I am one of seven children. I grew up in a time and a town where kids roamed freely. There was no such thing as a play-date. Selfishness and entitlement were not accepted in my home. We were a team. (I wish my own home were like this.)

I grew up inherently knowing that I would need to contribute to my own college education. Two of my brothers received full athletic scholarships. Two of my brothers went to college on the seven-year program and never graduated (very expensive). Three of us went on the four-year program and graduated.

Had my parents had 529 and Coverdell Plans, they could have transferred the saved money to the two kids in the seven-year program, helped the kids in the four-year programs, or paid for the three who went on to receive their MBA’s, with no tax penalty! Mom may not have had to go back to work the mid-night shift as a nurse.

I paid for my entire education with no loans and no financial aide.

I attended Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Northeastern has a cooperative education program. These are also called work-study programs. Cooperative education colleges are five-year programs.

Freshman year, we went to school from September through May like everybody else. Then we got a job. The school had numerous corporations come to the campus to interview the students.

I worked for the FDIC. My Guidance Councilor prepped me that this was the best job in the Business College. Not because of prestige or knowledge building or even networking. It paid the best. That was all I needed to know.

Working for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation made me a Federal employee. I was considered to be working in Washington, DC. I actually lived with my family in New Jersey and covered that area as a Bank Examiner. I received a per-diem of $16.00 per day and a salary of $750.00 a month. Bingo! It paid for school.

The FDIC required a six-month work commitment. I went to school for six months, then worked six months. While at school I always had a part time job. I worked in a pizza parlor and as a fraternity cook.

My best part time job was within the University. These jobs are very hard to come by. It came to me through the friend of a friend. I worked in the University Library as a “book stasher”. We put the returned books away, hid among the shelves, and looked at all the yucky pictures in the medical section. The best part of being a book stasher was that not only was I getting paid, based on the hours worked I received a tuition credit.

There are over 300 cooperative education Colleges and Universities in the US. Start with your guidance councilor, they have the most complete resources.

Donna LaMuraglia

Marketing Team

dlamuraglia@401kid.com Where your dreams are our dreams.

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In the early 70’s, I decided that my first choice for higher education was Northeastern University, Boston, MA. The wisdom that went into the decision was 1. My boyfriend went to the University of New Hampshire and was only one hour away, 2. Boston was a happening place, 3. Northeastern had 42,000 full time day students, and I knew that I could get lost in the crowd, 4. Northeastern was a co-op school and I could contribute to my education (next article).

Needless to say, after all of this careful thought, I was devastated when I wasn’t accepted. I wasn’t even wait-listed.

The brilliant idea came to me that I could challenge this denial! This was the days before faxes, overnight mail or e-mail. I asked five people whom I considered important to write letters to Northeastern on my behalf. They were my H.S. principal, my H.S. guidance councilor, my English teacher, my employer, my neighbor, and my Uncle Joe. Of course, I wrote one also.

I received my rejection letter on a Thursday. On Friday I asked the “chosen ones” to send their letters on Monday. Everyone cooperated. I waited until Friday to call the woman in the admissions office that sent me my rejection letter, and asked for a personal interview. Mrs. Admissions was delighted to hear from me. She told me that no one had ever campaigned like this before! All of the letters arrived on the same day! She invited me to a personal interview on Monday. I accepted.

My Dad and I took the journey from NJ to Boston. Upon meeting, Mrs. Admissions glowingly interviewed me. Mostly, she spoke in the first person. “I have never seen anyone campaign like this! The letters I have received speak so highly of you. I know that you would be an asset to the University…” Right on the spot, I was accepted.

The Liberal Arts College was fully enrolled. (I fancied myself a journalist and author.) However, there were openings in the Business College, where I could begin. All of my credits would transfer to the Liberal Arts program, where I could transfer in my second year. Tada! I was in.

I never did transfer to the Liberal Arts College. I stayed in the Business School, which became my passion, and has served me well.

Another avenue for getting in to the school of your choice was traveled by my younger brother Tom. Tom was rejected from Cornell University. Chin-up, he attended Northeastern University with me. Tom hit the books and worked diligently on his grades. Tom was accepted into Cornell University for his sophomore year and graduated from that prestigious institution.

The moral of this story is to “never say never.” Dare to dream. Make that dream come true. Have a campaign on your own behalf. Ask for that interview. Consider acceptance into a different major within your University. Get your grades up, and re-apply to your school of choice and transfer in the second year. Keep smiling.

Donna LaMuraglia

Marketing Team

dlamuraglia@401kid.com Where your dreams are our dreams.

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401kid offers the Special Needs Community the best long-term care and education savings plan

The Invisbile Community

401kid.com has identified the Special Needs Community, as a group that has not received targeted education or long-term care savings advice. In our extensive research, we have found no Corporation or Financial Planner that takes on the specialty of savings advice for our Mentally Ill, Physically Disabled, Mentally Retarded, Emotionally Disturbed, and otherwise handicapped children.
Within our web site, your well-children can be served with your Special Needs child easily and with situation-specific advice. We know who we are. Can you believe that the IRS will publish who qualifies as a “Special Need Person? in “early 2006″

I am one of you. I have a child who is mentally ill with Bipolar disorder.

Since Mike’s diagnosis 4 years ago, Michael has had 9 psychiatric hospitalizations, one 9 week period at a “Therapeutic Wilderness Community.” Mike received weeks and weeks of full day and half day outpatient treatment. Four months in a Drug Rehabilitation facility. Weekly therapist visits when not hospitalized, and a Psychiatric visit every 3 months. Michael has lived at home for about 8 weeks within the last two years.

Since April 2005, Mike has lived in a Therapeutic Hospital Setting. He will turn 18 this February; and will age-out of his facility. Mike’s social worker is trying to place him in an “Independent Living” facility. Mike may have to live in Florida. I live in New Jersey. The most frightening part of this, to me as a parent, is that Michael can sign himself out of any facility, due to his age. Also, if Mike chooses not to continue his education, he will not be eligible under my Health Insurance Policy.

I spent about ten minutes Googling this afternoon and came up with these frightening statistics.

1. 50% of the Mentally Ill population has a substance abuse problem. This is frequently linked to the “Wellness Syndrome.? An individual gets on medication and feels well. They are “better.? Their symptoms reappear and they “self medicate?; often times leading to addiction. All of Mike’s 9 psychiatric hospitalizations were due to non-med compliance. The last two hospitalizations also involved drug addiction.

2. In 1950, there were 592,853 mentally ill in State or County mental institutions. In 1994, there were 71,619 patients in State and County mental institutions. The population grew enormously during this Baby Boomer time period and the hospitalizations went down. Where did all of these people go?

3.In 1999, an estimated 283,000 of the National prison population were mentally ill. One half of this population reported that they had 3 or 4 prior prison sentences. 75% of the 283,000 were in jail, on probation, or prison prior to the current sentence. Prison seems to be the default long-term care facility for these unfortunate people. 20% of mentally ill inmates were homeless before their current incarceration. 52% of the mentally ill prison population was convicted of violent crimes. How much of the prison population has non-diagnosed mental illness?

4.USA Today reported in an article dated 10/11/2005 that there were 727,304 homeless. 1/3 of the homeless population is diagnosed as mentally ill. What percentage of the homeless population is not diagnosed with mental illness? What % has some other handicap?

To answer the question, “Where have all of the mentally ill gone?? Disgustingly, many are in jails and prisons, and living on the streets. They are guilty of being non-medicated or of having non-diagnosed mental illness. How many of them live behind closed doors where families try to keep them safe and out of site?These need not be the destinies of our children. We can provide for them so that they may live with dignity. Here at 401kid.com, we are passionate about future the Special Needs Community. I have written today about a slim portion of the Mentally Ill Community. There is also Autism, Down Syndrome, the Neurologically Impaired, Emotionally Disturbed, Muscular Dystrophy, Spinabifida, Cerebral Palsy, and the physically handicapped… to name but a few.We as a Community, are desperate for the tools and the strategy that the 401kid.com gives us to provide for the education, be it basic life skills or Harvard, and the long term care of these children with the best tax advantages available. The governing of investment options, and the availability of new investment options is a fluid market. By joining 401kid.com, we will keep track and advise you of your best saving alternatives on an ongoing basis. You can modify your savings model at any time. You can invite friends and family to contribute to your savings. All the while, seamlessly taking charge of the education savings for your well-children at the same time.

I will post weekly to this site. I will tell you of my journey through the mental health system with my son. We will explore social security benefits your child may qualify for even though they may never have worked, or may never work. I will talk you through some of the variables to take into consideration when we save for our special children. I will discuss the well-children and their emotional needs as the ill child uses up all of Mom and Dad’s time, emotional energy, and financial resources. I will discuss the need for continuity in medical care. When it is time for us as parents to know when we have to “let go? and let our child proceed on their journey, in order that we preserve our own physical and mental health, and that of the rest of ore family. I will discuss the disparity in health insurance. We will look at the need for us to find and use a support group. I will address the subject of disability-etiquette.

I invite this readership to tell me of their problems and successes. The hardships of finding State or County aid. I am particularly interested in success. So that this community can share among themselves the ways and means of finding help from outside agencies; to supplement our savings plans

Remember Newton’s Third Law of Motion. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. When I take action, I sleep better at night. Our children deserve our action, because they are each and every one, special. Spread the word.
Until next time,
Passionately yours’,
anonymousmom@401kid.com

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