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
For children and adults who have a sibling with disabilities, preparing for the holidays isn’t just a matter of buying and wrapping presents, making cookies, and decorating the house. No matter how much you look forward to the holidays and all the activities, you’ll probably find them more relaxing and fun with a bit of preparation. Here’s a few ideas:
Make sure your sibling can find something familiar to eat at holiday meals. If you are a child, talk with your parents about what food or drink it will be. Then help get it ready to add to the meal. No one likes to feel left out at mealtime and bringing a food your sibling enjoys can make a big difference.
Are you unsure what your family schedule will be during the holidays? Not knowing what’s going on can make you feel anxious. Get some paper and markers and ask parents to write down the days and activities, or write it down as they tell you all about it. Dec 24 – Drive to Grandpa’s. Dec 25 – Open presents in morning. Dinner with Aunt Sue. Etc. Post it on the wall or fridge. Realize that schedules during the holidays may be updated depending on weather, traffic, and the schedules of other family members or friends.
Be prepared to see family members that may not know much about your sibling’s disability. If you have a book or notes that explains the disability, review it, or even have it handy to share with your family members. (Kids, don’t hesitate to tell your parents if you are concerned about a question or comment that a family member makes. Ask your parents to help you come up with ideas for helping your family member better understand.)
If you travel, make sure you and your sibling each bring along a favorite toy or pasttime to help make the trip not feel so long. This item may also help fill time or if you need a little time away from your sibling or all the commotion of the holiday activities. Whether adult or child, a coloring book and pencils can reduce the stress of airport lines, waiting for Santa, or passing time in the car.
Have a favorite game handy to play with family members or friends. The holidays make a great time to find a willing playmate that isn’t always available at other times.
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.
This valuable resource is being released a bit earlier than usual…and that’s a wonderful thing.
To learn about resources and services available in Outagamie County (Wisconsin), click the link for this directory compiled and distributed by the Aging and Disability Resource Center.
Siblings want the best for their sisters or brothers with disabilities. That doesn’t mean they want the best to just be handed to them. They expect their siblings with disabilities to work, just like they do. It is a major concern for siblings and they have every reason to be concerned.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 11.3 percent in August 2016 compared to the unemployment rate of the population without disabilities of just 4.9 percent.
I’m pleased that WisconSibs and an awesome number of other local agencies and businesses are partnering on September 22 to hold a public meeting at Miron Corporation (Neenah) to discuss the barriers to employment for youth with disabilities. As a community, we’ll learn how we can help one another eliminate the barriers and in the process not only make a difference in that unemployment rate, but find a gold mind of talent and energy that can help our communities in Wisconsin grow. Plus it is FREE and you get dinner!!
