Cameron Doolittle

President of Jill's House

An Investment in Respite Care Saves Families

Nationally,there are some 16.8 million families caring for a child under the age of 18 who has special needs (Caregiving in the United States; National Alliance for Caregiving in collaboration with AARP, November, 2009). These families are far more likely to experience divorce and are more likely to struggle financially (Council for Disabled Children, July 2006). The stress these families live with is never ending, with many parents spending more than 11 hours each week just coordinating care (U

Jill's House CEO on How to Guard Against Sexual Predators

Jill’s House, which I have the privilege of leading, is an overnight center for children, ages 6 to 17, with intellectual disabilities in the Washington, DC, area. We work with the group most likely to be sexually abused – children with intellectual disabilities – and we keep them for long periods of time, usually 24 to 48 hours to give weary families a break from the rigors of caregiving. In light of the extreme vulnerability of thechildren we serve, installing safeguards to protect our childre