| President’s Message
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Remember the folk tale about the cobbler’s children. They all
ran around barefoot because their father who was a shoe cobbler was too
busy to make them shoes.
Well that pretty much portrays my recent experience with our family
computer over the last couple of months. It is actually pretty
embarrassing to acknowledge the procrastination on my part to put some
basic processes in place to protect our family computer from disruptive
internet viruses and insure that basic recovery procedures are in place.
I mention this in case you have been wondering why the dsat.org web
site has been without major updates over the recent couple of months.
But all is prevailing at the home front now with basic computer functions
restored to normal operations. So get back into the habit of
checking the site for updates and current information.
The organization continues to demonstrate lots of activity and excitement
as the 2001 calendar project is under development and the Fall 2000 conference
are tagged as major events for the year.
These events and projects typify our strength as an organization.
We continue to need volunteers in all areas of service. Please look
for an area that you might consider helping out in as we explore new opportunities
together.
With the summer about half way gone it won’t be long before school
starts up again.
You won’t want to miss the next meeting on the options of home schooling
our special needs children with Valerie Campbell as our speaker.
Something else to consider half gone is this year. Already we
have celebrated the Fourth of July and preparing for our daughter, Ellen’s
6th birthday on the 21st of this month. Shelley and I are continuing
to be thankful in the progress made with Ellen’s bathroom training.
But, not to be content in little progresses, my new found frustration is
my inept ability to distinguish between Ellen’s true limitations and her
ability to swindle me into situations not typical for my true colors.
In other words one side of me gives favor to her delayed mental capacity
while the other side of me feels that she is smarter than wants to let
on to be in fear that she would lose that favor as earlier mentioned.
Does anybody know what I’m talking about here or am I just misinterpreting
the delayed development process versus our children’s actual challenge
of authority and independent living practices. Stay tuned as I issue
other opportunities for feedback on experiences of dealing with a six-year
old child with Down syndrome.
As I contemplate the challenges and sacrifices that we have with Ellen,
I am reminded of the story of sacrifice one mother had for her baby that
was born healthy, except he did not have the fleshy part of what we call
ears. He could hear fine, he just had no ears. The doctor said
that when the boy was grown and a donor was found, he could have surgery.
In school he was often teased and called a freak, but his parents helped
him overcome it. In college, his dad called to tell him that a donor
had been found. The operation changed his life and he began a successful
career. Then one day his dad called to tell him his mom had suddenly
died. He returned home to view his mom. His dad reached down
and brushed back her hair and the son saw for the first time that his mom
had no ears. His dad said, “She made me promise never to tell you,
but she was your donor. Your ears are the ones she gave you.”
Likewise, all we have is a gift from someone.
Tracey Wilson
DSAT President
E-mail
Tracey
Wilson
OUR NEXT MEETING
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July 20 at 7:00PM
Homeschooling
Our speaker will be Valerie Campbell on homeschooling your special
needs child. We all homeschool our children in some form or fashion so
even if you are not ready to take it on full time, this meeting will offer
valuable resources about different methods and materials that every parent
can use.
May Recap
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May Recap- Tracey Wilson spent a lot of time and effort preparing and
setting up for our meeting about surfing the web. His brother Gary
was also instrumental in our internet meeting. Thanks Tracey &
Gary! We hope the meeting gave you a glimpse into the many great
Down syndrome websites.
Mom’s Night Out
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Our June Mom’s night out was great fun. The Bunko was spirited and
filled with lots of laughs. Kimberly Myers was our gracious host.
Mom’s night out is a great way to connect with other mothers, have fun,
and most of all RELAX... without the pitter patter of little feet (or not
so little feet!)
Conference
Update
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Plans are well underway for the Oklahoma Down Syndrome Conference
we will be sponsoring on October 27 & 28. Committees are
forming now. We want to make this a conference we can be proud of.
We want the opportunity for families from all over the state to meet.
We want to provide current information in all areas of raising a child
with Down Syndrome. We will also have a health screening during the
conference. We want professionals in the community to become more
aware of the opportunities now available to people with disabilities.
Don’t miss this chance to help us make a difference. October is DS
Awareness Month. Let’s all make an effort to create positive awareness
of Down syndrome.
June Recap
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Curtis Shacklett, Attorney at law, talked to us about getting our affairs
in order. He explained the differences between wills, estates and
trusts. This was one of our most well attended meetings and rightfully
so. Whether your child is young or old these are issues that need
to be resolved. Thank you Curt for giving all of us a lot of thought
provoking information.
2001 Calendar
Update
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The 2001 Calendar project has stepped up into high gear. As you
read this newsletter we are feverishly completing 13 photo shoots in the
month of July. Les Petersen, our devoted photographer has been working
at a fast pace. His health has greatly improved and his enthusiasm
for this project is visible. He has once again donated all of his
time to DSAT for our calendar and also ALL of the film and processing.
We are so grateful for his enormous gift.
Our dream this year is to get the printing of the calendar at a reduced
rate or (ideally) donated. This was our biggest expense last year.
Like last year we are also seeking sponsors for each page of the calendar.
If you know of a company that would be interested in either printing our
calendar or sponsoring a page please contact us. This is a great
way for companies to help out a charitable organization and get their name
seen.
Calendar Questions? Please DO NOT call Les. You can call Lynette
Lambert (918) 682-6634 or Kim Wofford 622-6906 for any questions regarding
the calendar.
We Need Your Help!
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New Meeting Location
The good news: Our active membership has more than doubled over
the last year. The bad news: we have outgrown the Special Olympics
building. The people at Special Olympics have always been so generous in
allowing us to use their facility for our meetings at no expense to DSAT.
However we are in desperate need for a larger meeting area. We are
looking for a church or business that will allow us to use their facility.
What we need: Availability on the third Thursday of every month,
access to a large meeting room and gym (for kids) or 2 or three large
meeting areas. If you know of an organization that would like to
help, please call Tracey Wilson at 288-7719.
Caregiver Coordinator
We need your help: We are looking for a member to volunteer
to call our caregivers about a week before each meeting and also help to
build our caregiver database by contacting high schools and colleges in
the Tulsa area. We feel it is beneficial to everyone when we bring
in people form the community to interact with our kids. This is a
position that will take 1 hour a month and be of great help to the officers
of the group. If you are willing to be our “Caregiver coordinator”
please call Kim Wofford 622-6906.
Newsletter Spotlight
We need your input. We would love to have more info for the newsletter;
a cute story, school or sport successes, dates of interesting meetings,
seminars, or conferences. If you find it entertaining or interesting,
someone else will too. So call Kim Wofford at 622-6906 and help us
personalize this newsletter.
Also, if you have any information to be included in the newsletter,
please contact Kim Wofford 622-6906 and share this with her. Our next publication
will be in early September.
Thank You!
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Dues Paid
Virginia Baldridge Keith & Beth Case
Robby & Lisa Walkingstick Lynda Hendrick
Kristen Pope
Booking Speakers
Laura Smith Karen Baker
Caregivers for
May & June meetings
Alfie Smith Kim Wofford
Erin Beach Hannah Edgemon
John Wofford
2001 Calendar
Les Petersen, Petersen’s Photography
Parent Packet
Profiles
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As you may recall, we are also in the process of updating our
parent packets. The one that we just love had personal letters/profiles
from parents, friends, grandparents, as well as photos of the children.
We are seeking profiles and have two already, but we need many more. So
help us help those new folks out there and call Karen Baker to get more
details on how your child can be an inspiration to those parents who have
just been given the news that their baby has DS.
It’s not too late to pay your yearly dues. Dues are 20.00 and can be
mailed to DSAT, P.O. Box 54877, Tulsa, OK 74155.
Reminders:
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Mom’s Night Out
TBA
A scrapbooking event. We will take a break from bunko and work
on some wonderful photo pages. Details in the August postcard!
Monthly Meetings
7:00 PM
July 20th Homeschooling Ideas
curriculum resources & learning aids
August 17th Transition Issues
From high school to the work force
September 21st Bit by Bit- Horseback Therapy
November 16th Young Adult and Parent Panel
December 9th Christmas Party
Location and time to be announced.
DSAT Conference
October 27th & 28th
Louise Tucker Jones, coauthor of Extraordinary Kids and well-known
orator will be our keynote speaker. Mark your calendars now, you
will not want to miss this one!
For The Most Up To Date Information Visit:
http://www.dsat.org
Urgent
July Needs
New Meeting Place Caregiver coordinator
Sponsors for calendar Conference volunteers
Come and be a part of this exciting time at DSAT!
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