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Archive for August, 2011

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Special girl takes on traditional school in Fort Collins, CO

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011

Not a local story, but I’m sure many of you can relate this time of year. 

Share your story with DSAOC on your child with Down syndrome’s first day in Kindergarten and it could be highlighted here, too!  Email Kellie Perez at kperez@dsaoc.org.

This is the first story in an occasional series as a Colorado newspaper follows Gretchen Coon, a six-year old with Down syndrome, through her first year of school.

Read story

The 2011 Orange County Buddy Walk – Winner of the Brochure’s Front Cover Contest, and the Teams that made it into the Drawing…

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

The Buddy Walk contests are well under way, and we are thrilled to announce the winning team of our first contest:  Precious Peyton’s Posse!!

Jennifer Gonzalez, Team Captain of Precious Peyton’s Posse, and mother of Peyton (pictured to the left), was thrilled to hear the news that they will be featured on the front cover of the 2011 Orange County Buddy Walk brochure.  Congratulations!

The next Buddy Walk contest is on!  Raise $500 between now and September 28, or recruit 20 team members, and you will be entered to win 4 Disney Tickets!  We will have multiple winners.

If you have questions about the Buddy Walk or contests, please call the DSAOC Center at (714) 540-5794.  To register, visit www.dsaoc.org.

A total of 10 teams made it into our first drawing, and their efforts cannot go unrecognized. 

A heart-warming story to kick off our week

Monday, August 22nd, 2011

High school players work together for teammate with Down Syndrome

Although this story isn’t local, it’s a great one to share!  Brett Bowden’s love for the game and his teammates makes headlines in North Carolina.  Read the story and watch the video about how his community rallies behind him and how his former teammates celebrate after every game – win or lose.

Read story

NDSS and Lettercase Celebrate the Largest Prenatal Medical Outreach Campaign about Down Syndrome in US History

Tuesday, August 16th, 2011

10,000 “Understanding a Down Syndrome Diagnosis” Booklets Successfully Distributed Nationwide to Medical Professionals and Disability Leaders.

This is exciting news from NDSS and Lettercase!  Outreach to medical professionals is extremely important because it provides OB/GYN’s and genetic counselors with resources when delivering a Down syndrome diagnosis, and it ensures our new and expectant parents are receiving the most accurate and up-to-date information available.

If you are interested in helping out with local medical outreach, please contact Kellie Perez at kperez@dsaoc.org and ask for information about DSAOC’s Hospital Outreach Volunteer Committee.

Read about the NDSS/Lettercase outreach campaign

DSAOC’s Educator of the Year Award 2010-2011

Wednesday, August 10th, 2011

The Down Syndrome Association of Orange County is thrilled to announce the winners of our 2010-2011 Educator of the Year Award.

Our South County winner is an instructional aide at Lake Forest Elementary nominated by the Lilienthal family; Congratulations to Amy Madigan!

Our North County winner was nominated by the Pringle family.  She is an adaptive physical education teacher at the Buena Park Speech & Language Development Center and she also runs the Hi-Tops dance team; Congratulations to Sandy Garcia!

Both nominations cited a number of glowing examples of how these educators have had a positive impact on their students, and how the students are achieving their goals because they have the support of people who believe in them. 

A huge thanks to all families who turned in exceptional nominations this year.  Each nominee receives a certificate of recognition and a letter of appreciation.  

For the past 14 years, the DSAOC Educator of the Year Award has brought dedicated educators into the spotlight whose outstanding efforts and innovations have helped a student to grow and learn.

Interested in nominating your child’s educator for this award?  Watch for the ‘Call for Nominations’ announcement that will go out in early Spring of 2012 for the 2011-2012 school year.

Wheels are Spinning at Bike Camp 2011!

Monday, August 1st, 2011

The Down Syndrome Association of Orange County, in collaboration with United Cerebral Palsy – OC, is thrilled to announce that Bike Camp 2011 has officially started in the gym at Soka University in Aliso Viejo.

There’s no delay on the first day!  The helmets (generously donated by Bell) are on and the wheels are spinning as 40 campers are beginning their exciting week at Bike Camp 2011.  Although the smiles are big, you can see the concentration in the eyes of the participants as they are learning to pedal, balance, turn and gain overall confidence so they can graduate to a conventional 2-wheel bike without training wheels by or before the end of the week.

With support from  Nikki Haukap and  Cory Bunner from Lose the Training Wheels, this group is well under way to an exciting new independence on 2 wheels. 

This is the fourth year that DSAOC and UCP-OC have collaborated to bring this anticipated program to Orange County.  With the help of more than 60 volunteers, and the expertise and special bike equipment from the Lose the Training Wheels staff, this will be another successful and memorable year for this program.

If you are interested in more information, please visit www.losethetrainingwheels.org or contact the DSAOC Center at (714) 540-5794.