WOW!! The Peeps really came out in force this spring! More than 30 entries in our recent Sibs Are My Peeps photo contest. This annual awareness raising event brings out the most creative, most fun-loving peeps. See the results!
Congratulations to our finalists:
Taelyn, Gia, and Maribel from Brillion for “Peep on Swimming”
Glenbrook Elementary School – Mrs. Rettler’s class for “Go Peeps Go”
Anna & Analiese from New London/Hortonville, WI for “Peeps Grand Cinema”
Leah Quinn from Neenah for “Peep Yoga Studio”
The staff and clients of CP Fox Cities for “Party on Peepabago”
A2Z Design from Appleton for “Peeps Be Chillin'”
Elise from Appleton for “Peepin’ Around the Farm”
Penelope from Hortonville for “Peeps Cabin”
and honorable mention from entries by Denmark High School Photography students.
It is estimated that in Wisconsin, 549,000 caregivers are providing 588,000 million hours of care to loved ones annually, valued at nearly $6 billion dollars.[1] MORE INFO
Making up a significant portion of those caregivers are siblings caring for their aging parents AND their siblings with disabilities, often while caring for their own growing children!
To recognize the care providers, both paid and unpaid, who provide personal cares of all types to people with disabilities, older adults and other family members and friends who require support to remain healthy and living in their homes and communities, we celebrate National Caregiver Day on February 15, 2019 (3rd Friday of February).
Many of the siblings, usually sisters, caring for family members are also employees and often challenged to juggle the needs of their family members with job requirements. Often they must choose to either remain employed or leave to care for their family. Employers are feeling the effects.
Wisconsin employers recently confirmed the impact of caregiving on the Wisconsin workforce in a survey sponsored by the Wisconsin Family and Caregiver Support Alliance (WFACSA). WisconSibs is an active member of WFACSA.
I’m so pleased to be presenting at an upcoming Caregiver Conference hosted by the Waupaca County Caregiver Coalition. The main reason I’m so pleased is that they recognize that one of the many important roles of siblings of people with disabilities is that of a caregiver.
Whether that role is taking their sibling to appointments, to go shopping, acting as their guardian, or being a reliable companion and ready listener, SIBLINGS ARE CAREGIVERS, often at very young ages.
This conference will focus on Resiliency in Caregiving. So regardless who you may be caring for, consider attending.
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]
Supported decision-making is a process now formally recognized in Wisconsin state law that provides an alternative to guardianship and will be a helpful tool for many Wisconsin residents. Supported Decision-Making can allow older adults and people with disabilities to retain their authority to make life decisions, while also having trusted people provide support. Attend this presentation to learn what the new law does and how you might use it in your life or to support a family member. Kristine Williams, attorney with Remley & Sensenbrenner, and WisconSibs board member will provide information and answer questions.
This past week siblings growing up with children with disabilities gathered for Sibshop at the Circles of Life conference in Appleton, WI. They came from all over Wisconsin and became fast friends.
They played games, talked about their hopes for the future, created inventions that may someday help their siblings, and laughed…and laughed…and laughed.
Teens dug into some deeper discussions and created bonds with one another. Some can’t wait to reconnect at Sib Camp this summer.
What would you invent to help your sibling in the future?
Sit volleyball
Young sibs prepare to challenge the teen sibs…
A Sibshop isn’t a Sibshop without Dangling Donuts!
They may just look like sticky, sweet, marshmallowy-treats, but those cute bunnies and chicks made magic happen in the creative hands of those who entered our Sibs Are My Peeps contest this past month.
Some used the opportunity for team-building in their agency or family. Some tell a story. Still others used the opportunity to tell about their passion or an upcoming event.
Thank you to the Willems Student Marketing Team for collaborating with WisconSibs to make this project so much fun and bring out the voices of WisconSibs and their fans. The team of Appleton High School students applied their knowledge and youthful thinking to help us carry out this project. Well done, team!
We are very proud to announce the semi-finalists for 2018. These winning entries will advance to the finals at the freeFox Cities Kidz Expo on April 14th at the new Fox Cities Exhibition Center. Come visit our booth, sponsored by We Energies, and vote for your favorite to be the WisconSibs Peepl’s Choice!
