Parents of children with hemiplegia around the world volunteer to organize local support groups. There are several ways to locate families in your area. Some of our more active groups are listed below. If you’d like to get together with other parents in your area, join the Hemi-Kids discussion group and ask to meet other parents.
If there’s not a group for you, we’ll help you set up a park play date or a mom’s afternoon out at a local restaurant. It’s easy to do and the support is amazing! If you’d like to organize a group in your area, Contact CHASA.
Arizona Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Tina Pixler-Martinez
This support group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets in Phoenix, Arizona.
Fill out the CHASA Arizona Form to be added to the Arizona Hemiplegia and Pediatric Stroke Support Group.
California - San Diego Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Groups
Director: Molissa Murad
San Diego currently has two support groups for families of children who have hemiplegia. One group is for families of children ranging in age from newborns to 18 years old. The other group is a playgroup for children ages 2 to 3 years old. This group meets for dinner and play dates. Fill out the CHASA San Diego Form to be added to the Hemiplegia and Pediatric Stroke Support Group.
California – Northern California Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Courtney Osiow
Courtney is a college student and a childhood stroke survivor. She also serves as Vice-president of CHASA’s Junior Advisory Board.
This support group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets in the Greater Sacramento area. Fill out the CHASA Northern California Form to be added to this Hemiplegia and Pediatric Stroke Support Group.
Connecticut Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Annette Brennan
This support group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets in Connecticut. Fill out the CHASA Connecticut Form to be added to the Hemiplegia and Pediatric Stroke Support Group.
Florida – Orlando Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Melanie Livingstone
Meet other families of children who have hemiparesis or hemiplegic cerebral palsy in NE Orlando and surrounding areas. Contact Melanie for additional information avmel@yahoo.com
Illinois – Central – Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Directors: Emily Bernotas and Megan Duckett
This support group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets in Central Illinois.
Join the CHASA Central Illinois Facebook Group for more information.
Illinois – Chicago – Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Tiffaney Carlisle
This support group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets in Chicago, Illinois.
Fill out the CHASA Chicago Form to be added to the Hemiplegia and Pediatric Stroke Support Group.
Kentucky Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Jana Smoot White
Jana began fundraising and volunteering with the Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association (CHASA) in 2008 when her daughter was newly diagnosed. Jana is President of the CHASA Board of Directors. In addition to her work with CHASA, Jana is a practicing attorney in Lexington, Kentucky where she and her husband James are raising their two beautiful daughters, Evie and Delaney. Evie has right side hemiplegia due to an in utero stroke.Jana has a degree in Sociology and Journalism from the University of Kansas and a J.D. from the University of Kentucky College of Law. She and her husband are die hard Jayhawk fans and enjoy hosting “watch parties” for other Jayhawks in the area.
This support group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets in Lexington, Kentucky.
Fill out the CHASA Kentucky Form to be added to the Hemiplegia and Pediatric Stroke Support Group.
Maryland, DC, Northern VA Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director Mary Ellen
This support group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets in Maryland.
This support group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets in Maryland. Fill out the CHASA Maryland, DC, and Northern VA Form to be added to the CHASA Michigan Hemiplegia and Pediatric Stroke Support Group.
Massachusetts – Western – Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Eliza and Kevin Maltby
The Maltbys are proud parents to Hannah and Noah. When Noah was 48 hours old, he was diagnosed with having survived a perinatal ischemic stroke due to a clot. The family has been a part of the CHASA/HemiKids listserv since their son’s diagnosis in 2009. Eliza reports that, “CHASA has provided us with a tremendous amount of support and guidance. We are looking forward to raising awareness and providing support to families in Massachusetts, specifically the western MA region.”
This support group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets in Massachusetts. Fill out the CHASA Western Massachusetts Form to be added to the CHASA Western Massachusetts Hemiplegia and Pediatric Stroke Support Group.
Michigan Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Melanie and Jeff Domrase
Shortly after their son, Nolan, was diagnosed with right hemiparetic cerebral palsy due to an in-utero stroke of an unknown cause in early 2008, Jeff and Melanie Domrase were looking for families like themselves and found CHASA and the Hemi-Kids group online. After attending a group picnic with local pediatric stroke families in the summer of 2008, Jeff and Melanie quickly realized the value of knowing families who have traveled this road before. Along with a group of families, they organized the Michigan summer picnic where families could come together to enjoy a day with families like their own and learn about local doctors, therapies and their children could meet friends like them. The Michigan summer picnic has historically met in Plymouth, Michigan with plans for remaining in the metro-Detroit area for the coming years.
The Domrase family lives in Berkley, Michigan where Jeff is a graphic designer for local ad agencies and Melanie is a client project coordinator for a healthcare law firm in Troy. Nolan attends school in the Berkley School District.
This support group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets in Plymouth, Michigan. Fill out the CHASA Michigan Form to be added to the CHASA Michigan Hemiplegia and Pediatric Stroke Support Group.
Minnesota Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Glenda Swanson
This support group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets in Duluth, Minnesota.
Contact Glenda at gswanson1003@gmail.com for additional information.
New York Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Maria Casella
This support group, for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets in Long Island, NY.
Fill out the CHASA New York Form to be added to the Hemiplegia and Pediatric Stroke Support Group.
New York – Suffolk County – Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Aileen Kavanagh-Kaiteris
This support group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets in Suffolk, County, NY.
North Carolina Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Monica Sparzak
This support group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets near Eastover, NC.
Fill out the CHASA North Carolina Form to be added to the Hemiplegia and Pediatric Stroke Support Group.
Pennsylvania – East – Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Robin Shane
Baby Strokes is a support group for moms of neonatal stroke survivors. The purpose of the group is to give moms some time away from the family where they can talk with others who can relate to their experiences. Moms of children with hemiplegia of all ages are welcome.
Baby Strokes meets on the third Monday of every month at 7 pm in the Lansdale area. Contact Jill Conti at babystrokes2010@gmail.com for additional information.
CHOP Support Group for Brain Injuries - These may be limited to CHOP patients and their families.
Texas – Dallas-Fort Worth – Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Stephany Fawcett
The Dallas-Fort Worth Support Group for families of children who have hemiplegia, hemiparesis, infant or childhood stroke, or hemiplegic cerebral palsy, meets every three months at a restaurant in the DFW area and at area homes or parks for family outings.
Fill out the CHASA North Texas Form to be added to the Hemiplegia and Pediatric Stroke Support Group.
Texas – San Antonio – Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy Support Group
Director: Julie Ring
Julie discovered Children’s Hemiplegia and Stroke Association (CHASA) shortly after her son, Evan, was diagnosed with having suffered a stroke, and she had an instant desire to get more involved and begin volunteering with the organization. She and her husband, Marvin, have three children – Nicholas, Olivia, and Evan – and live in San Antonio, Texas. Julie serves as the CHASA board’s Vice President and handles much of the marketing and public relations efforts. In addition to being featured and quoted in several articles about children and strokes, Julie works hard in her own community to raise awareness for pediatric stroke. To that end, she started the Pediatric Stroke Stroll in San Antonio to raise money, generate awareness, and bring families of stroke survivors together to participate in a fun and worthwhile event. Julie is currently the Vice President of Marketing for SWBC, a financial services company headquartered in San Antonio.
Fill out the CHASA San Antonio Form to be added to the Hemiplegia and Pediatric Stroke Support Group.
