It is another Olympic year with international athletic competition taking center stage where thousands will compete but only a few will medal. That does not seem fair, so we are handing out our own medals to those groups that we work with that deserve a medal. The first medal of the year goes to Integrative Touch for Kids [ITK] which believes that when a child has special needs, the whole family has special needs. As their material states, “Did you know that a child with cancer has a better chance of surviving their illness than their family does of staying together?” Their success is a success for not only the child and their families, but the community as well which is why their catch phrase [mission statement?] is “Whole Child • Whole Family • Whole Community”. To quote a mother on ITK’s site, “Before our involvement with ITK, our family was stressed and disconnected from one another. Now we talk more, understand each other better, and feel much more calm and connected.”

These were delivered in a translucent orange envelope.

If I remember one story correctly, one child made some friends at a retreat and was invited to a birthday party. As a parent of a child with some unique needs and is socially behind, getting invited to a birthday party is a big deal – not just for the child but also for the parents.

Integrative Touch for Kids just held their Butterfly Gala in Tucson this past weekend including dinner, raffle and auctions. Go check them out at their website. ITK, you deserve more than just a medal – thank you.

In for the direction of the design of all their pieces, keeping it light and magical has been first and foremost. The three latest invitations all have gate folds which works well with the butterfly theme.

The first Chicago Butterfly Gala may have been one of my favorite. Very clean and elegant, but it didn’t have as much magic as some of the others.

The second Chicago Butterfly Gala invitation was overflowing with magical, light and energy.