Beau's Beautiful Blessings

04/05/2025

“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping”. -Fred Rogers.

Friends this is Ledger from Dunkerton, Iowa. He has acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Ledger is looking for a helper.

His sister is an acquaintance of mine and their family is desperate for help. You see Ledger needs a life saving blood stem cell donation. He’s in dire need.

Here’s the kicker. There have been 2 matches. That’s great news, right?!?! Wrong.

Unfortunately Match #1 said they had to decline for health reasons.

Match #2, a 35 year old male, said he didn’t have time right now, but maybe in July.

He doesn’t have the time.

You know who doesn’t have time? Sixteen year old Ledger.

Imagine what an honor it would be to be a living donor for someone like Ledger. Many many years ago I got screened and am in the registry. When you’ve spent enough time at the children’s hospital, you meet kids that inspire you to do something so simple. Most people don’t know just how simple this is. And how it could save someone like Ledger.

Imagine Ledger is your brother, your nephew, your son, your cousin. Think about what he is going through emotionally after finding two matches only to be told NO. What a roller coaster on top of the battle he is already fighting.

This Sunday, at 1 PM at Urban Pie in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the family is hosting a recruitment event to get registered to be a donor. You must be between the ages of 18-40. You may not be a match for Ledger but for someone else you could be. Imagine being able to save a life ❤️

This only takes moments of your time. I did ask if NMDP and Be the Match share a database and they DO, so if you are registered with one or the other already, you’re set.

Maybe we can share this and it will reach the 35 year old man that doesn’t have time right now and he will change his mind. But if not, please register to be a living donor. You can do this at the event on Sunday or go to the NMDP website, or Be the Match, and sign up and they will mail you a kit.

I’m here begging for the family, looking for that last hope, please 🙏🏻 If you have any questions please feel free to message or comment below and I can direct them to the family.

01/27/2025

Thank you ALL for sharing our post earlier today. This sweet young man is the recipient of the Medline Kidz Wheelchair that my husband and I donated from our DaaBIN STORE Cedar Falls inventory. We are so pleased that it has found a home ❤️

Please note that the post showed me that there are so many kids in need of wheelchairs. We don’t typically pay for wheelchairs because that is something insurance companies pay for. We assist with other types of medical equipment that insurance companies may deem “unnecessary”. If you know of organizations that provide used or new wheelchairs for free, or the ability to utilize one for a period of time, etc. please tag them below.

01/26/2025

This brand new Medline Kidz Wheechair came on one of our trucks of inventory for DaaBIN Store. Rather than sell it in our store, we would like to donate it to a family or local organization that could use it. It does NOT have the detachable elevated legs rests, but it appears these parts can be ordered online. This chair is free for someone in need.

06/13/2023

Last month our organization was able to fulfill a request for an applicant. We received an application for funding for a Vitamix Propel 750 Blender with some extra accessories. As you can imagine, insurance companies tend to say "no" to things that we all consider necessary for our child to live the most normal life. Nothing upsets me more than the term "not medically necessary".

Oliver, the youngest of 6, was born prematurely with a myriad of medical abnormalities - many consistent with his diagnosis of Koolen-de Vries Syndrome. He's also been diagnosed with epilepsy. In addition to his long list of diagnoses, he also has dysphagia and aspiration - hence the need for a quality blender to blend his food so he can eat meals with his family. Your typical standard store models of blenders won't get the food to the consistency that it needs to be at to prevent Oliver from aspirating.

"My husband and I strive to provide Oliver a life without barriers so he may reach his fullest potential. The item for which we are requesting funding may sound simple, but it will be an essential tool for us to continue to help him break down barriers to growth, development, and success in his life."

Ask me why I do this and I'd direct you to the photos of those we have helped. I ask you to look at the photo below and you'll understand why.

We are their voice.

We're here to help.

Beau continues to bless lives every single day. Because of him, we are here. And because of YOU and your donations, we can continue our work.

05/30/2023

Congratulations to the Beau’s Beautiful Blessings 2023 Para of the Year:

Sondra Petersen 💜

Sondra is retiring this year after 24 years with the CFSD. She is currently at Southdale Elementary in Cedar Falls. Here are some excerpts from her nomination.

“First, her love for students shows in everything she does. Her kindness balanced with her tenacity and consistent expectations create a positive climate for student learning.”

“Sondra collaborates easily with other colleagues. Sondra and I have worked as a team in so many ways to create a community of learners.”

“Even though she has only been with our daughter, Paitynn, for only 2 years, she has made a difference in Paitynn’s ability to function as normal as possible in the classroom.”

Today Sondra received a plaque and a check for $500. Paraeducators are an integral part of the classroom and deserve this recognition.

Please join us in congratulating Sondra and wishing her well on her retirement!

04/25/2023

PLEASE SHARE AND NOMINATE A DESERVING PARAEDUCATOR!!

Beau’s Beautiful Blessings is seeking nominations for 2023 Paraeducator of the Year. The recipient will receive a $500 cash award and a plaque. Beau’s Beautiful Blessings is a non-profit organization and is the fiscal agent of Place to Play Playground in Cedar Falls.

This is the fifth year for the award intending to acknowledge a deserving paraeducator in the Cedar Valley. To qualify, they must be a paraeducator working in a Cedar Valley school (Waterloo, Cedar Falls and surrounding communities) and work with a child who has a history of epilepsy, brain abnormalities and/or intellectual disabilities.

Nominations are due or postmarked by May 15, 2023. Nominations are available on www.BeausBeautifulBlessings.com or by mailing it to Beau’s Beautiful Blessings at 4426 Butterfield Road, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. The winner will be announced in May.

Required information includes how the paraeducator has shown a passion for education, commitment to inclusion, and dedication to innovation. Paraeducators can self-nominate.

Paraeducators work under the supervision of teachers or other licensed personnel who have the ultimate responsibility for the design and implementation of education and related service programs. They provide assistance to a variety of students including those with and without disabilities, with health needs, with limited English, and others. The service of paraeducators contributes significantly to the success of individual children and youth, schools, and educational programs.

For more information, contact Sarah Corkery at corkerysarah@gmail.com or Amanda Weichers at amanda@weicksco.com.

Beau's Beautiful Blessings advocates for those who can't advocate for themselves. We believe that . Always.

04/11/2023

Beau’s Beautiful Blessings is seeking nominations for 2023 Paraeducator of the Year. The recipient will receive a $500 cash award and a plaque. Beau’s Beautiful Blessings is a non-profit organization and is the fiscal agent of Place to Play Playground in Cedar Falls.

This is the fifth year for the award intending to acknowledge a deserving paraeducator in the Cedar Valley. To qualify, they must be a paraeducator working in a Cedar Valley school (Waterloo, Cedar Falls and surrounding communities) and work with a child who has a history of epilepsy, brain abnormalities and/or intellectual disabilities.

Nominations are due or postmarked by May 15, 2023. Nominations are available on www.BeausBeautifulBlessings.com or by mailing it to Beau’s Beautiful Blessings at 4426 Butterfield Road, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. The winner will be announced in May.

Required information includes how the paraeducator has shown a passion for education, commitment to inclusion and dedication to innovation. Paraeducators can self-nominate.

Paraeducators work under the supervision of teachers or other licensed personnel who have the ultimate responsibility for the design and implementation of education and related service programs. They provide assistance to a variety students including those with and without disabilities, with health needs, with limited English and others. The service of paraeducators contributes significantly to the success of individual children and youth, schools, and educational programs.

For more information, contact Sarah Corkery at corkerysarah@gmail.com or Amanda Weichers at amanda@weicksco.com.

Beau's Beautiful Blessings advocates for those who can't advocate for themselves. We believe that . Always.

04/11/2023

We are a village.

I’ve known this family for many years. Garrett was a Beau’s Beautiful Blessings recipient of an iPad with communication software when he was just a little guy.

I don’t have the words for this shocking news.

What I do know is that Breezy’s village needs her now more than ever. If you can help this sweet family in any way - a prayer, a monetary donation, a meal - please do so.

For those of us that knew Mike Decker, the events of this pa… Jesup Community Betterment needs your support for Family of Mike Decker: Breezy, Garrett and Mikey

11/18/2022

Today we received a donation from Scheels. They have a program for their full time employees (that have worked for them at least one year) where they are given $500 to donate to their favorite charity. These three awesome employees chose the Place to Play Park. Join us in thanking the Cedar Falls Scheels for their $1,500 donation!

07/08/2022

A special thank you to TJ's Christian Bookstore and their donation to our non-profit. Last month customers could round up while paying for their purchase through their Blessed to be a Blessing program. Lots of blessings in this combination 😄 Thank you so much for thinking of our tiny non-profit where every dollar matters!!

TJ's Christian Bookstore, in Cedar Falls, IA, is the leading Christian bookstore serving Black Hawk, Bremer, Grundy, Butler, Tama and Buchanan counties and surrounding areas. We offer greeting cards, tote bags, journals, wedding and baptism gifts, bibles and bible covers, home decor, Christian books...

05/31/2022

Beau's Beautiful Blessings is pleased to announce the 2022 Paraeducator of the Year winner: Jon Bachman. We received several excellent nominations this year. Our committee had a lot to review and score and the unanimous winner was Jon. Jon is a paraeducator at Cedar Falls High School. Today we presented him with a $500 check and a plaque. Let us share the full nomination letter for Jon - it was just too good not to share the entire letter.

"Jon's passion for supporting those with special needs began during his junior and senior years at Cedar Fall High School while he was a helper in a special education classroom. This experience led him to being hired as a paraeducator upon his high school graduation 18 years ago."

"For the past 5 years, Jon has worked with our daughter Kendall, who has epilepsy. Every day that he has been with Kendall he has gone above and beyond any expectations of a typical paraeducator.

Jon has gone above and beyond to actually lead the class when the Special Education teacher, Tammy Frahm has an excused absence. This not only requires a deep trust with Tammy but the ability to understand the diverse needs of the children in the class.

Jon has gone above and beyond to allow our daughter to ride a bus to school. As parents of a child with epilepsy, we were always wary of allowing Kendall to ride a school bus. But in order for her to have a typical experience and enjoy some independence, Jon rode the bus with her, even though this meant starting his day much earlier than usual and getting on the bus well before Kendall's 7 AM pick-up time.

Jon has gone above and beyond to provide typical social experiences for special needs students. Jon has chaperoned Kendall to school dances from a safety perspective. Increased heart rate is a seizure trigger and since Kendall loves to dance, we needed someone we could depend on to monitor her. Besides providing a safe environment for Kendall at school dances, Jon went even further to help provide an incredible prom experience for the class. As you may surmise, children with special needs are often excluded from many prom experiences. They don't have the friends to go to prom with and there typically isn't any type of pre-dance activities. For the past several years he also assisted with creating a pre-prom dinner experience at the school for the special education students. Because of his creativity and willingness to sacrifice his time on a Saturday night, the kids are able to have their own "fancy" dinner that also included a photo booth.

Jon has gone above and beyond to support developing Kendall's post-education plans. The transition from school to the working world is the next great unknown for our family. Jon has gone to a multitude of different work experiences to determine the potential best long-term work experience for Kendall. His ability to truly understand Kendall's skills and interests has been vital in selecting her post-high school work experience program.

Jon has even gone above and beyond outside the confines of the school environment. Over the years he has lived with and provided support to, two special education students when they graduate from high school. Currently, he still cares for one of these students in his home from Monday through Friday of every week. The student attends NorthStar and Jon's efforts provide respite for the family as well as additional independence for this young man.

While we are amazed at Jon's ability to go above and beyond it doesn't seem to be a sacrifice for him. Helping those with special needs is the essence of who he is as a person.

Our wish is for all special needs students to have a Jon Bachman in their lives."

Ours too.

Thank you Ed, Fadua, and Kendall Maslak for nominating and introducing us all to Jon Bachman. It was a true pleasure and honor to meet him today.

We love our paraeducators and THIS right here is a prime example of why it is so important that they are recognized.

Congratulations Jon - well deserved.

*Pictured with Jon is Kendall Maslak

04/11/2022

Beau’s Beautiful Blessings is seeking nominations for 2022 Paraeducator of the Year. The recipient will receive a $500 cash award and a plaque. Beau’s Beautiful Blessings is a non-profit organization and is the fiscal agent of Place to Play Playground in Cedar Falls.

This is the fourth year for the award intending to acknowledge a deserving paraeducator in the Cedar Valley. To qualify, they must be a paraeducator working in a Cedar Valley school (Waterloo, Cedar Falls and surrounding communities) and work with a child who has a history of epilepsy, brain abnormalities and/or intellectual disabilities.

Nominations are due or postmarked by May 16, 2022. Nominations are available on www.BeausBeautifulBlessings.com or by mailing it to Beau’s Beautiful Blessings at 4426 Butterfield Road, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613. The winner will be announced in May.

Required information includes how the paraeducator has shown a passion for education, commitment to inclusion and dedication to innovation. Paraeducators can self-nominate.

Paraeducators work under the supervision of teachers or other licensed personnel who have the ultimate responsibility for the design and implementation of education and related service programs. They provide assistance to a variety students including those with and without disabilities, with health needs, with limited English and others. The service of paraeducators contributes significantly to the success of individual children and youth, schools, and educational programs.

For more information, contact Sarah Corkery at corkerysarah@gmail.com or Amanda Weichers at amanda@campfirestoriestv.com.

Beau's Beautiful Blessings advocates for those who can't advocate for themselves. We believe that . Always.