Social Enterprise SPIO Raises Over $1 million For Children With Special Needs

Jan. 24, 2012 - PRLog -- Kent, WA – SPIO, in the midst of celebrating their 5th year of innovating, designing and manufacturing compression orthoses, is excited to announce they have, in those five short years, raised over $1 million for children with special needs.

The legacy of SPIO (which stands for Stabilizing Pressure Input Orthosis) was started in the early nineties by two moms of children with special needs; one a physical therapist and founding member of Children's Therapy Center, the other an accomplished seamstress.  Working in collaboration to solve issues they were facing with their own children, they developed a unique line of compression orthoses that have been beneficial to thousands of children with special needs.  With a desire to not only help children locally, but also globally, Dynamic Partners purchased the SPIO (http://www.spioworks.com) patents five years ago with an aim to turn the business into one of its first social enterprises.

“We are so proud to be a part of Dynamic Partners and to contribute to their mission.  Helping serve a population that often lacks the resources to get proper therapy and assistance is something incredibly important to everyone at SPIO,” Christie Skoorsmith, SPIO General Manager, said.

The SPIO system is a dynamic compression orthosis made of patented, breathable, Lycra-blend material with a multi-directional stretch and high rebound factor.  SPIO assists with stability and provides feedback through deep pressure and tactile stimulation.  The unique design helps to improve movement; limb and body position awareness; and general stability and balance.  Children with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, Sensory Processing Disorder and Hypotonia have all shown to greatly benefit from using SPIO.

Nancy Hylton, PT, LO at Dynamic Orthotic Systems says, “Stabilizing Pressure Input Orthosis (SPIO) is part of a new generation of ultra-flexible bracing systems which are designed to provide precise sensory feedback and dynamic stabilization to assist in alignment, posture, balance and movement.”

Since 2006, SPIO has designed, manufactured and sold their compression orthoses from their Kent, WA headquarters.  Last year, SPIO orthoses were purchased by families, therapists, therapy centers and hospitals in over 20 different countries around the world.  SPIO offers a wide range of standard sizes designed to fit those from birth to young adult, and in addition, offer custom-made garments to anyone who does not fit a standard size.

SPIO’s parent company, Dynamic Partners (http://www.dynamicfamilies.org), orginated in 1979 and was then known simply as, Children's Therapy Center.  It was started by pediatric therapists recognizing the need for facilities that could enhance the development of children born with special needs through quality early intervention services and parent training.  Through dedication, passion, and community support, Children's Therapy Center has grown into Dynamic Partner's, a nonprofit consortium of organizations collaborating to empower children and families.  The consortium is currently comprised of Children's Therapy Center, SKIP Early Intervention Program, Dynamic Orthotic Systems, Dymamic Labs (winner of the 2011 Zino Society Award for Social Innovation) and SPIO (http://www.spioworks.com).  All profits made through the sales of SPIO are used to help fund Dynamic Partner’s mission of serving children with special needs and their families.

You can follow SPIO online at Facebook.com/SpioWorks, Twitter @SPIO_Works and Youtube.com/spioworks.

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SPIO™ is a dynamic compression system made of patented, breathable, Lycra-blend material with a multi-directional stretch and high rebound factor. SPIO™ assists with stability and provides feedback through deep pressure and tactile stimulation.