GENERATIONS TODAY | JANUARY–FEBRUARY 2023
Many thanks to the American Society on Aging for helping us shine the light on AACY’s Caregiving Youth Project.
“For many years, 14-year-old David has been caring for his younger sister Rania, who is now 11, and was born with a rare congenital heart defect. His family came to the United States to receive needed medical care for her. So far she has had eight heart surgeries and two on her eyes. “There were days when Rania was not feeling well. I got scared but I knew what to do: keep her calm, put on her monitors to check her heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels,” said David.
He is thankful for the ongoing support and recognition he receives from the Caregiving Youth Project of the American Association of Caregiving Youth, including the ability to earn community service hours required by his high school. He also said, “We don’t know what the future has for us, but we take every day as it comes. We are happy together.” He wants to pursue a medical career after entering the military.”
THE CAREGIVING YOUTH PROJECT STARTED IN ONE MIDDLE SCHOOL AND NOW SERVES STUDENTS IN 35 PUBLIC MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS.
“Since the launch of AACY’s programs, there has been some recognition of the organization’s efforts to find solutions for the plights faced by these young people. CYP directly helps more than 500 caregiving youth throughout the calendar year and has helped more than 2,100 since its inception. The organization receives some local funding from Palm Beach County for services, but mostly operates on grants and individual donations.”
