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.
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!
family members who provide care to other family members (of any age or disability),
individuals receiving care, and
professionals providing services to caregivers.
This is a great opportunity to get information that will help you as a caregiver and voice your thoughts on what you need.
You will hear other caregivers, along with local professionals, discuss their experiences as care givers and what they have learned that could be helpful to others. This event is FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
Two sessions are being offered: 1:30-3:00 pm and 4:30-6:00 pm
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
Left to right: Amanda Betts, Chris Linn, Greg Waters, Jeff Amstutz, Rich Redman, Harriet Redman, Ed Ruffolo
WisconSibs Rebranding Saluted by PRSA
Recently, WisconSibs, Inc. received an Award of Merit from the Northeast Wisconsin Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. It recognized our work of renaming and rebranding our organization from the Fox Valley Sibling Support Network to WisconSibs, which was introduced in November 2014.
One of the judges commented: “Very creative program . . . Its implementation was fantastic and I loved seeing how all of the pieces and parts fit together to create a strong program.”
This is a great opportunity to again say thanks to the key players in the project:
The Dialogue Partnershop (Rich Redman) – wrote creative brief and wrote/edited copy for brochures and website
A2Z Design (Jeff Amstutz, Michael Miller) – led renaming process and created new logo and display graphics
Angela Fulcer Design (Angela Fulcer) – designed introductory postcard and flagship brochure
Stellar Blue Technologies (Greg Waters) – designed and constructed new website
Red Shoes PR (Karen Schlieve Smith) – created video testimonials and initial news release
Eric Cates – T-shirt design
Chris Linn – former board chair, member of Marketing Committee, and strategic advisor
And thanks to all of you who have embraced the new name, and helped us spread the word about our organization to sisters and brother of people with disabilities across the state of Wisconsin!
From the National Alliance for Caregiving and the Sibling Leadership Network:
Department of Labor Clarifies Leave Protections for Some Siblings Under FMLA
There are over one million aging caregivers caring for adult relatives with disabilities. When aging parents are no longer able to provide care, siblings frequently take over the primary caregiving role. However, there has been a great deal of confusion about their eligibility for leave protections under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) during this transition. In general, FMLA does not currently cover siblings. Over the past year the National Council on Aging, Sibling Leadership Network, and other disability partners worked with the Department of Labor to issue new guidance clarifying eligibility for this population of caregivers. Learn more about the new guidance, and check out the fact sheet on FMLA.
There’s exciting news to share about an immediate fundraising opportunity for our organization. Local marketing agencies Coalesce Marketing and BConnected are collaborating on a four-day online “crowdfunding” experiment as part of their 2GETHER•4GOOD initiative. They have invited nine local non-profit organizations to be part of it – including WisconSibs.
Here’s what Lisa Piikkila of Coalesce had to say: “Once again, we were amazed and humbled by all of the good work happening in the Fox Cities…to further extend the impact of 2GETHER•4GOOD, we are providing every applicant the opportunity to participate in an online fundraising effort to help raise funds for their organization.”
The campaign starts today (May 21st) and runs through Sunday (the 24th), which means that over the next four days, we have the opportunity to raise funds that will support upcoming Sibshops and the SibCamp Scholarship Program.
Donating is easy, since the campaign is based on the CrowdRise platform. Just go to https://www.crowdrise.com/2g4gsibs and give what you can. And feel free to pass this link on to your friends so they can contribute as well!
Thank you for your support. Together, we can make this campaign a success!
Please note: CrowdRise pulls in organizational information from an independent non-profit database, which still has WisconSibs listed as the Fox Valley Sibling Support Network. While you’ll see the correct logo on our fundraising page, our name is still listed as FVSSN. This does not affect where your donations go: all the money we receive will be put toward the WisconSibs programs and services you know and love.
