Celebrating Two Years of Care and Community!

Dear Friends,

All of us at Neurotherapeutic Pediatric Therapies, Medford Children’s Therapy, and Grow with Nature hope you’re enjoying the onset of Autumn and Oregon’s beautiful forests, gardens, and waterways!

Did you know that Neuro has been working for families in Oregon since 1985? Next year, we’ll celebrate 40 years! Of course, quite a lot has happened over the decades, but the last two years in our history have been pretty remarkable.

At the beginning of 2022, Neuro—like most healthcare organizations around the world—was still reeling from the impacts of COVID. TODAY, our clients are once more swinging through our gyms and practicing wellness in our treatment rooms; we’re out in the community—collaborating and partnering; and our incredible donors have played a more critical role than ever before. We’re back doing the work we love, alongside the families and communities we cherish.

Read all about it…

We articulated a new mission to better reflect where Neuro is today.

“We work to positively impact kids, families, and our community by providing comprehensive therapy services in an innovative and collaborative environment, with an unwavering commitment to the removal of financial barriers for all.”

Karina Ramirez, our Occupational Therapist (OT) with a specialty in feeding therapy.

Our Medford therapists and clients during Aquatic Therapy at MCT!

A new Aquatic Therapy program was piloted at our Medford Children’s Therapy location. After some remarkable testimonies, we secured funding from Lithia4Kids and the Anna May Family Foundation to support this effort into 2025.

To date, 20 Medford clients have experienced the healing power of our 6-week Aquatic Therapy program. With very special thanks to funders from:

Neuro’s Family Navigator Program was started – including the opportunity to get families enrolled in Medicaid or connected to other vital services.

The Family Navigator helps families find providers, access affordable housing, and identify local resources and financial assistance opportunities. With a Masters of Social Work and certification as an OHP Assister, Melissa is trained to support children and families with special healthcare needs and disabilities.

Melissa Ulrich, our Family Navigator and Clinical Social Worker Associate.

We welcomed new and supportive collaborations with an array of organizations, including:

Our second oldest clinic—NE Portland—is revitalizing its yard, with help from the East Multnomah Soil and Water Conservation District and the folks at Backyard Habitat and Portland Nursery.

2023’s end-of-year Give4Kids Campaign was our most successful ever, bringing in more than $29,000.

Thanks to the matching funds provided by McCall Enterprises, Sandy Saul, and Melissa and Brian Youd – all of which were fully matched with gifts from all of you!

Major gifts from MJ Murdock Charitable Trust – $100,000 over 3 years, Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation – $60,000 over 2 years, CareOregon – $34,000, and The Collins Foundation – $24,000 are all helping retain and support Neuro’s exceptional workforce, expand our community outreach, and deliver critical therapies.

The Spirit Mountain Community Fund honored Neuro with $50,000 in support of expanding Nature-Based therapy – a rapidly-growing modality that is loved by clients and therapists, alike.

Photos of what Nature Based Therapy can look like. Here’s how we’re collaborating with Nature!

Pictured are Neuro’s Executive Director, Dr. Amanda Watters (left) and Canby Knights of Columbus’ Mike Schmader (right).

The Canby community came together in a big way for a Major Gift of more than $25,000 to our clinic thanks to the Knights of Columbus, Canby, Annual Auction.

Contributors across our beautiful state showed up big time in the Oregonian’s 2023 Season of Sharing campaign, raising more than $11,000 for Neuro!

Thanks to the generosity of our corporate event sponsor, Umpqua Bank, we were able to connect with literally thousands (!) of community members at events in Canby, Oregon City and Parkrose.

For the 2nd year in a row, our Medford clinic was voted by community members to be a Silver Winner in 2024’s Best of Southern Oregon Magazine. Congratulations, MCT, for providing your award-winning Physical & Occupational services to more than 242 active client families in Medford!

The deeply impactful Parent Child Interaction Therapy program was renewed for another 18 months, thanks to the visionary support of the Oregon Health Authority and the State of Oregon.

We’re excited to share that Medford Children’s Therapy clinic underwent a remodel in July, which was completed in August! With this renovation, we’ve added approximately 243 square feet of therapeutic space, enhancing our ability to serve more clients. Take a look at the before-and-after photos below. This transformation has been an incredible improvement, and we couldn’t be happier for our Medford team and the community!

*Contributors listed provided support from 8/1/2022 – 8/1/2024*

Along with all these successes, the need for Neuro programs has grown steadily. More than 60% of clients face financial hardship and face lengthening wait-lists for all our therapies. Here’s where we’re focusing our efforts:

• Hiring more staff and providers as well as offering more internships and fellowships.
• Streamlining our medical records system and user portal for better communication and collaboration between providers AND with our client families.
• Increasing fundraising efforts to keep us mission-driven and ready to provide financial assistance to all who need it.

Are there challenges to our plans? Sure. The job market for talented providers is tough and costs of potential clinic expansions are high. But, Neuro has a decades-long history of leaning into challenges because we know it will help our families and communities.

That’s why we’re here!

Thank YOU for being here with us. With your vital support, every day at Neuro is a day of healing and growth.

With Gratitude,

Amanda Watters, ND
Executive Director
Neurotherapeutic Pediatric Therapies & Medford Children’s Therapy