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News From the Heart
November 2011 | |
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New at FND!
We have launched our new website. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, visit www.fndusa.org now. We hope that you will find the new website easier to navigate and more interactive.
We have also launched our new e-learning system, FND University. Click here to self-register
and get started!
FND University is a 24-hour, online distance learning system that allows you to take a variety of trainings from the comfort of your home at times that are convenient for you. This fully interactive training platform enables you to keep a transcript of all of your courses. You can stop a course and come back to it where you left off. You can also receive a certificate as you complete each course. Trainings include pop-up quizzes, final tests, and evaluations so that you can keep track of your learning progress. Course topics include: Juvenile Justice and IDEIA, 504 Plans, From IEP to IPE, Conflict Resolution, Transition from School to Community, Helping with Homework, Stress Management, and more!
We are still working on streamlining our listservs so that you will not receive numerous emails from FND in one day. You will receive this monthly e-newsletter and perhaps one or two informational emails each week that include important announcements, legislative updates, etc. as they occur. Current listserv members will be moved to the new system upon launch.
We are very excited to be able to offer these improved services to you. Stay tuned for additional information!
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Dia del Nino
Dia del Nino was held on Saturday, October 8, 2011 at Clewiston High School in Clewiston. FND would like to thank everyone who participated. A very special thank you goes out to Hendry County ESE Director, Jeffrey Caulkins, and the staff and students at Clewiston High School. The families had a fun and informational day thanks to you and those listed below:
Hendry County School Board
Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA)
FDLRS
Osbourne Books
Joshua and his Art
First Steps
Popeye's Chicken and Biscuits
KFC
Hungry Howies
Seacoast Bank
Ken Stanchi
Hendry County Mental Health Department
Radio Fiesta
Harlem Academy
If you were unable to attend, but would like information about this event, Parents Educating Parents in the Community (PEP) or any of FND's other projects, please contact the Central Office at (800) 825-5736 or email fnd@fndusa.org.
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| Youth Advocacy and Action Project of FND
The Youth Advocacy and Action Project of FND is a youth leadership program that is aimed at developing advocacy and leadership skills among youth with disabilities to help them improve their lives and their communities. FND was able to launch this project due to the generosity of the Starbucks Foundation through the award of a Starbucks™ Shared Planet™ Youth Action Grant. Through this project, FND provides training in advocacy to youth with disabilities, who then put those skills into practice by advocating for themselves and for improvement in their communities.
The first students (over 100 of them) to participate in the Youth Advocacy and Project of FND have recently completed The Successful Road to Transition Training, a six-module lesson plan to help with transition planning and self-advocacy. These students will soon be planning their community service projects in Broward and Sarasota Counties.
Starbucks is also helping these students by hosting donation drives at their 86 locations between Orlando and St. Petersburg. They will be asking their loyal customers to donate items such as wallets, pens, USB drives, gently used business clothes, and other important items that will help these youth get started on their way to success. The drive runs from now until November 20, 2011 so if you live in that region, we ask that you visit your local Starbucks and support both Starbucks and these youth with disabilities.
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Children's Week
Children's Week is a broad-based promotion of children and family issues in Florida and has been taking place in Tallahassee for the past 17 years. Next year, Children's Week will be January 29 through February 1, 2012.
Prior to Children's Week, on January 19, 2012, Family Network on Disabilities' Executive Director, Richard La Belle, will be conducting an online legislative advocacy presentation designed to teach how to effectively communicate with legislators and policymakers.
Click here to see a complete list of events and register for the advocacy training.
We will be hosting a local event from 1:00 pm until 4:00 pm on Saturday, November 12, 2011, at the Greater Palm Harbor YMCA. We are partnering with the YMCA and The Disability Achievement Center to bring you an afternoon of free food and fun activities that promote disability awareness. We will be joined by FAAST, the Palm Harbor Library, the Boy Scouts and more. Come spend the afternoon with us gathering information and having fun.
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Mentoring to Achieve
Think about the people who helped you to become community and business leaders. Think about how you can pass on your experience and knowledge to others. For example, you may mentor young people who are transitioning from school to the workforce, or help experienced, unemployed workers in need of a different career, or assist people who want to change careers.
Mentoring has proven to be a tangible advantage to businesses. Participation in a mentoring program requires no capital expenditure and provides a positive and caring community image. Allowing your employees to mentor raises morale. Employees feel energized when they talk about their work. Increasingly, businesses maintain formal mentoring programs to provide community service, recruit new employees, and develop talent within the organization.
The Disability Achievement Center recognizes the multitude of benefits to both mentors and mentees and will coordinate the match between each business mentor and each mentee. Mentoring to Achieve provides the opportunity for any individual in West Pasco County to spend time at local businesses. When interested individuals inquire, The Disability Achievement Center will match the needs of the mentee by contacting a local employer. The mentor and mentee then set the time for the meeting.
Contact Jan Piper at 727-742-5968 or JanetteP@DisabilityAchievementCenter.org and let them know if your business is interested in providing mentoring opportunities. There is no obligation. When they have someone interested in your available jobs they will put the two of you together. The time, place, and duration of the mentoring experience are all at the company's discretion. We look forward to hearing about the positive impact mentoring brings to your business and to the mentee.
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Thank You
As the calendar year comes to a close, we at FND want to thank you for continuing to think of us whether you are seeking assistance or making a donation.We are here to serve you and your families.
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