October Is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month
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The Newsletter of the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta • September/October 2007 OCTOBER IS NATIONAL DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS MONTH Share Your Family’s Milestones, Achievement And Pride! Miss Jennifer Everett Mr. Jacob Moore Dances At Junior Prom —see pg. 3 Plays First Piano Concert —see pg. 3 NOVEMBER SAVE THE DATE: 15 Volunteer Appreciation DECEMBER SEPTEMBER 7 Ladies Night Out at the 8 Fall Education Conference Chandlery Fundraiser at PRUMC 15 Holiday Party and Annual REMINDER: OCTOBER Membership Meeting eam 13 Buddy Walk JANUARY Register Your T 24-26 NADD Convention 4-6 World of Wheels Fundraiser On-Line Today! Letter from the Executive Director, Michelle Norweck DSAA Executive Board Membership Matters Executive Director: Getting involved for many means additional responsibility and added items to your never-ending ToDo List. Well, that Michelle Norweck is one way to think of it, but here is a better way to look at it. Get involved in DSAA and you will get a lot more out of your membership. It’s the best way to learn more about Down syndrome and to expand your network of contacts [email protected] while building long-lasting relationships. It’s easy to get involved. Volunteering is one of the best ways to learn more about Down syndrome while helping to promote awareness about Down syndrome. It’s easy to find volunteer oppor- Co-Presidents: tunities. Simply check out the list below or call the office at 404-320-3233. You can also email me at Steve Harrison [email protected] to find the volunteer opportunity that’s just right for you. Don’t be afraid of getting [email protected] involved and assume it requires a major time commitment. In fact, it’s often quite the opposite; our committees, events and activities are structured around volunteers and we understand the value of your time. Stephanie Meredith Executive Board of Director Positions: Each year at the annual Holiday Party and Membership meeting, DSAA [email protected] introduces a slate of officers who are recommended by a Nominating Committee. If you are interested in being con- sidered for an office please contact me by phone or email. Executive Board positions consist of a two year commitment Co-Vice Presidents: and are designed to serve as the leadership of the organization. If you have board experience, or are interested in the helping to create the future direction of DSAA, this is just the volunteer opportunity for you. Morgan Allen Committee Members: DSAA offers a wide variety of committee chairmanships and committee membership opportu- [email protected] nities. Our standard committees include Social, Advocacy, Education, Grant Review, Public Relations, Membership and Fundraising. If you are fond of planning, coordinating and decision-making you should consider chairmanship of Diane Saliceti one of these committees. Individuals who chair the committee are a member of the Board of Directors and are asked [email protected] to attend the board meetings which occur 5 times per year. Whenever feasible, committee work is done via conference call and/or email. If you prefer to help with a specific short-term task, then you could volunteer to be a member of one Treasurer: of these committees. Jennifer Durden • Social: Plans the Holiday Party, Spring Luau, Valentine Dance and any other social activity for families and individuals with Down syndrome. [email protected] If you enjoy shopping at Party City or event planning, then this volunteer job is for you! • Advocacy: Identifies advocacy issues and reports these to the membership via newsletter articles and email alerts. Assists in community collaborations with other disability organizations. The Advocacy committee includes liaisons in the areas of education, health/medical Secretary: and employment. Emily Gilcreast • Education: Develops two conferences per year (Spring Workshop/Fall Workshop) and assists with planning the bi-annual State-wide [email protected] Conference. • Grant Review: Reviews all requests for money and presents recommendations to the board of directors. Newsletter: • Public Relations: Assists with all event promotion, membership email alerts, and correspondence to newsworthy events affecting families and individuals with Down syndrome. Rick Raschke • Membership: Assists with recruiting and implementing retention activities throughout the year. Assists with new member contacts and [email protected] support parent program. • Fundraising: Assists with any of our annual fundraising events such as the Golf Tournament, Buddy Walk, World of Wheels, Macy’s Shop for a Cause, Silent Auctions, or other fundraising activities. Committee Work Not For You? Then consider making a difference in your community by getting involved with a WANT TO KEEP Parent Network Group. If there is not already a group in your area, then consider starting a new group. Other short INFORMED OF ALL term opportunities include: Event Photographer, Mail-Outs, Writing Newsletter Articles, Website Updates, Administrative tasks, Volunteer Appreciation. The bottom line here is to get involved. I promise you will discover the real value of mem- DSAA EVENTS AND bership once you do. ANNOUNCEMENTS? Sincerely, Michelle Norweck Get on the DSAA Email List for Important Updates and Announcements right in your Inbox! Email Douglas Quinby at g [email protected] Networking Groups Hispanic / Latino Carroll County Gwinnett County Susy Martorell . 404.931.6619 Jennifer Turner. 256.568.9742 Shere’ Owens . 770.967.4775 Young Adults Cartersville South Fulton Evan Nodvin . 770.396.8056 Betty Schaaf. 770.383.9085 Cathy Webb. 770.969.0238 Megan Sydney . 770.491.0155 Cherokee County Macon / Bibb County Alpharetta Alyssa Allen . 770.517.9970 Kim Wright . 478.960.8597 Stefanie Baumblatt. 678.297.0992 Mandy Curlee . 478.405.6083 Karen Wise . 770.664.8141 Fayette / Coweta Counties Virginia Cook . 678.364.9131 Marietta / Cobb County Americus Nancy Millspaugh . 678.364.0158 Cara Henley Plugge . 678.560.4167 Valerie Moates . 229.924.4022 [email protected] Heard / Troup Counties Atlanta / Decatur / Tucker Pamela Jones . 706.675.1534 Rockdale / Newton County Valerie Harrison. 770.939.8489 Melissa Kendrick . 770.860.0485 North Fulton / South Forsyth Augusta Gay Hall . 678.455.9483 Rome Wanda Miller. 706.855.7440 Toni Puckett . 770.748.5037 If you are interested in starting a Parent Network Group in your area, please let us know at: [email protected] 2 Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta • www.AtlantaDSAA.org DSAAfrom front cover Family Pride — There isn’t a parent around that doesn’t want the best for their children, and parents of a child with a disability are no different. Yet when a child is fully included and she is the only child with a significant disability in her school, the social outcomes can be less than desirable. Too often children are alone with few friends and no one to hang out with. Jennifer Everett is a junior at Chattahoochee High School in Alpharetta, GA and like most girls wanted to go to Prom. She has always been “included” in school and so going wasn’t the issue but who to go with was. Her mother, Kathy asked her if she wanted to go with her sister, Sarah, a sophomore or a boy. Well, like most teenage girls, Jennifer quickly said a boy. Kathy quickly contacted a friend of Jennifer’s who enthusiastically said he would take her to Prom. This young man, Kyle Leighton is a Freshman at another school and yet he had no hesitation whatsoever about taking Jennifer to the dance. On August 5, 2007, Jacob Moore had his first piano concert for the Shriner’s Telethon in Rome, Georgia. Jacob performed seven songs including “Pop Goes the Weasel”, “Yankee Doodle”, etc. He wowed the audience that he had only been playing the piano since January of this year! Jacob has been receiving music therapy since he was 3 months old. Music has taught him everything from his first sign language signs to playing the bells and piano. Jacob was given an honorary Shriner pin to recognize his accomplishments. He has even been asked to perform again next year. The excitement built for both as they shopped for the beautiful gown and tuxedo. The night of the big event, their parents could not have been more proud of both of them for different reasons. They attended the dance at the Georgia Aquarium where they danced with each other and where Kyle made friends with some others while Jennifer danced with other friends from school. Kyle commented that Jennifer knows everyone at school from all of the differ- ent groups like jocks, Goths and Latinos. He loves her dearly and was so glad to see that so many other people love her, too. Jennifer was not too happy when the dance was over but Kathy knows that her Senior Prom will be just as exciting and fun for everyone. Music has opened up so many doors for Jacob and he has been able to show society his true potential given the right resources. We will keep you posted on Jacob’s upcoming concerts! DSAA • Inspiring strength, understanding, and success 3 The Emory Connection Cumming, GA The Down Syndrome Clinic: Resident to be Going Forward, Looking Back. a Bright Light in by Sallie B. Freeman, PhD, Department of Human Genetics Times Square ([email protected]) Present and Future Here are the latest statistics for the Emory Down Syndrome Clinic. From the clinic’s incep- tion in January 2003 through July 2007 we have seen 281 families. In addition to the initial visits, families are returning to clinic on a yearly basis (6 months basis for the first year), and we delight in watching the children whom we initially saw as infants grow into active toddlers and preschoolers with personalities of their own. Most of our families come from metropoli- tan Atlanta, but our uniqueness as a clinic specifically for children with Down syndrome means that we regularly draw families from more distant counties.