Respite Family Services

About Respite Family Services

Little Friends Respite Family Services offers caregivers time for rest and relief from challenges associated with raising a child with special needs. Our program offers multi-week sessions for children with special needs and their siblings featuring indoor and outdoor activities and socialization opportunities. Currently, there is no fee for this program serving children 3-17 and siblings.

Each session is hosted by a lead instructor, paid staff members, and community volunteers. All participants are guided to engage in structured activities, art projects, gross and fine motor play while encouraged to socialize. One to one aides are available as needed. Sessions are ongoing throughout the year.

Weekly Sessions – Thursday Evenings
5:30-7:30 pm at Little Friends Warrenville campus

2023 Schedule:

Winter Session – January 19, 2023 – March 23, 2023
Spring Session – April 6, 2023 – May 25, 2023
Summer Session – June 1, 2023 – July 13, 2023
Fall Session – August 17, 2023 – October 26, 2023
Holiday Session – November 2, 2023 – December 14, 2023

Contact Information

Contact Becky Pundy at 630-204-0224 or bpundy@lilfriends.com for specific session information and new participant registration.

1. All children are encouraged to wear a mask but not required.

2. Please bring snack/water bottle (drink) to every session as this is a scheduled activity.

3. If a participant, shows indication of illness, sore throat, cough, RSV/coronavirus symptoms, caregivers will be notified and to pick up immediately.

4. Children required to engage (at least) 50% in group activities to align with group dynamic. If a child does not participate in group activities, it is considered individual care.

5. Any participant displaying dangerous behaviors (spitting, hitting, kicking, scratching) towards staff/volunteers or peers, will be unable to stay due to safety and disruption to group dynamic. If such circumstance occur, caregivers will be notified to pick up participant immediately.

6. We cannot guarantee 1:1 support. We do our best to accommodate the needs of the individuals who need this type of support; however, we are at the mercy of volunteer attendance. We will always have a certain number of paid staff, but volunteer numbers vary weekly.

7. There are NO fees associated with the program at this time, we only request regular weekly participation so we can plan for staffing and volunteer needs. We understand emergencies/sickness happen; however, volunteers make our program a priority and we request you do too

Big hearts needed to engage little minds and hold hands of special needs children and siblings aged 3-17. Little Friends Family Respite Services program offers multi-week sessions for children with special needs and their siblings, featuring indoor and outdoor activities and socialization opportunities.

Volunteers are needed to help supervise these planned activities. You will gain experiential learning for your future career in education, nursing, physical therapy and beyond. You can earn service hours or build your college and career resume. Choose one or multiple shifts. We are seeking high school and college students as well as adult volunteers on an ongoing basis.

Be a Respite Volunteer!
Experiential Learning
Honor Society Hours
College & Career Resume Builder
Mature Teens 14+
Training Provided
Weekly or Monthly
Make New Friends & Develop New Skills

Respite Volunteer Application Form

If you are interested in volunteering with Little Friends Family Respite Services, please complete the form below. Be sure to upload a completed Volunteer Liability and Photo Permissions Waiver (pdf can be found using the button below the application).

Name(Required)

First Last

Date of Birth(Required)

Preferred Pronoun

Address(Required)

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Phone(Required)

Email(Required)

Company / School (if school, please note year)(Required)

Emergency Contact Name(Required)

Emergency Contact Phone(Required)

Available Days(Required)

Available Time(Required)

Are you age 14 or older(Required)

yes

Parent / Guardian name if volunteer is under 18

First Last

Parent / Guardian signature if volunteer is under 18

Any special skills? (CPR, etc.)

Upload completed Volunter Liability Waiver and Photo Permisson Waiver(Required)

Drop files here or

Max. file size: 50 MB, Max. files: 2.

Contact our Respite program director, Becky Pundy, at 630-204-0224 or bpundy@lilfriends.com to learn more!

Volunteer Waivers

Volunteer Handbook

Meet The Staff

Becky Pundy

Director
Respite Services

Becky has been working as a parent and family support advocate for 10 years. Becky is former Founder and Executive Director of Respite Endowment Organization, a private 501c3, which provided respite services and support to families in Naperville and surrounding areas. Respite Endowment Organization merged with Little Friends and became the 5^th program of service to the agency. Becky also worked as a Parent Mentor in District 203, is certified by ISBE as a Parent Education Partner and worked for Illinois state agency PACT Inc., as a Parent Liaison. Becky has a BA in Communications from Rider University.