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NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
May 2011
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Greetings!
The skies open and we are blessed with long-needed rains ... The doors at McCarthy's opened April 9 and we were blessed with a record number of members and friends sharing fun time and bidding on a bounty of baskets. The increased number of and diversity among our Springfest attendees resulted in record Springfest fundraising: $3000! And what great fun it was to catch up with friends at the two-hour social host Tim McCarthy and his staff provided! If you enjoyed Springfest, calendar Saturday, August 13, and plan to stop at Summerfest between 1-6:30PM at Pitchers Sports Bar and Restaurant at Mexico and Chambers Roads in Aurora. Summerfest activities include a chili cookoff, talent show, HulaHoop contest, dessert-off and silent auction. Details will be included in future newsletters or are available from me in the office. The Arc of Aurora members will have the opportunity to brush up on or even learn a couple of country dances June 17 --- See the note under Members' Corner for more details. My cowboy boots are eagerly awaiting their debut on the all-access dance floor -- see you there, Pard'ner! A new season of the year; a new look for The Arc. Spring rains, warm sunshine, and flowers again in our world; individual and systems change advocacy still from The Arc of Aurora. Things change yet stay the same... Thus it is with The Arc of Aurora. We have adopted the new look championed by The Arc of the United States and The Arc of Colorado (both with whom we are affiliated with yet independent of), but our mission to provide individual and systems change advocacy with and for people with developmental disabilities and their families remains steadfastly strong. Springtime - or ANYtime - is a great time to be a member of The Arc of Aurora! Contact your advocate or me at the office, 720.213.1420, to renew your membership. Jean Solis, Director of Marketing and Development |
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Policy Profile
Coalition Formed to Advocate for Coloradans with Developmental Disabilities
April 20, 2011, Denver -- In order to bring attention to and remedy the major issues facing adults and children with developmental disabilities (DD) and their families in Colorado, all 20 community centered boards (CCBs) in the state have joined together to form the Colorado Coalition of DD Leadership.
Community centered boards, or CCBs, are nonprofit organizations authorized by the state to provide community services to children and adults with developmental disabilities. Each CCB is responsible for serving the population within certain counties and metro areas in Colorado.
Also joining the Colorado Coalition of DD Leadership are more than 50 service agencies that provide residential and day program services for individuals with developmental disabilities throughout the state. The Colorado Coalition of DD Leadership will advocate for children and adults with disabilities and their families on legislation, social awareness, funding and other DD issues. "The coalition will speak with one voice in efforts to advocate for Colorado citizens who are most vulnerable and in need of developmental disability services," stated David Ervin, President of CCB Partners and Executive Director of The Resource Exchange, the CCB serving El Paso and Teller Counties. "It is critical to bring attention to the suffering of individuals and families whose lives have been harmed by decisions to cut or eliminate DD services," stated Mike Acuna, Director of the Pueblo area CCB Colorado Bluesky Enterprises and President of Alliance, a membership association for CCBs and Service Providers.
To learn more about CCB Partners, visit www.ccbpartners.org or call (303) 341-038 or to learn more about Alliance, visit www.alliancecolorado.org or call (303) 832-1618.
NOTE: As of the press release date, no formal advocacy group including The Arcs had been asked to join or participate in the new coalition. The Arc of Colorado executive director Marijo Rymer is pursuing more information about this new leadership coalition. |
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Hot Topic
5-MINUTE SCREEN IDENTIFIES SUBTLE SIGNS OF AUTISM IN 1-YEAR OLDS
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/autism-spectrum-disorders-pervasive-developmental-disorders/index.shtml
A five-minute checklist that parents can fill out in pediatrician waiting rooms may someday help in the early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health.
Identifying autism at an early age allows children to start treatment sooner, which can greatly improve their later development and learning. The questionnaire asks caregivers about a child's use of eye gaze, sounds, words, gestures, objects and other forms of age-appropriate communication. Any child who failed the screen was referred for further testing and was re-evaluated every six months until age three.
Out of 10,479 infants screened, 32 were identified as having ASD. After excluding for late onset and regression cases, this is consistent with current rates that would be expected at 12 months, according to the researchers. When including those identified as having language delay, developmental delay, or some other form of delay, the brief screen provided an accurate diagnosis 75 percent of the time.
Following the screen, all toddlers diagnosed with ASD or developmental delay and 89 percent of those with language delay were referred for behavioral therapy. On average, these children were referred for treatment around age 17 months in comparison to theaverage age of 5.7 years (68.4 months) of age, with treatment beginning sometime later. |
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The Rest of the Story
MANY THANKS to City of Aurora Victim Witness Liaison Betty House for hosting a fun and informative Court: What Is It? What Does It Mean? training on April 13 as part of our National Crime Victims' Rights' Week activities. We LOVED having access to and being able to sit in all of the different seats (especially the judge's!) in an empty courtroom!
The Arc of the United States' National Convention will be held in Denver in September 2011. Look for information about attending and volunteering over thesummer. Having our national convention in town offers each of us a unique, more affordable opportunity to see our organization's governing body at work. Watch for member-only scholarship opportunities to attend.
Final Results of the National "Natural Support Survey" and a Call for Research by Denver C Fox, Ed.D. and parent, are available. Very informal survey of 491 respondents.
Looking for some easy, free summer fun? On Havana Street (former Buckingham Mall area) offers unique experiences in dining, shopping and living for everyone. Their events are family-oriented:
How to Prune Roses - May 7, 2PM
Concert: Old Skool Country Rock Band, May 24, 6-8PM
Car Show and Poker Run - June 18, 3-9PM
Farmers' Market - June 20 - October 24, 10AM - 3PM
Concert: Six Foot Joe and The Red Hot Rhinos, June 21, 6-8PM
Colorado Community Church (CCC) will be hosting "A Night to Remember," a free red carpet gala prom for adults with special needs (age 18 and over). CCC will be serving 104 guests from the Denver Metro area. If you know any adults with special needs who have never attended a prom before, please contact them to see if they would be interested in attending. They have donations of formal wear and alterationsavailable prior to the event. During the event, they will have chaperones and a pampering room with assistants available.
Date: Saturday, May 14, 2011 Time: 5:30-9:30 pm Where: Colorado Community Church, 3651 S. Colorado Blvd. Englewood, CO 80113 RSVP: ASAP to Jim Galanaugh, 303-256-2888, jgalanaugh@coloradocommunitychurch.org |
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Members' Corner
 Calling the Country Western in you! Oh, come on - we all have it!!! Friday, June 17 from 4-7 you can get your country on: fajita bar and other snacks, soft drinks, 2 dance lessons, pool tables, happy hour priced beverages. All of this will happen at the Stampede Mesquite Grill & Dance Emporium, 2430 South Havana St., Aurora 80014. The event is free to members and their friends but RSVPs are required - call or email Jean at 720.213.1420 or jsarcaurora@aol.com by June 12 with your name, phone number and the number in your party. Jean can also answer any questions you have. We will send an email invitation out later this month. Bandanas and cowboy boots optional!
Parents' Support Group -- Board member and parent Myrrena Schwegmann is facilitating the next parents' support group meeting on Tuesday, June 14, 2011, from 9:30-11AM at The Arc of Aurora office. Questions or RSVP to Myrrena at 303.750.4598 by June10.
Food Pantry -- The Arc of Aurora maintains a small food pantry with nonperishable food and personal hygiene items. Many of the pantry's supplies come from the arc Thrift Stores; generous members and friends also contribute. Call your advocate to access the food pantry or Jean to donate to it.
Free Printer - A member donated an Epson Stylus CX3810 printer with a couple black and colored ink cartridges that is free for the taking. The donor upgraded her printer and said that this Epson works well -- her family just no longer needs it. If you would like to take a look at the printer to help insure compatibility with your computer, contact Jean at the office. First come, first served.
Want to receive The Arc of Aurora newsletter monthly versus just every other month? As part of our efforts to best manage the organization's resources, we publish our print newsletter every other month. In order to receive a monthly newsletter, we need your email address. Send Jean an email asking to be added to the newsletter email list: jsarcaurora@aol.com. |
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Spotlight On...
...Our Youth Corps: Christopher Litwin, Matthew Litwin, Alex Ryan, Jack Ryan, Meghan Lee, Tyler Rosanova
You've heard it said before - Ah, youth! The Arc of Aurora benefits greatly from the contributions of its youth volunteers. Christopher and Matthew helped with Springfest preparations and spruced up our office's outside property. Alex acquires silent auction items for our fundraising events. Jack landscaped the front of our office for his Eagle Scout Project. Meghan, our personal webmaster, increased our social network connectivity via Facebook, Twitter and youtube. Tyler spruced up the back of our office building as his Eagle Scout Project. All of these efforts ultimately benefit people with developmental disabilities and their families -- Cheers to our reliable, dependable, giving youth corps! Thank you. |
 Did you know that the majority of The Arc of Aurora's annual operating budget comes from a portion of the proceeds from the sale of items donated to the arc Thrift Stores? Call 303.238.5263 to schedule a pickup of your gently used items and help The Arc of Aurora! |
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The Arc of Aurora is a membership association that provides individual and systems change advocacy thorough information and referral; community education; and individual, family and class support for and with people with developmental disabilities and their families.
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