celebrate differences may 2013 newsletter
DESCRIPTION
This is the newsletter for the Celebrate Differences Disability Awareness Center.TRANSCRIPT
Celebrate Differences Disability Awareness Center
Celebrate Differences
May is Prader-Willi Syndrome
Awareness Month!
One Mom’s Love!
May 2013 Issue 2
More inside!
Celebrate Differences is committed to supporting
individuals with disabilities in reaching their fullest potential by providing positive resources and
information to families, communities and health care providers while promoting a
competent level of awareness and understanding.
Mission
PG.
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Rachel wi th Kirs ten.
We had a five year old daughter and a three year old
son and in 2003 we found out we were pregnant with
our third child. We decided to have an ultrasound at
five months to find out the sex of the baby. To our
surprise we found out we were having twin girls! We
were overwhelmed by the news...not enough money,
our house is too small, caring for four small children.
So the girls were born, and came home the next
day. Everything was perfect, or so
we thought.
One of our twins, Kirsten, was
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Thank You to our 5K Sponsors!!
Thrivent Financial
Celebrate Friends Celebrate Friends is designed to help children better understand what it means and how it feels to be a young person with a disability. This educational program gives students the opportunity to learn what is involved when someone has a disability. The goal of the program is simple: to encourage typically developing children to accept their peers with disabilities as people first, through awareness. Interested in a presentation at your school, contact the center at 630-885-3006 or send us an email to get it scheduled!
Thank you for making this year’s Celebrate Differences Steps Toward A Brighter Future 5K Race, 3K Walk and Kids Dash one of the best ever! All the registrations and fundraising efforts helped us cross the finish line on another great race!
A special thanks to all of our sponsors for helping to raise critical, financial resources to support our Disability Awareness Center and the free programming we offer to children and their families.
Advanced Physicians - Marbles The Brain Store
Massage Envy - Meijer - Chicago Wolves
Oswego Fire Department - Pet Supply Plus
Premier Printing - Richard's Building Supply
Road ID - Road Runner Sports - Voyager Health Technologies
Target - Thrivent Financial - Dan Koukal
Walgreens - Wal-Mart - Chicago White Sox
Zappa Studios - Casa Couture Furniture
Erica's Face Painting - Gonzo The Clown – Jode Becknell
Holiday Inn Express - Hollywood Casino
IDEA Marketing Group - Jerry Bannister - Big Life Community Church
K-Hits 104.3 FM - Dreyer Medical - Firehouse Pizza & Pub
Larry Maynard - Law Elder Law - Ashley Francis Photography
Oswego PD Explorers - Jewel-Osco - Hinckley Springs
Thrivent Financial had a group of volunteers at the 5K. And some of their members even ran the race. Three of the Thrivent members received medals in their age groups! Brent Schalhamer (2nd place); Julie Carrol (1st place); and Barb Pinnow (2nd place). Congratulations! More than 20,000 organizations received Thrivent Choice Dollars® grant funds in 2012 – we’re so happy that Celebrate Differences is now one of those organizations! If you are an eligible member, please choose Celebrate Differences to receive your Thrivent Choice Dollars®. Connect with Chicagoland Thrivent Financial on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/chicagoland.financial.associates.thrivent
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We Appreciate Our Volunteers!
Be sure to like us on Facebook! You can find us at
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Celebrate-Differences/48492458671.
On April 15th, Troop 1430 volunteered at the
center and cleaned all the toys. A huge thank you
to all of our amazing volunteers that help us
throughout the year. We would never be able to
do what we do without you! Happy Volunteer
Week to all of those amazing volunteers out
there!
If you or a group that you are involved with would
like to assist us at the center, please call or email
us. We are always in need of volunteers!
5K Updates!!!!!!
If you missed out on seeing the Race Results,
here is the link:
http://itsracetime.com/Results.aspx?ID=566
Your feedback is important to us! If you ran our
5K, we ask that you please complete our survey
as it does help us in planning our event for next
year and to make improvements. We do take all
the feedback into consideration. Here is the link
to the survey. The link will be available for two
weeks.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BRIGHTERF
UTURE5K
And the winner is………..
The winners of our 2013 raffle are listed below!
iPad – Gina Riley
iPad Mini - Alex Aneston
Sofa Table - Frank Paoletti
Congrats to all of our winners!
A link to photographs of race day will be
available next week. We will send out the link
once it is available.
Prader-Willi Syndrome Prader-Willi Syndrome is a lifelong disease. At this time, there is no cure. Treatment includes growth hormones to combat short stature, keeping the person active to burn calories, and preventing free access to food. Families who have a child with PWS are constantly aware of their child’s food issues and must plan their day-to-day lives around the child in order to keep the child safe. To learn more visit www.pwsausa.org or www.pwsaillinois.org.
very tired and not eating well. Eleven days later, after many tests and a stay in the NICU, we found
out she had Prader-Willi Syndrome. Prader-Willi Syndrome, or PWS, is a deletion of the fifteenth
chromosome. With it comes low muscle tone, degrees of mental retardation and the biggest thing is
an insatiable appetite. Her brain does not tell her she is full! The doctors used words like quality of
life and unfortunately. But Kirsten is not "an unfortunate". She is a sweet girl that has a smile that
lights up a room and a very caring heart!
Of course there are some emotional occasions and some physical challenges and the begging to
eat more, but there are definitely many happy moments as well. The biggest obstacle has been just
balancing trying to have a somewhat normal life for the other kids, a life that they see their friends
have without special needs, a life that is different from others. The hardest thing is the always
wanting to eat and trying to keep the weight under control. The advice I would give to other parents
raising a child with PWS is just to do your best and just enjoy the happy moments. Don't dwell on
the future and to try to not be too hard on yourself.
PWS is not something our family asked for, but it is something we were given and must make the
best of it. A recent proud moment with Kirsten was watching her on stage in her third
grade musical with her "normal" classmates. She was smiling,
singing and dancing just like them. She even had a part
that required her to recite a line in the microphone.
She was so happy to be part of the group!
Rachel Guinn is the proud mom to four amazing children,
one of which just happens to have PWS!
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!
!
May 2013 !
!Next%Chapter%Book%Club%
A%book%club%for%young%adults%with%disabilities%–%meets%every%other%Thursday%at%Panera%in%Oswego.%
Bounce%Time!For%infants%to%age%4.%Adults%will%enjoy%time%with%the%little%ones%during%our%30%minute%class%of%favorite%songs%and%rhymes,%movement%and%dance,%lap%bounce%time%and%a%short%story.%
Celebrate%Dyslexia!We%have%partnered%with%Everyone%Reading%Illinois%to%bring%you%the%Kendall%County%Awareness%Group%for%Dyslexia.%
Workshops%
We%have%partnered%with%Infinitec%through%a%grant%from%the%ISBE%to%offer%workshops%to%tech%about%technology%and%the%iPad.%
!
!
Sunday% Monday% Tuesday% Wednesday% Thursday% Friday% Saturday%
! ! ! 1! 2! 3! 4!
! ! ! ! Board!Meeting!
7pm!
! Teacher’s!and!
Therapist’s!
Workshop!9<
11am!
!
5! 6! 7! 8! 9! 10! 11!
Cinco!de!Mayo! ! ! Cool!Tools!for!
School!iPad!
training!for!
parents!7pm!
Next!Chapter!
Bok!Club!–!7pm!
at!Panera!
Oswego!
! !
12! 13! 14! 15! 16! 17! 18!
Mother’s!Day! ! ! ! ! ! !
19! 20! 21! 22! 23! 24! 25!
! Bounce!Time!10<
10:30am!
Celebrate!
Dyslexia!7pm!
! Next!Chapter!
Bok!Club!–!7pm!
at!Panera!
Oswego!
! !
26! 27! 28! 29! 30! 31! !
! Memorial!Day! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! ! ! !
!
www.CelebrateDi!erences.org
All programs take place at the center unless otherwise stated.
Be sure to visit our website at celebratedifferences.org or our
Facebook page to see more details about each event.
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Community Corner! This is the place to see and share events not organized by Celebrate Differences but possibly
relevant to you or someone you know. If you have information to share, about your trainings or
events, please email the details to [email protected] by the 15th of each month. Please
be aware that we have not reviewed or endorsed the suggested events. If you need more
information, please contact the individual or organization organizing the event.
Support ing ch i ld development through INTERVENTION EDUCATION & PURPOSEFUL PLAY
Phone: 630-552-9890 Fax: 630-552-9891 Email: [email protected] Address: 1555 Sycamore Rd. Yorkville IL 60560
COMMUNITY EDUCATION COMMUNITY EDUCATION COMMUNITY EDUCATION SERIES SERIES SERIES SPRING 2013SPRING 2013SPRING 2013
Leading Through Life Transitions Tuesday, May 7th, 2013 at 7pm
Please join us to hear about the importance of implementing structured routines around transitioning to big kid beds, potty training, giving up the pacifier and mealtimes! We will learn practical ways to include routines in your everyday activities as a way to promote positive behavior in the home as you and your child move through significant milestones!
Presented by Dana Burke, M.S.Ed., BCBA, Infant Care Specialist
and Co-Director of ABC Mom’s, Inc.
Healthy Eating for Developmental & Behavior Challenges Monday, June 3rd, 2013 at 7pm
"You are what you eat" has become cliche. Let's talk about what that truly means for our children, their behavior, development and challenges; and then talk about how to encourage healthy eating habits in kids of all ages using research-based but also parent-tested methods that produce results. Understand how intestinal damage happens, how that contributes to neurological, immunological and emotional disruption; and how to change the culture of eating in your home that ends the dinner table wars while simultaneously changing eating habits for our children.
Presented by Heather DeGeorge, CHC/AADP, PMP
Health & Wellness Coach
Registration is FREE! Space is limited. Please call or email to reserve a seat.
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! ! ! ! CHICAGOLAND*SPEEDWAY*
! ! ! ! GEICO*400*NASCAR*SPRINT*CUP*SERIES!
Tickets:!!!Adults!$50.00!/!!Kids!$30.00!/!!!Pit!Area!$35.00!
I!would!need!the!money!in!advance!in!order!to!purchase!the!tickets.!
Date:**9@15@13!
Time:!!1:00p.m.!(Race)!
The!gates!will!open!as!early!as!7:00a.m.,!but!in!the!past!I!have!been!to!the!races!up!at!Chicago!Land!Speedway.!!My!advice!is!if!you!want!to!get!close!to!the!speedway!f!or!parking,!I!would!get!there!about!9:00a.m.,!if!you’re!a!diehard!race!fan,!you!can!get!there!as!soon!as!they!open.!!It’s!a!lot!of!fun!to!tailgate,!and!there’s!a!lot!to!see!outside!of!the!speedway!before!race!time.!!They’ll!have!souvenir!trailers,!various!activities!for!adults!and!kids.!!If!you!really!want!to!try!something!exciting,!the!speed!channel!will!have!a!live!broadcast!from!Champions!Park.!
RSVP:!July!12th,!2013!
I!will!also!need!to!know!how!many!people!are!in!your!party.!
Contact*Information:**(815)634@0741!or!(815)416@[email protected]!
I!hope!everyone!can!come!out!and!enjoy!the!Chicago!Land!Speedway!!!!!Gentlemen,!start!your!engines!!!!!
!
Tickets:**$10.00*
If*we*get*20*or*more*people,*ticket*prices*drop*to*$8.00.*
I*would*need*the*money*in*advance*in*order*to*purchase*the*tickets.*
Date:*8R18R13*
Game*Time:**2:05p.m.*
RSVP:**July*1st*
I*will*also*need*to*know*how*many*people*are*in*your*party.*
Contact*Information:**(815)634R0741*or*(815)416R8394*or*[email protected]*
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Fundraising Focus
Thanks to Earth Mover Credit Union for their donation
of $195 to Celebrate Differences. Their employees pay
to wear jeans and they donate the funds to charities
who receive the most votes on Facebook. Celebrate
Differences was the chosen April Charity.
Looking for some natural products for your home or for
you? Be sure to checkout Watkins for all of your
needs. Visit our charity website and a percentage of
your purchase goes to Celebrate Differences! Visit
www.WatkinsOnline.com/celebratedifferences and
make your purchase today!
Celebrate Differences 5375 US Rt 34, Suite 4
Oswego, Il 60543
+
Wanted
We are looki
ng for models
for our 201
4
awareness c
alendar as w
ell as models
and
committee members
for our firs
t annual all-
inclusive fa
shion show
fundraiser.
Email us at ce
lebratediffe
rences@yahoo
.com