Posted on Tuesday 1st June 2010, 2:38pm by Betty Schoen
June 2010
Wow, I am marveling at what a difference a year makes. 2010 is almost half over, and it has been quite an amazing year so far for Down Syndrome Network (DSNetwork). We began the year by regrouping, after the stepping down of our Executive Director, Maureen Mills, for a career move. She did a great job for us, establishing a Strategic plan and formalizing our brand in Arizona.
We launched a new website with the help of the fabulous Tedeschi family, who have been so patient, with all of the changes and training that they have provided. If you haven’t checked it out yet, go see their fabulous work at www.dsnetworkaz.org.
We quickly rolled into February and our Spring Fling. Over 100 parents, children and volunteers made light work of finding over 1200 candy-filled eggs at Papago Park. It was a beautiful day and thanks to Wal-mart, we had enough candy and baskets for everyone. This was quickly followed by the Day of Beauty hosted by the Udall family and friends.
We successfully kicked off the Parents and Schools in Partnership program with nearly 40 School Districts attending the initial breakfast. Amy Allison from the Kansas City Down Syndrome Guild was the guest speaker and she created an amazing vision for the program that lit up the room. Thank so much to Laura Chapnek, who heard of the program 2 years ago and would not rest until she could establish it here. All of our children and their educators will be served by this exciting program.
Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH) held the second annual Medical Conference for Down syndrome. Over 200 people attended this informative event, which covered the latest advances for Ds in the medical field. The PCH doctors and staff were so approachable and friendly. A special thank you goes to Del Monte and Café Valley who Laura Chapnek convinced to donate the breakfast for the conference.
There have also been numerous education seminars, Mom’s night outs and Dough raising events. Janet Romo has been very busy, booking speakers and even delivering a How to Teach Reading seminar herself. Thank you to everyone who has been working to give us monthly events. We are really ramping up the West side events and Rose Yanez has been a true leader for that area.
We welcomed two new Board members, when Michele Fiorenza and Rosemary Yanez were voted onto the Board of Directors. We also established an Advisory Board, which will meet 2-3 times a year and provide a long term perspective for our Board of Directors. Thank you to everyone who is serving DSNetwork in those capacities.
The most recent change was the huge pile of boxes and papers that used to be called the DSNetwork office are gone. Michele Fiorenza and Lan Thomas-Galloway spent an entire week, organizing, re-arranging, carrying to storage, donating and decorating. The DSNetwork office has a new look, that is in keeping with the professional organization that we have become. We hope you will stop for the Open House on June 10th from 6-8 pm, to see the office and learn more about the Parents and Schools in Partnership program, as well as the other activities that are going on.
We have a very exciting second half of the year ahead, beginning with our calendar photo shoots in June, Weekend at Whispering Hope Ranch in July, August brings the Pool Party, our Step Up for Down Syndrome (SUDS) walk in October and finally the Holiday party in December. In between, we have a lot of educational events, social events and volunteer opportunities. If you want to know what is coming up, look at our new website, www.dsnetworkaz.org and the Calendar tab has the up-to-date schedule for the rest of the year. We would love to have you participate in any of the planning or preparation for our upcoming events. Come to the Open House and let us know how you would like to be involved.
My summer hours at the office are 1-5pm, so if you have any questions, or need more information about any of our activities, give me a call (480) 759-9150.
Warmest regards,
Tara Cash and the Board of Directors: Laura Chapnek, Steve Rivers, Stephanie Best, Krystal Corey, Karen Szilagyi, Michele Fiorenza, and Rosemary Yanez
DSNetwork
* Rethinking Autism Conference 4-8-10
Posted on Friday 12th February 2010, 6:25pm by Betty Schoen
SAVE THE DATE
April 8, 2010
Rethinking Autism Conference
This state-of-the art day-long conference will guide and challenge attendees to explore positive new ways of living and working with autism and appreciating neurodiversity.
The conference will feature:
Keynote Speaker: Anne Donnellan, PhD, a professor in the school of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego and Director for the University of San Diego Autism Institute.
-Plenary Sessions
-Interactive learning
-Breakout sessions include: Sensorimotor, Autism and Art, Communication, Self-Advocacy
Crowne Plaza Metro, Phoenix, AZ 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
Box Lunch Included with Registration
Registration and Exhibitor Information will be available at www.yapinc.org
Tolleson Union High School District holds FIRST Transition Fair!
Posted on Thursday 24th December 2009, 2:03pm by Betty Schoen
The Tolleson Union High School District is thrilled to announce its first annual Transition Fair. It will be held at Copper Canyon High School on Wednesday, February 3, 2010, from 4 - 7 p.m. Food and beverages will be provided for vendors.
The purpose of our fair is for all stakeholders such as rehabilitation counselors, CTT members, MHMR personnel, other service providers, transition administrators, students and their parents to come together to share and learn what is available to special services students during their high school years and beyond.
This event presents a wonderful opportunity to showcase your transition-related agency, program, services, teaching tools, brochures, and ideas.
Please read the attached flyer for transition fair information and contact Faith Andreasen to reserve a table at andreasenr@yahoo.com.
We look forward to seeing you at the fair ~
The Transition Fair Committee
Wow, I am marveling at what a difference a year makes. 2010 is almost half over, and it has been quite an amazing year so far for Down Syndrome Network (DSNetwork). We began the year by regrouping, after the stepping down of our Executive Director, Maureen Mills, for a career move. She did a great job for us, establishing a Strategic plan and formalizing our brand in Arizona.
We launched a new website with the help of the fabulous Tedeschi family, who have been so patient, with all of the changes and training that they have provided. If you haven’t checked it out yet, go see their fabulous work at www.dsnetworkaz.org.
We quickly rolled into February and our Spring Fling. Over 100 parents, children and volunteers made light work of finding over 1200 candy-filled eggs at Papago Park. It was a beautiful day and thanks to Wal-mart, we had enough candy and baskets for everyone. This was quickly followed by the Day of Beauty hosted by the Udall family and friends.
We successfully kicked off the Parents and Schools in Partnership program with nearly 40 School Districts attending the initial breakfast. Amy Allison from the Kansas City Down Syndrome Guild was the guest speaker and she created an amazing vision for the program that lit up the room. Thank so much to Laura Chapnek, who heard of the program 2 years ago and would not rest until she could establish it here. All of our children and their educators will be served by this exciting program.
Phoenix Children’s Hospital (PCH) held the second annual Medical Conference for Down syndrome. Over 200 people attended this informative event, which covered the latest advances for Ds in the medical field. The PCH doctors and staff were so approachable and friendly. A special thank you goes to Del Monte and Café Valley who Laura Chapnek convinced to donate the breakfast for the conference.
There have also been numerous education seminars, Mom’s night outs and Dough raising events. Janet Romo has been very busy, booking speakers and even delivering a How to Teach Reading seminar herself. Thank you to everyone who has been working to give us monthly events. We are really ramping up the West side events and Rose Yanez has been a true leader for that area.
We welcomed two new Board members, when Michele Fiorenza and Rosemary Yanez were voted onto the Board of Directors. We also established an Advisory Board, which will meet 2-3 times a year and provide a long term perspective for our Board of Directors. Thank you to everyone who is serving DSNetwork in those capacities.
The most recent change was the huge pile of boxes and papers that used to be called the DSNetwork office are gone. Michele Fiorenza and Lan Thomas-Galloway spent an entire week, organizing, re-arranging, carrying to storage, donating and decorating. The DSNetwork office has a new look, that is in keeping with the professional organization that we have become. We hope you will stop for the Open House on June 10th from 6-8 pm, to see the office and learn more about the Parents and Schools in Partnership program, as well as the other activities that are going on.
We have a very exciting second half of the year ahead, beginning with our calendar photo shoots in June, Weekend at Whispering Hope Ranch in July, August brings the Pool Party, our Step Up for Down Syndrome (SUDS) walk in October and finally the Holiday party in December. In between, we have a lot of educational events, social events and volunteer opportunities. If you want to know what is coming up, look at our new website, www.dsnetworkaz.org and the Calendar tab has the up-to-date schedule for the rest of the year. We would love to have you participate in any of the planning or preparation for our upcoming events. Come to the Open House and let us know how you would like to be involved.
My summer hours at the office are 1-5pm, so if you have any questions, or need more information about any of our activities, give me a call (480) 759-9150.
Warmest regards,
Tara Cash and the Board of Directors: Laura Chapnek, Steve Rivers, Stephanie Best, Krystal Corey, Karen Szilagyi, Michele Fiorenza, and Rosemary Yanez
DSNetwork