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Contents: Lekotek Welcomes New Staff Member Lekotek is delighted to welcome Lisa Modenos to the Cliff Valley staff. Lisa will be a full-time Lekotek leader serving sixty to seventy families. For those of you on our waiting list expect a call from Lisa within the next few months. Lisa has a Bachelor's degree in child development and a Master's degree in therapeutic recreation. She is a certified Child Life specialist and a certified recreation therapist. Lisa's past experience includes working with children of all ages at Texas Children's Hospital, Shriner's Hospital for Children, The Children's Hospital at the Medical Center of Central Georgia, Sickle Cell Camp, and Camp Koininia. Lisa is a strong advocate of providing children with opportunities to explore and learn through play. Her graduate work entailed extensive research on different types of play therapy and the benefits they provide to children with disabilities. Lisa is a native of Atlanta and recently relocated from Houston to be closer to her family. She enjoys playing tennis, listening to music, dancing and spending time with her nieces. She is excited about joining the Lekotek team and looks forward to playing with and working closely with Lekotek families. As Lisa joins the Cliff Valley staff, Rowena Rampersad who has been on staff for close to three years leaves us to be a stay at home mom with her second child. Erin diChiara, Lekotek leader in Gwinnett, will be leaving to pursue a private practice as an occupational therapist. The staff and board of directors gratefully acknowledge the many contributions that Rowena and Erin have brought to Lekotek. Children's Trust Fund Establishes Lekotek Satellite in Athens The Children's Trust Fund has generously supported Lekotek's efforts to keep our waiting list to a minimum. For the past three years, grants have funded a Lekotek leader at The Cliff Valley site. Our waiting list which once numbered 100 is now fifteen. In October, The Children's Trust Fund once again approved a grant request. This support was to establish a Lekotek satellite in Athens. A full inventory of adapted toys, educational materials and computer equipment has been purchased and families are now participating in play sessions. This site will provide services to forty families living in Clarke, Oconee and surrounding counties. Lekotek would like to acknowledge the efforts and expert skills of Lekotek leader, Angie Berridge, in setting up the Athens center, conducting play sessions and managing the site. In addition, Mary Stone, an occupational therapist with a Master's degree and ten years of experience in pediatrics will serve families. The satellite is located at Athens Regional Hospital on Prince Road near the University of Georgia. We look forward to working with the hospital staff and the early intervention program in Athens - both of whom have been incredibly supportive of Lekotek for years. Again, we thank the Children's Trust Fund for their confidence and support of our vision of satellites throughout Georgia. First Annual Lekotek Golf Classic Mark
your calendar for May 3, 2000 for the Sponsors, Volunteers and Players are needed. Contact the office if you can help. They say that laughter is the best medicine and we have taken that to heart since Day One. For our family, Day One was when our son, Charlie, was three months old. At that time, our perfect little boy was diagnosed with low muscle tone and developmental delays. We began physical therapy immediately. In addition to the activities that our therapist recommended, we began the therapy that we enjoy most - laughter therapy. We could think of no better way to strengthen those floppy little muscles than to laugh. And so we focused on not just a smile or a giggle but a big from-your-middle belly laugh. While Charlie was strengthening his little tummy muscles, we were all having fun. The heart of laughter is what initially brought us to Lekotek. With therapy appointments, school, and much needed naps, little time is left for new kinds of play. Our Lekotek leader, Beth Yager, has introduced us to unique computer activities. Using adapted input devices which include Intellikeys and the touch window Charlie enjoys the computer and benefits from all that technology has to offer. Charlie also enjoyed the recent loan of a motorized mini-car powered by a joystick. (Mom and Dad would have loved one of these too!) Slowly but surely, Charlie grows stronger every day. He is a big flirt and is always happy. He can push his own wheelchair, feed himself and communicate using facial expressions, gestures and a computer. Charlie's biggest strength continues to be his smile and infectious laughter. While others may look at our situation and judge Charlie by the things he can't do, we choose to focus on the wonderful things he can do. We have truly been blessed and the sound of Charlie and his sister laughing is the perfect remedy for anything that ails you. Please visit our Web site located at www.lekotekga.org. Begin with our home page and proceed to learn more about topics that include: Services, Computer Activities, Calendar Events, Products, Resources, Newsletters, Volunteer Opportunities, Sponsors and Answers to Frequently Asked Questions. Our web site also includes links to additional sites including our Dad’s web page and assorted disability related web sites. Lekotek would like to acknowledge the efforts of Cindy Mervis for her time and talent in helping to improve our initial Web Page. We hope you'll find it to be informative and easy to navigate. Cindy's photography talent has allowed for the addition of photos taken during play sessions, Compuplay, Computer Club and Happy Tails. Please visit and learn all about Lekotek. by Carol Kranowitz This very readable and comprehensive book helps parents and professionals understand Sensory Integration. Often children are labeled oversensitive, clumsy or inattentive and struggle to do well in school and home. Carol Kranowitz suggests there may be a new explanation and new hope. This book is a wonderful resource for parents and professionals working with children who are difficult to diagnose and understand. The Out-of-Sync Child discusses how to recognize sensory integration dysfunction and strategies to compensate and cope with it. If you are interested in learning more about sensory processing differences, this is an excellent resource. It can be ordered through Sensory Comfort by calling (617) 923-4410. For more information you can visit their web site at www.sensorycomfort.com. by Amy Sasha McDougal I remember the night she was born, a squirmy little pink baby, crying. I held her first; my mom wanted it that way. At that moment I could not fully realize how amazing her birth was, how amazing the creation of life is. From that moment on my sister and I became intertwined in a relationship of love and sharing. Since then we have traveled the ups and downs of life as sisters. But the road has not been straight or predictable, for Anna was born with Down syndrome. Being the sister of a girl who struggles through life yet moves on with courage and cheerfulness has done more to shape me into the person I am than Anna will ever realize. I believe deeply in many causes, and my conversations, arguments and actions reflect my positions. But the first cause I ever truly fought for was my sister. I was a shy third grader when a neighborhood boy approached Anna on the playground. Shoving his hands in his pockets and jutting out his chin, he hissed, "you're just a retard, you know that?" My shyness evaporated and I turned to him with fury. Spitting my words out one on top of the other, I let him know what he had done wrong and he listened with a gaping mouth and wide astonished eyes. At that moment, I realized I could make a difference and was sure that boy would never call Anna a name again. My sister, however, had reacted quite differently. She had calmly given him a long cool stare then slowly walked away. Her patience and ability to calmly leave the situation amazed me. Together we have faced similar situations many times and each time Anna has reacted with a calmness which captures my admiration. I have learned from her example, for I no longer defend my causes angrily, but instead support them calmly with patience. The qualities that I have gained from growing up with Anna extend beyond the confidence which I possess and the patience that helps me be an effective activist; she has shown me how to be courageous. The hurdles she has to face are numerous and she must try twice as hard as other children her age to overcome them. Watching her succeed is wonderful. She has taught me that a person can do anything with determination and courage. The courage Anna possesses is an inspiration to me during times of difficulty. I use what Anna has taught me to teach her. I am patient as I help her struggle through math problems or memorize vocabulary. I am courageous; I strike out to do things that I know are challenging and when I succeed Anna notices and wishes to be a success herself. After seeing me make the honor roll, she strives for good grades and after watching my drama productions, she became part of the school theater group. My mother claims that I am Anna's greatest teacher; I know that she is mine. Anna sometimes comes into my room and sits close to me on my bed, "Amy", she says in a little voice that lets me know that something is wrong. "Yes, Anna?" I respond, putting my arm around her shoulders. She comes closer and snuggles up to me, "I don't want you to go to college next year", she whimpers. "Oh Anna," I sigh. Wrapping my arms around her I tell her how she can come and visit me at my new school, stay in my room and meet my new friends. She catches my excitement, her eyes brighten and we continue to talk together about how wonderful it will be. And it will!
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