Gabriel Forrest was born with a rare genetic disorder that affects 1 in 20,000 babies. He has albinism. For Gabriel that means a lack of pigment in his skin and hair. It also affects his vision. Once the shock wore off, the family found help through agencies supported by the WHAS Crusade for Children, like Visually Impaired Preschool Services (VIPS).
At VIPS, Gabriel gets special attention to properly prepare him for kindergarten with basic concepts of numbers, shapes and social interaction.
Since 1985, VIPS has received more than $2 million in Crusade funding. Those grants continue to guarantee that children like Gabriel have the resources they need to be successful.
Sometimes a child facing a diagnosis like cancer just needs a break from the fear and treatment. No one knows that better than 13-year-old Lana Dobson. Thanks to the WHAS Crusade for Children and the Kids Cancer Alliance, Lana and her friends are getting that break the Indian Summer Camp.
Lana says she will keep coming to Indian Summer Camp until she ages out at 18, and then she’ll come back as a counselor. This year the camp will host 200 children from Kentucky and southern Indiana. Since 2010 the Crusade has granted $120,000 to Indian Summer Camp. That funding has given hundreds of children like Lana the opportunity to be a kid and not a patient.
The WHAS Crusade for Children has inspired 4 generations of people across Kentuckiana to give children with special needs in Kentucky and southern Indiana every opportunity to fulfill their potential. In the case of one young man from the Natya Kendra Dance Academy, it inspired him to bring Bollywood to the Boogie Down Crew at Down Syndrome of Louisville.
Romith Paily and the Boogie Down Crew got together for a rehearsal.
A series of unexpected diagnoses left the Newby family wondering where they could find help for their son, Branson, after it was determined that he has autism and epilepsy. They were persistent, and thanks to a team that includes therapists, Bardstown Elementary School and the WHAS Crusade for Children, Branson is getting the support he needs.
Since 1969, Bardstown Independent Schools have received almost a million dollars in Crusade funding. Those grants continue to guarantee that children like Branson get the help they need to fulfill their potential.
Gabriel Forrest was born with a rare genetic disorder that affects 1 in 20,000 babies. He has albinism. For Gabriel that means a lack of pigment in his skin and hair. It also affects his vision. Once the shock wore off, the family found help through agencies supported by the WHAS Crusade for Children, like Visually Impaired Preschool Services (VIPS).
At VIPS, Gabriel gets special attention to properly prepare him for kindergarten with basic concepts of numbers, shapes and social interaction.
Since 1985, VIPS has received more than $2 million in Crusade funding. Those grants continue to guarantee that children like Gabriel have the resources they need to be successful.
It’s the biggest day of local giving! Give for Good Louisville is SEPTEMBER 12.
One donation to the WHAS Crusade for Children can impact more than 200 agencies, schools & hospitals that receive grants from the Crusade. Thank you for helping us make life better for thousands of children in Kentucky and Indiana. 100% for the kids!
Crusade license plate now available
Show your support 365 days a year by sporting a WHAS Crusade for Children Kentucky License plate on your car!
Every Crusade for Children license plate registration donates $10 to help children with special needs.
Here’s what you do:
1. Take your registration, renewal card and proof of insurance to the County Clerk’s office.
2. Ask for the WHAS Crusade for Children license plate when you renew.
It’s just that easy!
Learn more online now: CLICK HERE.
SAVE THE DATE for the biggest day of local giving! Give for Good Louisville is SEPTEMBER 12.
One donation to the WHAS Crusade for Children can impact more than 200 agencies, schools & hospitals that receive grants from the Crusade. Thank you for helping us make life better for thousands of children in Kentucky and Indiana. 100% for the kids!
The WHAS Crusade for Children announces its grants for 2019 – 2020. 218 grants have been awarded totaling $5,690,000. That matches the tote board at the conclusion of the 66th annual WHAS Crusade for Children which took place on June 1 – 2, 2019.
Grant funds become available as the Crusade for Children begins a new fiscal year on September 1, 2019.
Click here to learn more about the WHAS Crusade for Children grant process.
Click here to see a recap of the 2019 66th annual WHAS Crusade for Children.
SEE HUNDREDS OF PHOTOS FROM CRUSADE WEEKEND ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE, CLICK HERE.
2019-2020 GRANTS LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
Adair County Board of Education $32,000.00
Allegro Dance Project Inc. $5,000.00
American National Red Cross $20,000.00
American Printing House For The Blind Inc $10,000.00
Anchorage Independent School District $25,000.00
Appalachian Regional Healthcare Inc $11,000.00
Archdiocese of Louisville $40,000.00
ARHHC, Inc. $6,000.00
Asbury University $23,000.00
Baptist Health Foundation Greater Louisville Inc. $93,000.00
Baptist Health Foundation Paducah Inc. $40,000.00
Bardstown Independent Schools $25,000.00
Barren Heights Christian Retreat Center Inc. $7,000.00
Barren River Area Child Advocacy Center Inc. $10,000.00
Bath County Schools – Crossroads Elementary School $11,000.00
Bell County School System $11,850.00
Bellarmine University $50,000.00
Bellarmine University – Scholarships $18,000.00
Best Buddies International Inc. $6,500.00
Big Brothers Big Sisters Of Kentuckiana Inc. $5,000.00
Bingham Child Guidance Clinic Inc. $50,000.00
Bluegrass Center For Autism Inc. $30,000.00
Boys & Girls Clubs Inc. $9,500.00
Breckinridge County Board of Education $30,000.00
Bullitt County Public Schools $54,000.00
Burgin Board of Education $19,000.00
Camp Tessa Inc. $7,000.00
Camp Tessa Of Meade County Inc. $5,000.00
Campbellsville Independent Schools $18,000.00
Carroll County Schools $5,000.00
CASA at Woodlawn Inc. $6,000.00
CASA of Calloway and Marshall Counties Inc. $5,000.00
CASA of Lexington $18,000.00
CASA of South Central Kentucky, Inc. $5,000.00
CASA of the Heartland Inc. $11,250.00
CASA Program For Bullitt County Inc. $16,000.00
CASA of the River Region $10,000.00
Centerstone Of Kentucky Inc. $140,000.00
Central Kentucky Education Cooperative $30,000.00
Child Development Centers Of The Bluegrass Inc. $2,000.00
Clark County Youth Shelter And Family Services Inc. $13,000.00
Cleveland Home Inc. – Life Adventure Center of the Bluegrass $13,000.00
Cliff Hagan Boys & Girls Club Inc. $3,000.00
Cloverport Independent School District $40,000.00
Commonwealth Theatre Center Inc. $6,000.00
Communities In Schools Of Clark County Inc. $10,000.00
Community Action Of Southern Indiana Inc. $10,738.00
Community Arts Center Inc. $3,220.00
Critically Loved $4,000.00
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation $5,000.00
Dorman Preschool Center $25,000.00
Down Syndrome Association Of Central Kentucky Inc. $3,000.00
Down Syndrome Of Louisville Inc. $20,000.00
Dream Riders Of Kentucky Inc. $5,000.00
Dreams With Wings, Inc. $8,500.00
Dyslexia Association Of The Pennyrile Inc. $3,528.00
Easter Seals West Kentucky Inc. $4,000.00
Eastern Kentucky University – Autism $10,000.00
Eastern Kentucky University – Communication Disorders $8,980.00
Eastern Kentucky University – Scholarship $18,000.00
Elizabethtown Independent School System $8,000.00
Eminence Independent School $26,400.00
Englishton Park Academic Remediation and Training Center $7,000.00
Exceptional Equitation Inc. $2,000.00
Exploited Children’s Help Organization Of Greater Louisville $15,000.00
Family & Children’s Place – Child Advocacy Center $30,000.00
Family Ark Inc. – Capital Request $15,000.00
Family Enrichment Center Inc. $9,000.00
Family Scholar House Inc. $15,000.00
Father Maloney’s Boys Haven Inc./Boys & Girls Haven $90,000.00
Fayette County Public School District $10,000.00
Fayette County Public School District – The Stables $3,500.00
Feat of Louisville Inc. $15,000.00
Flaget Memorial Hospital Foundation Inc. $35,000.00
Floyd Memorial Foundation Inc. $70,000.00
Franklin County Schools $20,000.00
Friends Of Canaan Inc. $19,000.00
Friends of Open Door Youth Services $12,500.00
Friends School Inc. $34,000.00
Fund For The Arts Inc. $6,500.00
Gateway Community Services Action $8,500.00
Gilda’s Club Louisville Inc. $50,000.00
Graves County Board of Education $18,800.00
Grayson County Schools $18,000.00
Greater Clark County Schools $20,000.00
Greater Louisville Rowing Foundation Inc. $4,897.58
Green County Board of Education $23,600.00
Green Hill Therapy Inc. $20,000.00
Green River Regional Education Cooperative Inc. $10,000.00
Hancock County Public Schools $4,000.00
Hardin County Schools Special Education Department $67,500.00
Hardin Memorial Hospital Foundation Inc. $95,000.00
Harrison County Exceptional Learners Cooperative $19,000.00
Harrison County Hospital $26,000.00
Hart County Board of Education $15,886.00
Henry County Public Schools $25,000.00
Heuser Hearing & Language Academy Inc. $28,000.00
Hindman Settlement School Inc. $13,400.00
Home Of The Innocents $80,000.00
Hosparus Health $40,000.00
Hosparus Health – Capital $30,000.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – ECE Assistive Technology Center $60,500.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – ECE Audiology and Deaf/Hard of Hearing $30,000.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – ECE Autism Program $8,700.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – ECE Communication Disorders $7,940.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – ECE Early Childhood Special Services $5,400.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – ECE Moderate to Severe Disabilities $45,000.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – ECE OT/PT Program $46,000.00
Jefferson County Public Schools – ECE Visually Impaired Program $5,433.61
Jeffersonville Township Public Library $6,000.00
Jessamine County Schools $4,000.00
Jewish Community Of Louisville Inc. $110,000.00
Junior Achievement Of Kentuckiana Inc. $4,125.00
Kentuckiana Children’s Center $22,000.00
Kentucky Center For Special Children’s Services $68,500.00
Kentucky Center For The Arts Foundation Inc. $31,000.00
Kentucky Easter Seal Society Inc./Easter Seals Cardinal Hill $1,100.00
Kentucky Educational Development Corporation $15,000.00
Kentucky Hemophilia Foundation Inc. $6,761.00
Kentucky School For The Deaf Charitable Foundation Inc. $15,000.00
Kids Cancer Alliance Inc./Indian Summer Camp $15,000.00
Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency $7,162.40
LaRue County Public Schools $9,000.00
Learning For Life Lincoln Chapter $18,000.00
Lexington Hearing And Speech Center Inc $10,000.00
LifeSpring Inc/LifeSpring Health Systems $3,000.00
Lighthouse Promise Inc. $3,500.00
Lincoln County Schools $5,614.00
Logan County Schools $3,000.00
Madison Area Educational Special Services Unit $5,000.00
Madison Consolidated Schools $20,000.00
Marion County Board of Education $5,950.00
Maryhurst, Inc. $34,000.00
Masonic Home Of Kentucky Pediatric Daycare Inc. – Sproutlings Preschool $7,000.00
McCracken County Public Schools $13,000.00
Meade County Public Schools $58,000.00
Meredith-Dunn Learning Center Inc. $15,000.00
Miracle League Of Louisville Inc. $65,000.00
Mountain Comprehensive Care Center, Inc. $13,000.00
Nativity Academy At St. Boniface Inc. $20,000.00
Nelcasa Inc. $7,500.00
Nelson County Schools $13,000.00
Northern Kentucky Children’s Law Center Inc. $12,000.00
Northern Kentucky Cooperative For Educational Services $2,400.00
Norton Children’s Hospital – Capital Request $600,000.00
Oldham County Board of Education $50,000.00
Orange County Rehabilitative & Developmental Services Inc./First Chance Center $22,000.00
Orchid House Inc./Marty’s Orchid House $10,000.00
Our Lady of Providence High School $17,207.00
Owen County School District $5,000.00
Owensboro Dance Theater Inc. $13,000.00
Owensboro Health Foundation Inc $31,000.00
Paoli Community School Corporation – Throop Elementary School $12,000.00
Paws With Purpose, Inc. $22,000.00
Personal Counseling Service, Inc. $28,000.00
Pitt Academy $10,000.00
Project Camp Inc. – The Center for Courageous Kids $46,000.00
Providence House Family Preservation Program $12,500.00
Rauch, Inc. $20,000.00
Rockcastle County Hospital Inc. $53,000.00
Saint Joseph Berea Hospital Foundation, Inc. $14,000.00
Saint Joseph London Foundation Inc. $100,000.00
Saint Joseph Mount Sterling Foundation Inc. $36,000.00
Shelby County Public Schools $75,000.00
Shriners Hospitals For Children $30,000.00
South Central Area Special Education Cooperative $23,000.00
Spalding University, Inc. $7,394.00
Special Olympics Kentucky, Inc. $16,000.00
Specialized Alternatives For Families And Youth Of Kentucky Inc. $4,000.00
Spencer County Public Schools $35,000.00
Spina Bifida Association Of Kentucky Inc. $21,000.00
St. Francis High School Inc. $4,600.00
St. Joseph Hospital Foundation Inc. $36,000.00
St Joseph’s Catholic Orphan Society $23,000.00
Stage One The Louisville Childrens Theatre Inc. $6,000.00
Summit Academy of Greater Louisville Inc. $7,000.00
Sunrise Children’s Services, Inc. $16,000.00
T. J. Samson Community Hospital $30,000.00
Taylor County Board of Education $40,000.00
Telford YMCA $7,110.00
The de Paul School Inc. $6,591.41
The Morton Center Inc. $25,000.00
The Point Arc Of Northern Kentucky Inc. $12,000.00
The REATH Center Inc. $5,000.00
Trustees of Indiana University $9,000.00
University Of Louisville – Division of Child Neurology $62,000.00
University Of Louisville – NeuroRecovery $15,000.00
University Of Louisville – Pediatric Cardiology $227,032.00
University Of Louisville – Pediatric Endocrinology Infusion Center $37,750.00
University Of Louisville – Scholarships $18,000.00
University Of Louisville – Weisskopf Learning Disorders Clinic $53,000.00
University Of Louisville – Weisskopf Center – STAR $95,000.00
University Of Louisville – Weisskopf/Pediatric Nutrition Program $60,000.00
University of Louisville – School of Music, Music Therapy Clinic $30,400.00
Upside Therapeutic Riding Inc. $17,000.00
Visually Impaired Preschoolers Services of Greater Louisville Inc. – Indiana $45,000.00
Visually Impaired Preschoolers Services of Greater Louisville Inc. – Lexington $45,000.00
Visually Impaired Preschoolers Services of Greater Louisville Inc. – Louisville $87,000.00
Volunteers Of America Mid-States, Inc. $35,000.00
VSA Kentucky Inc. $9,000.00
Washington County Schools $11,935.00
Wendell Fosters Campus For Developmental Disabilities Inc. $13,000.00
West Clark Community Schools $16,000.00
West Point Independent Board of Education $19,000.00
West Washington School Corporation $42,000.00
Western Kentucky University – Early Childhood Center $35,000.00
Western Kentucky University – Kelly Autism Program $21,000.00
Western Kentucky University – Scholarships $25,000.00
Whitley County Board of Education $2,945.00
Wilderness Trace Child Development Center Corporation $10,000.00
Woodford County Public Schools $6,000.00
Working The Puzzle For Autism, Inc. $5,000.00
Young Adult Development In Action/Youthbuild Louisville $4,000.00
YMCA – Bullitt County $8,000.00
YMCA – New Albany Southern Indiana – Summer Camps $5,000.00
YMCA – Childcare Enrichment Programs and Summer Camps – Louisville $12,000.00
YMCA – Safe Place Louisville $17,000.00
Youth Ethics And Skills Center Inc. $8,400.00
TOTAL: $5,690,000.00
About The WHAS Crusade for Children
Our Mission: The WHAS Crusade for Children makes life better for children with special needs by inspiring generosity with our community partners.
Our Vision: Together we provide resources to impact all children with special needs.
- 100% of each donation to the WHAS Crusade for Children helps children with special needs.
- Through the Crusade we’ve changed the lives of millions of children in Kentucky and Indiana since 1954.
- Right now we’re funding 1 in 3 children who need the Crusade.
Change a child’s life, support the WHAS Crusade for Children.
To make a donation securely online, click here.
The WHAS Crusade for Children Endowment
In September, 2002, the WHAS Crusade for Children Board of Directors voted to create the new Crusade Endowment.
It guarantees that 100 percent of the Crusade’s annual telethon collections continue to go directly to agencies that help children with special needs. It ensures that millions more children will be helped for decades to come.
- 100% of each donation to the WHAS Crusade for Children helps children with special needs
- The Crusade Endowment Campaign fully funds our future.
- Beyond your annual contribution, we need your Crusade Endowment donation now.
Change a child’s life forever, support the WHAS Crusade Endowment.
To make an Endowment donation securely online, click here.
How the Crusade works
The WHAS Crusade for Children, Inc. established in 1954 by WHAS-TV, raises money for agencies, schools and hospitals to better the lives of special needs children.
$190 million raised for special needs children
In its first 66 years, the Crusade has raised more than $190 million. Thanks to generous contributions of goods and services, the Crusade is able to return 100 percent of all donations to organizations that serve special needs children in all 120 Kentucky counties and more than 50 southern Indiana counties. Fire departments raise more than 50 percent of the money each year by staging road blocks and other events
An independent board decides
An independent board of interdenominational ministers known as the Crusade Advisory Panel decides how donations are distributed each year.
Agencies apply for grants
Representatives from agencies, schools and hospitals apply for grants and appear before the panel during grant hearings held each spring. Once the hearings are complete, the advisory panel determines which agencies receive Crusade donations.
Since agency grant requests far exceed donations to the Crusade each year, the panel has difficult decisions to make.
For a complete listing of grant application rules, click here.
The Crusade telethon airs in June
The annual Crusade Internet/radio/telethon is held each year on the first full weekend in June and is aired on WHAS Radio (AM 840), WHAS-TV (Channel 11.1) and worldwide on WHAS11.com. Portions of the broadcast are also seen and heard on a Kentucky statewide network.
Millions of children have been helped
Millions of children have been helped by the Crusade since 1954.
Donations are tax deductible
The WHAS Crusade for Children, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) public charity. Gifts are tax deductible as permitted by law. The Crusade is the most successful and oldest local telethon in America.
To make a secure online donation, click here or call (502) 582-7706.
Two Louisville institutions – Hadley Pottery and the WHAS Crusade for Children – are teaming up to make life better for children with special needs.
With Thunder, Oaks and Derby coming up you may be looking for unique dinnerware for your party plans. Now you can liven up your table and drink settings and help children with special needs.
Known nationally for its iconic, handmade pieces, Louisville’s Hadley Pottery is doing a special month-long event for the WHAS Crusade for Children.
20% discount every Saturday
and 20% to the Crusade during April
“We’re going to have a 20% off discount every Saturday in April, whatever our sales are 20% of them are going to the Crusade. We’re going to have a weekly drawing every Saturday for people to put in a chance to win a prize of a vase and at the end of the month of April we’re going to give away our large big planter,” says Jerry Day of Hadley Pottery.
Hadley Pottery
Open from 9:00am to 3:00pm on Saturdays (Crusade sale day!)
Open Monday through Friday from 9:00am to 5:00pm
1570 Story Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206
Easily accessible from interstates I-64, I-65 and I-71
