Night Lights: Focus Supports Local Non-Profit

As a female small-business owner and mother of two, Niki was especially touched by the story of Kristen Steadman and how her non-profit, Night Lights, came to be. Kristen and her husband thought that they were just struggling with the normal ups and downs of parenting two small children, but by the time their youngest was only six months old, they realized that he had some special needs that were going to require extra care and attention.

When Kristen looked around for support in the Littleton area, she found a ton of resources to help kids with special needs, but she didn’t find anything that addressed the unique needs of the parents and siblings of these children. As Kristen says, “It seemed to be a big oversight to me because as the caregivers of a child with disabilities, my husband and I were stretched very thin.  Out of this, the idea for Night Lights was born, and I have been fortunate enough to see it take shape and begin to help other families.”

Night Lights, now with locations in Littleton and Castle Rock, provides a parents-night-out program for families with children with disabilities and their siblings, ages 1 month to 12 years. Each child is paired one-on-one with a trained, background-checked volunteer. At all Night Lights events, there is an on-site nurse who can tend to the children with medical needs. Each evening, the children enjoy a variety of activities such as sensory and gross motor play, arts and crafts, pet therapy, and movies. And the parents get a few precious hours to have a night out or just stay home by themselves.

Niki is honored that Focus is now doing the marketing and PR for Night Lights.  We look forward to sharing more about this great organization in the future.  And we think Kristen’s efforts are a great reminder that there is always room for people who see a need and can think of a way to address it.  Way to go, Kristen!