We can’t wait to hang out with the 43 campers who have siblings with disabilities enrolled this week. PLUS – more than 25 teens and young adults, most who are sibs themselves, are here to make sure kids have a safe, worthwhile and fun time at SibDays.
This year’s theme is “Every Day’s a SibDay!” One of our teen counselors suggested this theme last year. Each day we’ll celebrate a different holiday with many fun activities.
Today’s theme was Magic Day! We were lucky enough to have magician Jake from Mischief & Magic join us to kick things off. After the show, we practiced magic tricks and discussed some of the mischief and magic of having a sibling with disabilities. The first day ended with swimming and eating Magic Wand Kabobs!
Reminders for TUESDAY:
The theme is Create your own Holiday! Come dressed up like your favorite holiday.
Adults must sign their camper IN and OUT each day. Starting Tuesday, OLDER GROUP may be dropped off and picked up at the Small Shelter. All others will check in and out at Chris Brandt Shelter.
Bring LUNCH EVERY DAY.
Wear good walking shoes (no flip flops except on the beach.
Bring swimsuit and towel. Also have a jacket in case weather turns cool.
Don’t forget sunscreen and bug spray.
Here are the phone numbers of the SibDays directors in case you need to call or text them about your camper.
We have many people that make SibDays possible! We want to introduce who will be working with the campers, starting with the directors.
We are excited to welcome back Amy and Gretchen! Amy is returning as our fantastic Director! When not helping organize SibDays, Amy is a school counselor at Southern Door Elementary and her favorite holiday is Christmas. Besides being a fabulous Assistant Director, Gretchen keeps kids singing and dancing as a music teacher in Green Bay and her favorite holiday is Christmas.
Gretchen and Amy
Michelle is our new SibDays and Sibshop coordinator. She is not at camp with us this week because she just had a baby on Friday! With that being said, she has prepared and organized SibDays to a tee and has made the jobs of the directors easy:)
Michelle
Our sibling interns are taking the lead over at the older camp! Jyll and Karenna are serving as assistant directors for the first time. Both attend Concordia University Wisconsin, Karenna for Occupational therapy and Jyll for Social Work. Karenna is 19 and her favorite holiday is Thanksgiving, because there is a whole lot of yummy food! Jyll is 20 and her favorite holiday is Valentine’s Day.
Karenna
Jyll and her brother Noah
Last, but certainly not least, we have the greatest Executive Director on the planet, Harriet! Harriet’s favorite holiday is Easter, because she doesn’t have to buy presents and everyone gets chocolate!
The April-May-June issue of SibNews is now available.
We’re very excited to bring you the third issue of our new SibNews newsletter. This one features Sylvia Walentowski and her mom, Jennifer, on finding balance and healthy sibling relationships.
Plus a Easy Daisy Cake recipe from WisconSib Christiana Redman and her brother Phillip, just in time for Sibling’s Day or Mother’s Day, or any day. YUM! Take me to recipe
Santa relies on lots of helpers to bring joy and happiness to the children attending Santa Celebration each year and the volunteers at our event last Saturday really made him proud.
Thank you to the volunteers, including students from Appleton West High School, Freedom High School, Appleton North Key Club, Fox Valley Lutheran High School, Lawrence University, several therapy dogs from the Humane Society, The Learning Shop, Lanari Photography, the Down Syndrome Association of WI Fox Valley, Appleton Rotary, and many, many more. Click here for a special message to you.
We also thank the Appleton Downtown Rotary and Fleet Farm for their generous support. Thank you to the hospitality of the staff at The Grand Meridian, the wonderful display by The Learning Shop and our friends at The Building for Kids for their help.
The annual HUMAN RACE walk/run took place Saturday, May 2 and it was a great celebration of the generosity of our community and the value that nonprofits bring to our citizens. WisconSibs, Inc participated with a small team of walkers and many online donors supporting us.
You can still make your donation online (until May 18) or by sending your donation to WisconSibs, 211 E Franklin St, Appleton, WI 54911.
One of the highlights was the University of Wisconsin Marching Band performing their 5th Quarter. Click here for video.
We are so excited that you are here. Whether you are visiting us for the first time, or have followed us for years, we welcome you to our new website…and our new name!
For years we have been serving siblings, professionals and others as the Fox Valley Sibling Support Network. It was a fitting name for a new nonprofit back in 1998 who was breaking through with new ideas and wanted to create and develop high quality programs and services for siblings throughout their lifelong journey.
As those programs developed and have grown, we’ve become recognized as a unique resource throughout the state of Wisconsin and beyond with our Sibshops, Sib Camps, teen leadership opportunities and adult sibling programs. The need for such services has grown, too, as more people with disabilities grow older, and siblings find themselves dealing with issues of aging parents, growing children, and quality of life choices with their siblings.
So lets get acquainted. Look around our new site. Whether you are a sibling or other family member, a professional, or a volunteer interested in the concerns of people with disabilities, we hope you find an opportunity to get involved in WisconSibs.
