Brighter Journeys received a $15,000 First Federal Charitable Foundation grant in memory of its co-founder, Lisa Urbanski, that it plans to use to support the special needs community.
The funding will support the organization's grant program, which it uses to award items that insurance doesn't cover to individuals and families in the special needs community. The items have included numerous things that can be necessary to daily life, help lessen the burden of daily tasks, or brighten their day, including fences for families where a child can pose elopement concerns, adaptive tricycles, adaptive wheelchairs, stair lifts, ramps, wagons, adaptive strollers, and Chill-out-Chairs.
Brighter Journeys also plans to use some of the funding toward its annual Special Needs Egg Hunt, which is held at Mohegan Pennsylvania. The organization was founded because Urbanski and Bernice Sando, two mothers of children with special needs, were looking for an Egg Hunt that their children could enjoy at their own pace and in a friendly environment.
The mission of Brighter Journeys is to brighten the journey of individuals with special needs and their families – no matter the disability or diagnosis. Through their personal experiences, the founders identified the needs of families of individuals with complex medical or behavioral conditions and formed the organization to offer words of comfort, assist in directing them to resources, provide tangible support to the families who find difficulty navigating everyday life, and, when possible, address requests for items that are not covered by medical insurance or are out of financial reach for these families.
Brighter Journeys Project Coordinator Kathy Bufalino said the organization is grateful to work with the First Federal Charitable Foundation because of how its goals align with those of nonprofit organizations throughout the community.
“Working with First Federal Charitable Foundation has allowed us to expand the number of people we have been able to help in the special needs community. The ease of navigating the grant application, along with the communication with First Federal, has made the process seamless and allows us to concentrate on our mission and hosting our Egg Hunt,” she said. “The work of First Federal Charitable Foundation allows so many organizations to focus on their main goals while continuing to strengthen and support the communities they serve. Their continued work enables nonprofit organizations like Brighter Journeys to remain focused on what matters most, which is making a meaningful difference in the lives of those we serve.”
First Federal Charitable Foundation Executive Director Megan Kennedy said, “We are proud to support Brighter Journeys because they provide such meaningful work to individuals and families in our community. They not only provide items and services to individuals with special needs and their families, but they offer first-hand experience that makes navigating life for these families so much easier.”
The First Federal Charitable Foundation was established to support worthwhile community causes. It strives to nurture nonprofit institutions and programs that will effectively serve those in need from the community, empower nonprofit institutions and programs that will expand their presence in and services to the area, and promote opportunities for new nonprofit institutions and programs that will serve the unserved.
Nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) IRS designation located in Luzerne, Schuylkill, Carbon and Columbia counties are eligible to apply. Any organization whose headquarters is in another county but services either Luzerne, Schuylkill, Carbon or Columbia counties may apply for a grant to be used in one of those counties.
For more information on the foundation or to obtain a grant application, visit www.1stfederalcharitable.org or email
CAPTION: Nevada Stevens sits on a bicycle she received from Brighter Journeys in 2018 through a grant. Pictured with Nevada is the late Lisa Urbanski, co-founder of Brighter Journeys.