WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY, 3/21
Transcription
WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY, 3/21
March 2015 | NNEDSC: Northern New England Down Syndrome Congress | 603-4791589 [Volume 1, Issue 1] WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY, 3/21 World Down Syndrome Day is just around the corner! On March 21st, 2015, the NNEDSC will join the National Down Syndrome Congress and six other national Down syndrome organizations in promoting “Random Acts of Kindness” in honor of all individuals with Down syndrome! Participation is easy: 1) Choose a random act of kindness to do for someone. 2) Go to www.nnedsc.net and print a “Random Act of Kindness” postcard fromthe main page. Leave your postcard with your act of kindness to spread the word about World Down Syndrome Day! 3) Share! Take a picture of your random act and post on the NNEDSC Facebook page, as well as on Twitter: #WDSD15. What better way to honor individuals with Down syndrome and spread awareness than through acts of kindness! Happy World Down Syndrome Day! ___________________________________________________________________ “No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.” – Aesop ___________________________________________________________________ Spread the Word to End the Word th WINTER CARNIVAL FUN! _____________________________ On January 31st the NNEDSC hosted its annual Winter Carnival! Children and teens enjoyed carnival games, music, food, and very special appearances by Elsa and Ana themselves! It was a blast, and we enjoyed meeting families who joined us from all around the state! A very special thank you to Lynn Pugliese-Murray and the events committee for their time and effort in hosting this event! We look forward Many of our members took to social media on March 4 to “Spread the Word to End to seeing everyone at our next the Word”. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram again served as excellent tools to statewide event! educate our communities about the harmful impact of the “r –word” for people with intellectual disabilities. The national campaign encourages people to take the pledge to eliminate the r-word from their vocabulary to encourage respect and inclusion. www.r-word.org 2 April 26th, 3-5:30 PM ZUMBATHON FOR DOWN SYNDROME Get your dancing shoes ready – the Gateways. No tickets needed – 3rd Annual Dance Party for Down donation only - bring the whole family! Syndromewill take place on Sunday, All ages and fitness levels welcome! April 26, 2015, from 3:00 – 5:30 PM Special thanks to Cheryl Stuart-Vail for at the Radisson Hotel and Suites, 10 doing an outstanding job planning this Independence Drive, Chelmsford, event each year! For more information, MA. There will be Zumba, Vendors, check out the link to the event on the high energy instructors from NH and NNEDSC Facebook page, or email MA, all gathered to raise money and Jeannie Dallahi at awareness for Down syndrome. [email protected]. Hope to Proceeds will go to the NNEDSC and see you there! “The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.” - Arthur C. Clarke Write Your Letter of Testimony in Support of Governor Hassan’s Budget If you missed the opportunity to present testimony at the recent House Finance Committee public sessions, you can still submit written testimony in support of fully funding the DD/ABD and IHS and Family Support Services Budgets. Our legislators need to know how important and valuable the services are in order to prevent budget cuts. Send your testimony to the [email protected] or contact your Area Agency’s Legislative NNEDSC to Host Educational Forum Featuring Natalie Hale We are thrilled and honored that Natalie Hale has accepted our invitation to come to New Hampshire on September 12, 2015, for what promises to be a day filled with valuable teaching and parenting resources, tools, information, and insight. “Known as an ‘inspiring and practical’ speaker, Natalie is intent on firing up her audience with a ‘can do’ attitude, and then giving them the tools to immediately put into practice what they've learned. Her belief that children, teens, or adults with Down syndrome can learn is contagious, especially when best practices are outlined and best resources given.” The workshop will be a one-day workshop at the Executive Court Inn and Conference Center in Manchester, NH, and will “provide a clear, step-by-step plan for teaching reading to individuals with Down syndrome, regardless of age or secondary diagnoses”. We are looking forward to bringing parents and educators together for this exciting day. For more information on Natalie Hale and her resources and tools, visit www.specialreads.com. More details will be shared in the coming months on www.nnedsc.net and on our Facebook page. Mark your calendars now as this is event you don’t want to miss as Natalie is in high demand throughout the country! Liaison for more information. Together, we can make a difference! D.A.D.S. Comes to New Hampshire New Hampshire’s new chapter of Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome (D.A.D.S.) recently held its first monthly meeting on March 5! D.A.D.S. from around the state gathered for this meeting, and they have begun to plan events for the upcoming year including the first annual D.A.D.S. golf tournament! If you would like to get involved with D.A.D.S. please contact Kevin at [email protected]. The next D.A.D.S. meeting will be held on April 2nd at 6:00pm, at the Common Man restaurant in Concord, NH. Family Support Grants EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATOR AWARDS 2015: Nominate Outstanding Teachers, Aides, and Therapistsand Reward Their Hard Work Did you know that the NNEDSC offers family support grants for individuals with Down syndrome? Grants may be awarded for medical, educational, therapeutic, and recreational purposes. Applications will be accepted throughout the year and will be reviewed quarterly. First quarter applications are due by March 31, 2015. Applications can be downloaded directly from the NNEDSC website at www.nnedsc.net, and are located under the “Resources” tab. We look forward to supporting your needs! We are accepting nominations for the 2nd annual “EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATOR AWARD” through April 24, 2015, and winners will be announced by May 15, 2015. This award is in recognition of outstanding contributions to the education of people with Down syndrome, ages 3 to 21. Two awards will be given in the amount of $250 to the individual winners, and an additional $250 given to the school for the purchase of new learning materials for students with Down syndrome. Nominations may be submitted by a student, parent, co-worker, or any individual. Teachers, paraprofessionals, therapists, and any educator can be nominated for their achievements related to working with individuals with Down syndrome. The NNEDSC would like to recognize contributions made by educators who go beyond expectations, promote inclusion, innovation, and who are dedicated to advancing the educational goals of the student (s). Last spring, we had the honor of recognizing Jenn McCoo, a paraprofessional at Hooksett Memorial School, and Danielle Costa, a Special Education Teacher at Main Dunstable Elementary School in Nashua, for their remarkable contributions to educating students with Down syndrome. To submit a nomination, please download a Nomination Form from our website, and postmark it by April 24, 2015, www.nnedsc.net. “Every child deserves a champion – an adult who will never give up on them, who understands the power of connection and insists that they become the best that they can possibly be” - Rita Pierson First Call Program The NNEDSC’s First Call program has welcomed many new families of children with Down syndrome to the community this year! The First Call program also recently trained four new volunteers to be new-parent mentors! Parent mentors are trained to support parents whose baby has received a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome, who recently gave birth to a baby with Down syndrome, and even families of older children who may be receiving a newdiagnosis or who are going through a rough patch. If youwould like to become a new-parent mentor, or know of a parent in need of a mentor, please contact Jenn at 603-479-1589. 4 NNEDSC: Northern New England Down Syndrome Congress Gearing Up For Buddy Walk 2015 Have you considered getting involved with the annual Buddy Walk? Well, now is your chance to make that happen for 2015! The Buddy Walk committee is gearing up to begin preparations for PO Box 259, Londonderry, NH 03053 603-479-1589 [email protected] Buddy Walk 2015, and we want your voice! In order to make it possible for members in all parts of the state to participate, monthly Buddy Walk committee meetings will be held via conference call. If you are interested, please email Melissa, Buddy [Company slogan] Find us on the Web: www.nnedsc.net Walk chairperson, at [email protected]. Help US Help YOU!!! Survey Monkey Please help us best meet your needs by taking a few minutes to answer 10 questions on our short survey. We want to know what kinds of programs and services that you would like to see us provide for your families. Please go to:http://nnedsc.net/membership-survey/ NNEDSC: Northern New England Down Syndrome Congress PO Box 259, Londonderry, NH 03053 [Recipient Name] [Street address] [Address 2] [City, ST ZIP Code]