OUR MISSION

The mission of the Bus Stop Club is

to provide support and family memories through encouragement for the siblings of children with serious illness or developmental, physical, or intellectual disabilities. 

OUR STORY

In January of 2005, Dr. Brian Sheridan, a third-year pediatric resident at the Children's Hospital at Albany Medical Center, launched Bus Stop Club-a program which would allow for primary consideration of the well  child in the comprehensive care of chronically-ill children.

Dr. Sheridan's goal was to establish a program solely for siblings-one that would provide support through preventative intervention mechanisms designed to enhance sibling  adaptation and enable them to remain emotionally healthy and well-adjusted in order to cope with one of the worst hardships any member of the family can endure.

OUR PROGRAMMING

Bus Stop Club is FREE of charge. Our programming incorporates health, movement, crafts, sport, activities, and outings to assist with building rapport, relationships and overall, support and positive attention to our members. They learn how to express themselves, cope and relieve stress.

5 to 11 years of age

The Junior Members group meets monthly at the YMCAs located in Bethlehem and Guilderland on a monthly basis.

12 to 15 years of age

The Teen Group meets monthly at

local restaurants and establishments

to receive support.

Special Events

In addition to monthly sessions, each age group has opportunities to attend special events. Special events may be a celebration for holidays throughout the year, a visit from a special guest such as a magician or a trip to a local venue such as Pottery Place, Arts & Glass or Therapeutic Horses of Saratoga. 

Family Outings 

Regular outings are offered for the entire family. Although our mission focuses on the child without the disability or diagnosis,

it is of course important for the families to experience fun, stress-free events with each other to help strengthen the bonds between family members, foster trust, understanding, and open communication.

In a Mom’s Words . . .

"The part of having a special needs child in the home that goes unnoticed is the siblings who sacrifice so much. I bought Kate the Lion King movie, and we had just started watching it when John began taking a turn for the worse. I told her that we needed to take John to the hospital. We were supposed to order some Dominos, but that couldn’t happen anymore. Without asking any questions, she turned the TV off, changed her clothes, packed her bag and snacks, and was ready to go. We got a Happy Meal for her through the drive-thru and were on our way. During the 2.5-hour drive, she didn’t nap because she wanted to hold his hand. 

It is now 7 am and she hasn’t slept because she wants to make him feel better. At only 8 years old, her priority is always John’s health. She has been dealing with this since she was born. She was only 10 days old when John had his stroke. She never questions why as long as she can make her brother better. Regardless of what she has planned or what she is doing, her brother’s health is always more important. We always see what the sick child goes through, but we never really think about the siblings. How quickly they have to grow up, the worries that they have, how resilient they have to be, and how selfless. What a great advocate they have to be at such a young age. She is only 8 and knows how to change his trach, get his feeds going, and give a basic medical history for him."