Here we grow again....

Here we grow again….

I am so excited to announce some more wonderful changes here in the Down Syndrome Indiana office! First of all, I would like to welcome our newest parent group called Raising Special Kids Down syndrome support group which will serve the Muncie, IN area. This parent group will meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 6pm to 7pm at Hillcroft Services, 114 East Streeter Avenue in Muncie, IN 47303. In addition to the parent support group meeting, there will be educational programming for the children which will be lead by professionals in the fields of Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech Pathology. For more information, please feel free to contact the DSI office at 317-925-7617 and speak with Stephanie Glowner or contact Debbie McCoy at slaterjomc@gmail.com.

I am pleased to name Stephanie Glowner as Parent Support and Education Coordinator. As PS&E Coordinator, Stephanie will be the main contact for our families in need of support as well as the main contact for our parent group chairs and parent groups in general. Stephanie is the mother of Katy and brings a wealth of personal experience and warm hearted humor to the position. It truly brightens the office to have Stephanie on staff and I have no doubt that our families who have had contact with her feel the same way. Rachel Wood, DSI Outreach Coordinator will now be coordinating the 2010 Buddy Walk which will be held on Saturday, October 23, 2010! Rachel’s background in event planning has made the decision to bring the Buddy Walk ® Coordinator position in house a no-brainer. The first Buddy Walk® Committee meeting will be on January 24th. Anyone is welcome to serve on the Buddy Walk® Committee. If you are interested, please e-mail Rachel at buddywalk@dsindiana.org for more information.

I would also like to extend a warm welcome to the newest member of the DSI staff team, Amanda Congrove, DSI Director of Resource Development. Amanda has a Master’s degree in Philanthropic Studies and a certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Center on Philanthropy at IUPUI. She has previous experience working for WFYI and Special Olympics Indiana as a fundraiser. One of the qualities that I love about Amanda is that philanthropy, volunteering and serving others, is a value that she believes in and demonstrates in her everyday life. Because of her fundraising and nonprofit management skills coupled with her belief in inclusion and acceptance, I believe she will excel in her new position and hope that all of you extend the same warm welcome to her that you have extended to the current staff when we joined DSI.

I hope you have a happy, healthy and prosperous holiday season.

It is my pleasure to serve you!

Lisa Tokarz-Gutierrez, Executive Director

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Since October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month I thought I would share the following video with you. This video tracks a day at work for Laura Lee. Laura is a young woman with Down syndrome and a recent graduate of The Life Program at George Mason University. Laura is now happily beginning her career at The World Bank in the metro Washington DC area.

http://masonlife.gmu.edu/photo/life_video_laura/

Colleges and Universities across the country are beginning to offer post secondary educational programs that lead to increased employment opportunities for people like Laura Lee. This is very exciting as we are now beginning to change the focus from a “job” to a “career” and recognizing the college experience as one more choice/option for normalizing experiences for young adults with developmental disabilities.

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I did!

D.A.D.S. Hayride on the 24th!

Howdy 'yall!

Just a quick reminder to dust off your cowboy boots, grab your warmest sweater (that you don't mind getting a little toasted marshmallow goo on), and plan your Saturday afternoon with all your friends from Down Syndrome Indiana and D.A.D.S. at the Annual Hayride!As you can all plainly see, we've been blessed with another BEAUTIFUL fall here in Indiana! And there aren't many places better to enjoy it from than Kyle Spencer's scenic berry farm and pumpkin patch up in Noblesville. We'll have all the fixins for a perfect fall day on the farm: hotdogs, chips, hot apple cider & hot chocolate, popcorn balls and all kinds of other fun fall goodies. The kids can decorate their own pumpkin, jump in the bounce-house, take part in the "Skeleton Relay", or just sit and enjoy the season by our roaring bon fire. And of course, it wouldn't be a hay ride without... a Hay Ride! The whole family can jump up into the Spencer's wagon and take a cruise around the farm behind the tractor.While this is a DADS sponsored event, it is an event for EVERYONE. Even if DAD can't make it, Moms & kids and friends are all welcome to come enjoy the day!The fun starts at 3:00 pm this Saturday, Oct. 24th and lasts till 7:00 pm.The location is the same as the previous years:
Spencer's U-Pick Farm
7177 E. 161st Street
Noblesville, IN

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=7177+E.+161st+Street++++++Noblesville,+IN&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=61.669968,120.849609&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=7177+E+161st+St,+Noblesville,+Hamilton,+Indiana+46062&t=h&z=17We'll

See y'all there!!-Ted Scofield Hayride DAD

Because this hayride requires lots of gettin' ready. We like to know how many of you plan to attend.Please contact the DSI office to let us know you'll be there:e-mail at: <register@dsindiana.org>phone at: 317-925-7617Thanks!!-Ted

Park Tudor Boys Tennis Team wins Award for Volunteer Service

Players from the Park Tudor Boys Varsity and Junior Varsity tennis teams will be receiving the Bronze Level President’s Volunteer Service Award for initiating a permanent seasonal tennis program for Down Syndrome Indiana Organization families. In partnership with Park Tudor School, tennis lessons are offered by the players throughout the fall free of charge for Down Syndrome Indiana families interested in learning the sport. “It has been a fun experience for all of us and we just love the kids”, says Brendan Tannenbaum.

The President’s Council on Service created the President’s Volunteer Service Award program as a way to thank and honor Americans who, by their demonstrated commitment and example, inspire others to engage in volunteer service. Tennis Team Captains, Sam Miles and Kishan Shah, are the official liaisons between Down Syndrome Indiana and the Park Tudor tennis team. The volunteers participating this fall received the Bronze Level Award of 50 plus hours of service include:

Sam Clarke
Sam Geier
Scott Kincannon
Jack Miles
Sam Miles
Matt Neal
Jack Rardon
Kishan Shah
Brendan Tannenbaum
Nick Tannenbaum

“The Park Tudor tennis players have created a fun experience for the kids, with physical fitness, team building and some inventive tennis games”, says a Park Tudor tennis Mom.

Spring tennis clinics will commence again in April with the Park Tudor girls tennis team joining the boys to conduct the clinics.

A huge thanks to the Park Tudor Varsity and Junior Varsity Teams for organizing this wonderful opportunity!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

How to Raise $250 in Ten Days

The Down Syndrome Indiana Buddy Walk (R) is on October 10, 2009! Visit http://www.dsindiana.org/ and click on "Buddy Walk" today to sign up a team or to walk on Saturday!


Need some suggestions to raise money...try this idea from our friends in Kansas City:

HOW TO RAISE $250 in Only Ten Days Day

Make a $25 donation =$25
Ask your significant other for $15 contribution= $40
Ask your mom or dad for $15 contribution =$55
Ask a friend for a $15 contribution= $70
Ask your boss for $25 contribution= $95
*Don't forget to ask if your company has a
matching gift program
Ask 3 co-workers for $15 contribution =$140
Ask your sister or brother for $15 contribution= $155
Ask your in-laws for a $15 contribution= $170
Ask 2 neighbors for $15 contribution =$200
Ask a business owner of somewhere you spend
money for a $50 contribution =$250

Thanks, again, for all of your hard work in helping us raise funds! Your contributions will go a long way in helping Hoosiers with Down syndrome and their families!

Regards,

Jen Smith'09 Buddy Walk Coordinator

Raise money for Down Syndrome Indiana using Good Search

Here's a new easy way to raise money for your favorite cause, Down Syndrome Indiana. Just start using Yahoo! powered GoodSearch.com as your search engine and they'll donate about a penny to your favorite cause every time you do a search!

In addition, do all of your shopping through their online shopping mall, GoodShop.com, where you can shop at more than 900 top online retailers and a percentage of your purchases will go to the charity or school of your choice. You pay the same price as you normally would, but a donation goes to your cause!

Here's the web site — http://www.goodsearch.com. You can also read about GoodSearch in the NY Times, Oprah Magazine, CNN, ABC News and the Wall Street Journal.

Terry Allen and Walmart was the star of the last post. Can you guess this star?

This star won the 2007 Citizenship Award from the ARC of Indiana and I cannot think of anyone that exemplifies the value of being a good citizen more than this star! She is a 22 year old with Down syndrome and she has volunteered more 200 hours with Down Syndrome Indiana. This star volunteers in the office every Wednesday. When she first began volunteering for the organization, I had her doing “light” work like labeling the books for the lending library and shredding the pile of papers that needed to be disposed of in a confidential manner. As I came to know this star, I realized that she wanted more meaningful work where she could be sharpening her skills as well as contributing to the organization. It turns out that this star is great on the computer and very careful not to make errors or to thoroughly check that any errors have been corrected. This made this volunteer my right hand (wo)man for data entry. Until a new database was implemented, she was responsible for adding about 2,500 donors to the mailing list from our annual fundraising event called the Buddy Walk®. I honestly don’t know where I would be without this star. The most wonderful thing about her is that she comes to the office week after week just as enthusiastic about helping as she did the first time. She always tells me how happy she is to work at Down Syndrome Indiana. But the truth is, we are lucky to have her!

Not only does this star volunteer for DSI but, she also volunteers for Community North Hospital and Best Buddies Indiana as well as working part-time at Kohls and the YMCA.

Other ways that she exemplifies the meaning of a good citizen are to eat right, exercise regularly and to encourage others not to smoke. Stop smoking campaigns are a passion of this volunteers.

You know those posters, “Everything I Need to Know, I learned in Kindergarten”? Well this star is the one that inspired me to begin one entitled, “Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Down Syndrome”. This is some of what this star has taught me:

Manners matter.

Being polite is important.

Love what you do.

Share your dreams.

Share your lunch.

Remove all obstacles.

Greet the ones you love with a hug or just greet everyone with a hug.

Pray before you eat.

Include your loved ones in your daily prayers.

Do your best all the time.

Ask questions when you don’t know the answer.

Eat a balanced diet.

Exercise and make it fun.

Be honest.

Slow and steady wins the race.

Words can hurt feelings.

Always focus on what you do have and not on what you don’t have.

Accept it and move on.

Be courageous.