developmental disabilities.
ANNIE MADDEN SUNSHINE GAMES – is an annual event held every summer at the Variety Camp and Developmental Center in Montgomery County. The event is in memory of Annie Madden, a devoted Day Camp counselor who tragically died in a car accident during the summer of 1999.
The day’s festivities include various Olympic style games for the campers, such as splash hockey and basketball, as well as a NEW! 5k walk in the morning, entitled Annie’s 5k Walk. All proceeds from the event go to the Variety Day Camp, which provides various recreational and academic programs for developmentally disabled children.
History:
On Christmas Eve, 1928 an abandoned newborn baby was found in the nursery of the Sheridan Square Theatre in Pittsburg with a note reading:
Please take care of my baby, her name is Catherine. I can no longer take care of her; I have eight others. My husband is out of work. She was born on Thanksgiving Day. I have always heard of the goodness of show business and I pray to God that you will look after her.
Eleven showmen Adopted her, Raised her, and Named her Catherine Variety Sheridan… and Variety Club (now Variety – The Children’s Charity) was born.
Currently, Variety has over 50 tents (or chapters) nationally and internationally. Their sole purpose is to help the less fortunate and to lend a hand to various civic and charitable organizations. Variety-The Children's Charity of Greater Philadelphia, which was started in 1935, explicitly takes pride in providing programs and services for children with disabilities.
Contact person: Andrew Pack, Executive Director, (phone), (email)
Office fax number: 215-735-2450
Address:
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1520 Locust St., 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102-4496
(See a map) |
Web Site: http://www.varietyphila.org
Directions:
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Take 76 to 676 to the Broad Street/15th Street Exit. Take 15th Street to Latimer Street make a right. Go up to 16th Street make a right. Go to Locust make another right. Variety Club will be on your right at 1520 Locust.
Nearest Bus Stop: 16th & Locust Street, 1/2 block minute walk
For maps or information, please see http://www.septa.com/ |
Miscellaneous Information
| Are court referrals welcomed? |
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Yes
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