In preparation for National Caregiver Month (November), WisconSibs, Inc is participating in the Wisconsin Family and Caregiver Support Alliance (WFACSA) You Might Be a Caregiver If… campaign to raise awareness of the needs of caregivers.
Click ‘Upload image’ in upper right hand corner with a little cloud icon and select a picture from your computer to upload
Click the yellow box that says “Click here or drag an image here” and select the picture you just uploaded.
In the “Top Text” box, type in “You Might Be A Caregiver When”
In the “Bottom Text” box, type in your response
Then click the green box that states “Make the Meme”
Then right click and select either ‘copy image’ and paste in email and send to me; or select “save image as” and save to your computer, then attach it to an email and send it to [email protected]
This Special Anniversary Edition of SibNews features Ben and his sister, Amanda. Ben has been active with WisconSibs since practically the beginning and shares how the organization and the siblings he’s met has made a difference in his life.
Plus, LOTS OF PHOTOS from our 20th Anniversary Celebration and some of the amazing treasures found in the Time Capsule that siblings created 20 years ago at one of the first Sibshops.
Harriet Redman with Amanda Upton 2017 Sibling’s Choice Award. Nominated by Charlotte and Eleanor Woeflel and presented by Former WI Governor Martin J. Schreiber
Caregivers. Most siblings don’t see themselves that way. But the fact is that nearly EVERYBODY in the U.S., regardless if they are a sibling or not:
– has been a caregiver for a family member.
– currently is a caregiver for a family member.
– will be a caregiver for a family member.
This month, WisconSibs CELEBRATE caregivers…those people who may help a family member get to the doctor, make a meal, clean their home, shovel their sidewalks, drive them to church, take them grocery shopping, balance their checkbook, pay their bills, pick out their daily clothing, help them eat, use the bathroom, get ready for bed, take their meds ….WHATEVER the care needed, they are there.
Lori Moy, 2017 Sibling’s Choice Award winner, with brother Jon and family.
This year, WisconSibs, inc was honored to award the 9th annual Sibling’s Choice Awards to Amanda Upton and Lori Moy. These two women represent nearly 600,000 caregivers in Wisconsin who devote over 500 million hours of unpaid care to loved ones. READ MORE about them
More recently,WisconSibs, Inc has joined forces with other disability and aging agencies throughout Wisconsin to form the Wisconsin Family Caregiver Support Alliance. This group has many projects for 2018 to support caregivers. READ MORE
The feature story is about Katie and Kristie Carlsen, sisters who live together and really help one another get through life. While not originally what either of them planned, they are having a great time living in the community together. Read about what it takes to be a caregiver sister and the rewards they both enjoy.
Other news includes:
Tips for Caregivers Sibs
A Letter of Thanks from an Adult with Disabilities to Her Sibs
If you saw our quarterly newsletter, SibNews July-September 2017, you met Jenni. Her older brother, Mike, has been a huge part of her life, including her career decision: special education teacher. What does she want every sibling to know? Find out Jenni’s story in this short video. Then be one of the first to subscribe [read more]
Hi my name is Jyll Van Vooren. I have been a WisconSib for over 5 years. Within WisconSibs I have been a counselor for SibDays of Summer and the Circles of Life Conference.
My brother is Noah Van Vooren. He is 22 years old and has Down syndrome. A couple of our favorite things to do together are taking walks, car rides with tons of singing, going to Miracle League, and watching football. My favorite thing about Noah is his love for others and his genuine happiness that he radiates to those around him.
In a blink of an eye the summer of being an intern for WisconSibs is wrapping up. I have learned an incredible amount in these past ten weeks. As an intern, I was able to partake in helping with fundraisers, special events, meetings, helping coordinate and run Teen Sib Leadership Day, and being an Assistant Director for the older campers at SibDays of summer. I have learned how to coordinate a fundraiser and other events with various companies to host events that benefit the WisconSib organization. Harriet has been a great role model and has taught me a great amount about nonprofit’s and how they are run. She truly is the heart of WisconSibs and it was amazing being able to learn from her. I am extremely grateful to have been involved in WisconSibs in this unique way. It was truly a great learning experience and it was a great summer!
What’s next? – I’m returning to Concordia University of Wisconsin as a Junior, where I am focusing on Social work. I am also blessed to have a new position at school: ARD (assistant resident director) of two dorms. All of what I have learned from WisconSibs will be applied to this year of school and beyond!
Thanks to WisconSibs donors for making this internship opportunity possible. You make a big difference.
Campers and counselors learned lots about themselves today. The theme of the day was Scavenger Hunt Day. Not only were physical objects found, but personal emotions too. In their small groups, campers made Inside/Out Masks. Sometimes we all put on a face to hide what’s inside, but not today. Having a sibling with a disability can be a challenge. Most of the world does not see that side of a sibling.
Besides this emotional discovery, groups went on a Scavenger Hunt around Plamann Park. Some very special guests came to visit: Zoozort! Many unique animals made an appearance. We are very thankful for the Grade family in bringing Zoozort to us in memory of Alden Grade. We cooled off with water games and popsicles!
Reminders: Please bring: swimsuit, towel, sunscreen, water bottle, and lunch. Family reception is tomorrow at 2:30 pm. Come see all the things our SibDays campers have been doing this week! There will also be an ice cream social, thanks to the Thrivent Action Team!
Photos from yesterday (Wednesday!)
Sibs have fun at Curt’s Carnival, an event of SibDays and Camp Hope. Thank you to the Krull family for your generosity in memory of Curt. We are forever sibs. These sibs are capturing a moment in front of a photo booth!
Our organizer for SibDays, Michelle, just had a baby boy on Friday! She came to visit us for a little while and show off her adorable baby boy:)
Campers had a chance to play with the huge parachute today!
We had to do our famous “bug photo”. It turned out beautifully! Can you find your camper?
We hope you remembered your T-shirt because today was picture and Siblings Day!
It wasn’t quite Siblings Day because it is actually celebrated on April 10th. It was our SibDays Siblings Day. Siblings are very special and need to be reminded of that. Today was all about them. How can you make everyday Siblings Day? Lots of other fun activities happened as well. An art therapist came in and helped the campers create a fantastic firework hand project. Our camp was able to go over to Camp Hope for an annual favorite: CURT’S CARNIVAL! Campers and counselors love going over to visit and play many fun games.
Reminders: Please bring a lunch, swimsuit and towel, sunscreen, and a water bottle!
Friday is our Family Reception! Come at 2:30 pm and see all the things our campers have been doing this week.
Pictures from Yesterday (Tuesday)!
The campers and counselors alike were captivated by the facts regarding the turtle and snake! Many legends were dispelled.
We had some special visitors on Tuesdays, including Harriet the snake!
Along with Harriet the Snake came Tina the Turtle! The campers and counselors liked to feel Tina’s shell.
We had lots of favorite holidays displayed today: SuperBowl Sunday, Easter, Christmas, Earth Day and MANY, many more!
The campers had a chance to create their own holiday. This camper decided to create “National Cat Day”!
This issue features articles:
In preparation for National Caregiver Month (November), WisconSibs, Inc is participating in the Wisconsin Family and Caregiver Support Alliance (WFACSA) You Might Be a Caregiver If… campaign to raise awareness of the needs of caregivers.
This Special Anniversary Edition of SibNews features Ben and his sister, Amanda. Ben has been active with WisconSibs since practically the beginning and shares how the organization and the siblings he’s met has made a difference in his life.
The feature story is about Katie and Kristie Carlsen, sisters who live together and really help one another get through life. While not originally what either of them planned, they are having a great time living in the community together. 
