Why CHASA

You'll notice that every stroke related post during the streak links to the Children's Hemiplegia and Stroke Association (CHASA) at some point.  Of course this is partially because the Streak for Stroke is a fundraiser for the association.  Beyond that, however, I think it is one of my goals to raise awareness not just that kids have strokes, but also that there is information, help, and support for families of kids who have hemiplegia and strokes.
I encountered CHASA because I googled "two handed toys" and found this 2011 Streaking for Stroke blog post that alerted me to the existence of such an organization.  Through this blogging streak, I am hoping to raise awareness among my "readers" (a.k.a. a small and wonderful set of my family and friends), but I am also hoping to be a conduit as Nancy Clark was (unknowingly, I'm sure) for me.  If you arrived here randomly with a child who may have had a stroke or with a frightening cerebral palsy diagnosis, by all means, poke around my posts (the label of "Rutherford Robinia" will lead you to my pregnancy, "Aster" to posts about my son with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, "Streak for Stroke 2014 to the whole streak and "sfs about stroke" just to those that may be relevant), but then get yourself over to the CHASA webpage where you can find good information, a shoe exchange, possible research studies, paperwork and terminology help, and links to the social network of supportive parents in the same boat.

If you would like to support this small but amazing non-profit, you can donate time or money directly on the website and you can set your amazon smile to give money to CHASA every time you make an Amazon purchase.