Munroe-Meyer Guild

Munroe-Meyer Guild

A supporting board of the Munroe-Meyer Institute

The mission of the Munroe-Meyer Guild is to improve the quality of life for persons with disabilities through fundraising for the UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute.

Over the past 50-plus years, the major fundraiser for this supporting board has been the annual Munroe-Meyer Guild Garden Walk, held the second Sunday in June. Proceeds from that event and others total more than $1.1 million over the past five decades. Funds generated through the Garden Walk are used to help fund programs and support innovative projects and training at the institute that might otherwise go unfulfilled. A call for grant applications is announced at the end of the year.

The Munroe-Meyer Guild has awarded their 2023 grants to the Munroe-Meyer Institute, supporting the following projects.

“Expanding Intensive ABA Intervention to Group Settings for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder” (grantee Sarah Connolly, PhD, MMI integrated Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders). The goals of this project are to serve 12 children in intensive dyad/group ABA for those needing additional skills to thrive in classroom/community settings with peers; demonstrate preliminary growth in social and communication skills; pilot an electronic data collection system to monitor treatment progress; and offer a unique training program for students. 

“More Than a Feeling: Integrating Biofeedback Into the Treatment of Pediatric Feeding Disorders” (grantee Rachel Knight, PhD, MMI Center for Pediatric Feeding). Clinicians have lacked the tools to measure crucial variables in feeding treatment for decades. This project will use advanced biofeedback equipment to detect child distress at its earliest stages and launch pioneering research on timing, strength, and frequency of swallowing while teaching young children to eat.

“ABLE: Accessible Basic Life Education” (grantee Angela Maynard, MMI Outpatient Clinic). The goal of this project is to increase the BLS trainers at MMI, provide in-house training for staff, and train those with IDD and their caregivers. The in-house training team would result in savings for the institute. Customizable training will be provided to those with IDD.