"ONE HEART, MANY VOICES"
FAMILY VOICES
Produced by: INSTITUTE FOR CHILD HEALTH POLICY
2002

Female Narrator: There are few things in life as precious as our children. From the
moment they’re born, and we, as parents, look into their eyes, we want to protect them,
nurture them, teach them, encourage them and most of all, love them. They touch our
lives and hearts in so many ways.

(Title)

Male Narrator: We have such beautiful dreams for our children. We want them to have
hope for a bright future and we want the world to give them opportunities. We want to
share in their joy and their sorrow. We want to watch them mature and begin to lead
their own lives. Each one of our children, from the moment they are born, has a legacy
to live, a life to touch, and a heart to share.

Female Narrator: At Family Voices, we believe that all children with special health care
needs deserve the healthiest, happiest lives we can give them. These beautiful children
and the future we hope to promise them are why we work so passionately.

(small music break)

Male Narrator: As our children grow, they begin to develop their own dreams and those
dreams are as limitless as their imaginations.

Female Narrator: Yet to achieve those dreams, they often must overcome challenging
health conditions, barriers in school and work, and personal doubts. They often need
health care above and beyond that of their peers, health care that includes life-sustaining
technologies and expensive treatments and medicines.

Male Narrator: Health care for our children begins at home, with moms, dads, brothers,
sisters, and grandparents providing support. After all, families are the core of our
nation’s health system, our children’s most important caregivers.

Female Narrator: But when parents and families must rely on other components of the
health care system to provide services for their children, they need those services to be
family-centered, close to home, and affordable.

Male Narrator: Family Voices helps develop grassroots partnerships between families
and health care professionals to ensure that our children are receiving the quality services
they deserve at every stage of their lives.

Female Narrator: That way we can empower our children to succeed in all that they do,
and our greatest reward is knowing that their lives are better today than they were
yesterday.

(dip to black, music change)

Male Narrator: Family Voices has built an ever-growing, nationwide network of
families and friends who work tirelessly on behalf of children with special health care
needs. We help our children receive the education and services they need to live
productive and enriching lives. We share information, exchange ideas, and help others
understand the tough issues of child health policy and financing. Ultimately, it’s our
children who benefit most.

(Children’s voices)

BOY: I have learned a lot from watching my mom help others through Family Voices,
like advocating for myself and for others. I have also learned about the problems that we
face. I have met a lot of people who have taught me how to live with my disabilities, and
respect others with disabilities. And together, we all are one no matter if we are disabled
or not.

GIRL:
I like that my mom works with kids with disabilities at Family Voices because it’s a big
group that helps a lot of children with special needs. She has helped my baby brother.
I’m proud of my mom because of the work she’s done.

BOY:
My whole life I've been preparing to become a part of the workforce by education and
gaining skills through experience. When I’m ready to take that big step, I know that
without quality health care and groups like Family Voices, these goals would be hard to
reach. Good health care includes more than taking care of me when I'm sick. It keeps me
healthy which allows me to live the way I choose.

GIRL:
Some people might say our family has had a hard time. Mostly because I was always
sick and we had to move. Family Voices helped us take some of the bad times and use
them to make it better for other kids like me. We have testified many times to help other
people understand how to help families. I think Family Voices is really a way for us
families who have survived the hard times to help others by trying to make it better for
them. I guess Family Voices is a way of life at our house. No one stands alone, we are a
family and what happens to me happens to our whole family. And the same with Family
Voices. No one is alone and we all stand together as one big family.

Male Narrator:
Our community extends far across any racial, ethnic, cultural, or geographic barriers.

Female Narrator:
Our children are our children.

Male Narrator:
They all deserve the very best that we can give them.

Female Narrator:
So to all our children who enrich our lives and fill our hearts with joy, we at Family
Voices say, “Thank You.”

CREDITS

PAGE 1:

A Special Thank You to the Families
of Family Voices
for sharing their personal stories and photographs.

PAGE 2:

Produced by

GARRETT R. HALL
Randy Miller
Sherilyn Wood

Written by:
Garrett R. Hall

Narrated by

JULIE BLACK
JIM SULLIVAN
RHETT PARKER
WILL SEXTON
BELYSIA WALKER
SHANNON WRIGHT


Original Music Written and Produced by

GARRETT R. HALL


Guitar Accompaniment

DOUG KISNER

Edited by
DAN SPIESS
Digital Lighthouse
Gainesville, Florida

Soundtrack Engineer

DONALD JOHNS
Starlight Sound & Recording
Lake City, Florida

Project Consultants

JULIE SIPCHEN
National Communication / Development Coordinator
Family Voices

PATTI HACKETT
HRTW CONSULTANT

Project Assistants

MIKE GROVES
KELLY KINGSLEY

Executive Director

JOHN G. REISS, Ph.D.
Chief, Division of Policy and Program Affairs
Institute for Child Health Policy


This project was produced by the
Institute for Child Health Policy
An Institute of the State University System
Gainesville, Florida

Funded through a cooperative agreement
From HRSA / USDHHS
Maternal and Child Health Bureau (#6H01 MC00013-012)
And Family Voices


“One Heart, Many Voices” video for Family Voices
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