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Greetings!
You've heard the saying, "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." This month we look at the importance of building our support networks in the less challenging times so they're there when we need them. My recommended way to do that is to get yourself to some Interplay and you'll most likely find an instant community. 
This month we've taken InterPlay to college students at a Diversity and inclusion Conference, to persons in a Food and Friends meal program, and to elders at a senior center. Our experiences support what InterPlay co-founder, Cynthia Winton-Henry says, "InterPlay creates ease in complex times."
Next month we're offering a InterPlay Free Sample, and in May, a program to support professional helpers as they work with people whose lives are often especially tough. While visiting my son in California, I'll be sharing InterPlay at the Joshua Tree Retreat Center in Yucca Valley CA.
Hope to see you at one of these playful places.
Regards,
Sheila Collins
sheila@sheilakcollins.com
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When The Going Gets Tough
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A friend's back went out yesterday when she reached for something as she was getting dressed. Another friend's son is in the hospital, which is where he's needed to be for a long time. A male friend in his late 50's was laid off from his job. Bad things happen to good people, and there's often no way to prevent them.But in getting through the tough stuff, both large and small, most of us get by with the help of our friends. And for the sake of our friends, it helps if there's more than one or two of them. Touch times are times for collective action. When there's a circle of friends there's almost always someone who can respond to a specific  need without experiencing more than a bit of inconvenience. Relying on a single person runs the risk of leaving that person overloaded and impaired from their helper role. Organizations that provide resources for people in need and/or their caregivers are often focused on the needs of the frail elderly.
- The Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers of SWPA, an arm of Family Services of Western PA., helps people stay living independently in their homes yet feeling connected to the community. They train 400+ volunteers to provide non-medical services to 1000 elderly, assisting them with the tasks of daily living. http://www.ivcswpa.org/
- The national non-profit Children of Aging Parents aims to assist the nation's nearly 54 million caregivers of the elderly or chronically ill. Established in 1977 in Levittown, PA. the group provides caregivers with reliable information and sound advice. They also offer an online support group for those people who may be spending more years caring for elders in their families than they did caring for their own children. http://www.caps4caregivers.org/index.htm
- Mt. Lebanon Village, part of the Village Movement across the country, offers a new model of creating multigenerational connections, neighbor to neighbor.
 The concept originated as a grassroots effort in Boston's Beacon Hill in 2001. Since then 100 or so villages, in a neighbor-helping-neighbor system have sprouted in the U.S. Their goal of helping people to stay independent and living in the homes they love, is accomplished by building an intergenerational community of volunteers. People who volunteer now are building the community they may need to rely on in the future. http://www.wiseconnections.net/about-us/the-village-movement
The geographic dispersal of families has created a greater need for the support of friends and community in helping us make it through the touch stuff. Our InterPlay performance troupe, Wing & A Prayer Pittsburgh Players has been honored to participate annually in the Mt. Lebanon Village Games, helping to create the community on which the Village Model is based. We'll be using InterPlay to bring the generations together again this summer. The 2012 Mt. Lebanon Village Summer Games will take place Saturday June 23rd. http://mtlebanonvillage.org/ Sheila K. Collins � 2012
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| INTERPLAY FREE SAMPLE |
Easy, Fun, Life-Changing!
Come for a FREE SAMPLE of InterPlay's passionate, effective approach to changing your world. Treat your hard working self to some playful ease as you access your creative self in an affirming community. Find out why InterPlay's passionate playful approach has spread to over 60 cities on five continents.
Sunday, April 1, 2012 2 - 3:15 pm First United Methodist Church 5401 Centre Ave. (corner Aiken, Centre and Baum) Pittsburgh, PA. 15232 |
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Sheila K. Collins, PhD
Email Sheila: sheila@sheilakcollins.com
817-706-4967
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