The Arc of Whatcom County

PARENT COALITION E-ALERT

February 2014

IN THIS ISSUE

Early Childhood Conference

Special OIympics

SSA Information

Social Security Workshop

RESOURCES

Upcoming Events

Legislative Action Center

Programs

ELECTED OFFICIALS

FEDERAL

Sen. Maria Cantwell

cantwell.senate.gov

(202)224-3441

Sen. Patty Murray

murray.senate.gov

(202)224-2621

1st District

Rep. Suzan Delbene

delbene.house.gov

(202) 225-6311

2nd District

Rep. Rick Larsen

http://larsen.house.gov/

(202)225-2605

STATE

42nd District

Sen. Doug Ericksen

ericksen.doug@leg.wa.gov

(360)786-7682

Rep. Vincent Buys

buys.vincent@leg.wa.gov

(360)786-7854

Rep. Jason Overstreet

overstreet.jason@leg.wa.gov

(360)786-7980

40th District

Sen. Kevin Ranker

ranker.kevin@leg.wa.gov

(360)786-7678

Rep. Kristine Lytton

lytton.kristine@leg.wa.gov

(360)786-7800

Rep. Jeff Morris

morris.jeff@leg.wa.gov

(360)786-7970

MAILING LIST

We hope you are enjoying the sunshine despite the cold temps!

The Arc's February newsletter is on the way to your mailbox. To view online, click here.

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact Monica: 360-715-0170, ext. 303 or monicab@arcwhatcom.org.

Sincerely,
The Arc of Whatcom Team

INFANT & EARLY CHILDHOOD CONFERENCE

Infant and Early Childhood Conference

May 7 - 9, 2014

Greater Tacoma Convention Center

Tacoma, WA

The annual conference will offer a wide variety of topics covering every aspect of early childhood education, including more than 125 different sessions with a blend of local, regional and national speakers. The conference provides high quality, evidenced-based workshops, and networking opportunities for families and providers to come together to learn, share and advocate on behalf of all young children. Participants may earn CLOCK HOURS or STARS credits. Parents and childcare providers may be eligible for a scholarship or reimbursement to attend.

For additional information and to register go here: www.ieccwa.org

SPECIAL OLYMPICS BELLINGHAM

NEEDS YOUR HELP

Message from LaVonne Olsen with Special Olympics:

We are in desperate need of soccer coaches and volunteers for Special Olympics Bellingham. We may have to cancel the season without help, which would be really disappointing.

Practices are Saturdays starting March 29th - through May 4th (regional tournament.) The season may extend slightly longer if we make it to the state tournament. We can be a little flexible if you can't come to every practice.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE - for many of these athletes this is the only recreation or physical activity they get! You don't even have to be great at soccer, just great with our athletes! We can teach you enough to get the soccer part covered.

This is a desperate plea for help. We have worked six years to resurrect this program, we hate to watch it fade away for lack of volunteers and coaches. Call me (LaVonne Olsen) 360-927-5233 if you're interested!

INFORMATION FROM SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION
Attached is a notice from the Social Security Administration regarding important changes to benefit letter requests and social security number letter requests. 2014 SSA Service Changes

SOCIAL SECURITY 101 WORKSHOP

Monday, March 10

5:30-7:30pm

St. Lukes Health Education Center

3333 Squalicum Parkway, Bellingham

Presented by the Whatcom County Health Department, this free workshop is designed for families and caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities. Topics to include:

Benefits and why you should apply
Basic differences between disability benefits
How employment can work with benefits
Work incentives and other resources
Common pitfalls
Reporting and other requirements

For more information on the training, click here. RSVP is requested. Please contact Vicki: vmcclure@co.whatcom.wa.us or (360) 676-6724 ext. 32014
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PLEASE NOTE: The information contained in this email is for informational purposes only and should be evaluated by each recipient for content accuracy and applicability. Some articles are provided only to educate about a variety of perspectives on issues. It is not intended to represent the viewpoint of The Arc of Whatcom County.