new articles

I've posted links to some interesting articles in the SPD-Parents' Connection column to the right of this blog. One article is actually a letter (http://members.shaw.ca/dmastromatteo/index_files/Page438.htm), edited by me, but meant to be sent from my son to friends and relatives we'll be visiting over the holidays. The original letter was part of the package I received at the SENSORY WORKSHOPS: Building Skills for Parenting Your Sensational Child I attended in July of 2008. At that workshop, they also suggested memorizing an "elevator speech". Something you can easily verbalize to people who ask or need to know about your child's SPD. I wrote an elevator speech and decided to print it on business cards, so I could hand it to people when my mind goes blank. I've made a link to that speech at http://members.shaw.ca/dmastromatteo/index_files/Page424.htm.

I hope this will be helpful!

Have a wonderful Christmas!
Domenica
dmastromatteo@shaw.ca

Links

The Family Support Institute is pleased to announce a new initiative, http://www.supportworkercentral.com a BC-wide website where individuals or their families can create job profiles and connect with freelance support workers in their communities.

SPD Parents' Connections Meeting

The meeting will be held on November 28 at 2pm.
Please let me know if you will attend.
Please bring ideas on how you plan to get through the holidays....I have some handouts from the SPD Foundation....

SPD - Parent Connections Meeting

I would like to organize an informal gathering for November; preferably at "Munch" in North Vancouver, so those who can not find babysitters can bring their children. Children play free; but purchasing at least a coffee is greatly appreciated. The owner is wonderful and willing to set aside some space for us.

We will discuss the following:
1. How this parent connection could best support all of us
2. ideas on how to get through the holidays
3. best meeting times and places for next meetings

Friday nights and Saturday afternoons are best for me, but I am willing to look at other days and times. Assuming, Saturdays are good for everyone, I set up a poll to find out the best date and time in November. Please take some time to fill it out.

Thanks!
Domenica

Sensory Showtime Event

Thanks to everyone who attended the event and special thanks to all the sponsors who donated funds, time, and prizes!

I am still accepting donations, but to date, we have raised $4,306.60 and I am told $10,000.00 is in the mail.

Prizes available at Sensory Showtime

Books, CD, chocolate baskets from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, gift certificate for 4Cats Arts studio for kids.

Mark your calendars

Mark your calendars!

SENSORY SHOWTIME

Friday, October 16 2009

6pm.

Admission is free.

The Community Meeting Room - Lynn Valley Main Library

(located at 1277 Lynn Valley Road)

For additional information, contact Domenica Mastromatteo at 604-961-4275 or dmastromatteo@shaw.ca.

Volunteer Positions

The Following Volunteer Positions are needed for SENSORY SHOWTIME!

Volunteers are Needed to:

• Post Flyers in Schools, Libraries, Community Centres, Daycares, Medical centres, coffee shops, etc.
• Email a flyer to everyone on your email list and to any organization that may be interested.
• Preparing donation envelopes (about 200 envelopes need to be stuffed)
• Distributing and collecting donation envelopes
• Solicit sponsors (letter available)
• solicit parents to share their story (a form will be available on this blog for parents to sign into).
• tech person to set up projector, screen and audio
• ushers (usherettes?) to welcome visitors at the event and help them to a seat.
• collecting donations at the event

Check the blog regularly for upcoming links to flyers, solicitation letter, surveys, and inventory of door prizes!

Thanks!

DOMENICA

dmastromatteo@shaw.ca

SENSORY SHOWTIME - Volunteer Meeting Agenda

The meeting will be held at 10am on Saturday August 22nd at
Munch Family Restaurant
143 – 1233 Lynn Valley Rd,North Vancouver, BC, V7J 2A1
http://www.munchmunch.ca/

Agenda:
Discuss volunteer activities
Assign volunteers to each activity
Discuss venue ideas
Schedule another meeting

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers Needed for the Following:

Media & Advertising:

Flyers (template to come)
List of places to leave or hang flyers
Newspaper ads
Radio
TV
Press-release (to come)

Donation Committee:
Keep track of donations, funds coming in
Prepare, distribute and collect donation forms


Solicit sponsors:

Sample sponsor solicitation letter included
Information sheet about SPD foundation included
Donation is exchange for free Promotion at the event
Decide what kind of free promotion
Organize the free promotion
Donate products for a draw (check legal term in our area)
Donate products to sell in goodie bags
Donate service?


Fundraising:
Silent Auction
Sell Goodie bags

Wall of Fame:
Organize wall of fame
Solicit parents to share their story

SENSORY SHOWTIME Volunteer Meeting

SENSORY SHOWTIME Volunteer Meeting

The meeting will be held at 10am on Saturday August 22nd at

Munch Family Restaurant
143 – 1233 Lynn Valley Rd,North Vancouver, BC, V7J 2A1
http://www.munchmunch.ca/

The restaurant is in the Lynn Valley Town Centre at the corner of Lynn Valley Road and Mountain highway. Chosen so you don’t need to worry about babysitters; bring your children and they can play nearby in the stunning children’s play area. Playtime at Munch is always FREE; but since we will be there during mid-morning drop-in, please remember to purchase at least a small coffee. Which, by the way, is delicious!

Please let me know if you would like to volunteer, but can not attend the meeting. I will email you the agenda and list of suggestions on how you may help.

Thanks!

SENSORY SHOWTIME - volunteers needed

In October, I will be hosting SENSORY SHOWTIME, an awareness weekend featuring “Autistic-Like: Graham’s Story,” a touching documentary about one dad’s struggle to help his son, and a short video about (sensory processing disorder) SPD and the SPD Foundation. We hope to have local families share their personal stories, and plan to conduct fundraising activities.

We will be one of 75 international venues coordinating a Showtime event in October during (US) National Sensory Awareness month. The goal is to raise general awareness of SPD and funds to help underwrite the final push for recognition of SPD in the 2012 revision of the DSM.

To make this public service activity possible, I am asking you to help me by sending this post to anyone who may be interested in volunteering for this event. Please consider volunteering yourself. A meeting of volunteers will take place on Saturday August 22nd, during the first SPD – Parent Connections meeting. The place and time are still to be determined, but all information will be posted on the following blog: http://sensationalchildren.blogspot.com/. All people interested can send me a comment via the sensational children blog or email me at dmastromatteo@shaw.ca.
Thanks for your time and participation in this sensational event.

SPD - Parent Connections

SPD - Parent Connections coming to North Vancouver soon!

Welcome to Holland

Today was a rough day....sometimes, I forget that my son has special needs....I let his home therapies slide....we spend our days doing "normal" things instead of all the things we should be doing....all the things that help us keep on track....we slack off....and inevitably, everything goes to hell and all I could do is cry and wish I was in Italy....

I read "Welcome to Holland" by Emily Perl Kingsley and I cry some more. Eventually, I will get up and start again....this time, keeping everything right on track.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND
by Emily Perl Kingsley.c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......When you're going to have a baby, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip - to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, "Welcome to Holland.""Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up for Italy! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed of going to Italy."But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Holland and there you must stay.The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just a different place.So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.It's just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That's what I had planned."And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away... because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ... about Holland.

copied from the following link: http://www.our-kids.org/Archives/Holland.html