April 11, 2008
This is the weekly e-mail newsletter from the Lucas County Board of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.
Civitan again planning inclusive activity with the Village Players
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1. Board opposes House Bill 480
The Lucas County Board of MR/DD has gone of record opposing House Bill 480. The legislation would allow communities to opt out of TARTA. TARTA General Manager Jim Gee told the Board enactment of the legislation could disrupt lives and would make it difficult for many people to maintain their standard of living. Among those receiving Board services, 167 ride TARTA and 180 use TARPS.
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2. Dr. William Wolfe fills open seat on the Board of MR/DD
Dr. William Wolfe has taken the Oath of Office as the newest member of the Lucas County Board of MR/DD. Dr. Wolfe is a former Assistant Professor in the U.T. College of Education. He has also served on the boards of Project SEARCH, Project SCOUT, and the Ability Center of Greater Toledo. He is the parent of an adult daughter with developmental disabilities.
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3. Area IV Games to honor Jennifer Adams
The Special Olympics Area IV track meet on May 10 has been renamed to honor Jennifer Adams. until her death in 2006, Jennifer coordinated recreation activities for the Board for 25 years. She also served as the Special Olympics Regional Director.
Volunteers are needed for the Area IV Special Olympics meet on May 10 at the University of Toledo. Athletes from Erie, Fulton, Henry, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Sandusky, Williams, and Wood counties will be competing in preparation for the State Summer Games in June 2008. Please contact Linda Baranek at (419) 381-5254, or email lbaranek@lucasmrdd.com by April 15 if you plan on attending.
The Special Olympics State Softball Tournament will be on Saturday, September 6 in Oregon.
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4. Civitan again planning inclusive activity with the Village Players
Following on the heels of a very successful inclusive evening with the Village Players last year, Maumee Valley Civitan is again "buying out the house" for another entertaining event. Civitan will be giving 100 tickets to the mr/dd community for the performance on Sunday afternoon, May 18, of "Don't Dress for Dinner," a play described as "a recipe for hilarious confusion with more twists than a corkscrew!" To make this a truly inclusive community event, Civitan will sell the remaining seats for $18 each. Everyone attending is invited to a reception preceding the show. To purchase tickets send an e-mail to maumeevalleycivitan@gmail.com or call Mary Pat Riker at 419-380-4049. To see photos from last year's event, visit maumeevalleycivitan.org Sposnsors for this event include NBC24, Kroger, and Maumee Valley Civitan.
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5. DHN Conference is next week
Attached is the registration form for next week's Disability Housing Network Spring 2008 Conference on Thursday, April 17. You will note that John Martin, the Director of the Ohio Department of MRDD will be joining us. Come and hear his perspectives on the Future's Committee and what its recommendations mean for the housing field.
Fill out the registration form and return it to the address given as soon as possible.
You do not need to be a member of DHN to attend. The sessions will be appropriate for both housing corporation staff as well as County Board staff that work in and around the housing area.
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6. Core Values Survey
Recently the Lucas County Board of MR/DD randomly sent out 1500 survey’s to families of individuals who receive Board services. If you received one of these surveys please complete it and return it as soon as possible in the self-addressed stamped envelope that was enclosed. Whether you received a survey or not, please check the Board’s web site at www.lucasmrdd.com for the date and location of the four community meetings set up to review the survey results. Please plan to attend one of these important meetings.
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7. Weekend TV movie may be of interest
On Lifetime this weekend this movie may be of interest to those of us in the mr/dd community: The Memory Keeper's Daughter.
Here's a synopsis: a doctor (Dermot Mulroney) secretly sends his newborn daughter to an institution when he discovers she has Down syndrome. But the nurse (Emily Watson) ordered to drop off the baby keeps her and raises the child as her own. Based on the best seller by Kim Edwards.
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8. Futures Committee final report completed
The MR/DD Futures Committee Final Report has been completed and was distributed to each Member of the Ohio General Assembly on March 28, 2008. The Report is a product of many months of intensive work, and will serve as a blueprint to guide ODMRDD's strategic direction. It has been posted on the ODMRDD website at http://odmrdd.state.oh.us/futures/docs/MRDDFuturesFinalReport.pdf
"The Futures Committee recommendations emphasize involvement of individuals and families in directing services and defining quality of services, and emphasize regional planning to meet service needs," said John Martin, Director of the Ohio Dept. of MR/DD. "They also call for the development of methods for sustainable financial decision-making and policy development and address how services are accessed and planned."
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9. Upcoming Events
April 17 the Disabilities Studies Program at the University of Toledo will present Greg Walloch, a nationally renowned disability rights activist and comedian, from 5:00 to 7:00 at the Center for Performing Arts. See the attached flyer.
Sunshine Children's Home is sponsoring a TEEN DANCE. The dance will be Saturday, April 19, 7-9 pm. Admission $3. To get a ticket, contact Sunshine Children's Home, 419 865-0251, and ask for Alicia Sharp x 3623 or Lexi Staples x 3410. A room with refreshments will be provided for parents/guardians who want/need to stay.
An exhibition wheelchair football game and demonstration will be April 19 at 12:00 p.m. in the Student Recreation Center at the University of Toledo. The purpose of this event is to offer entertainment to the UT campus and Toledo community while promoting inclusive recreation. People will have a chance to try their hand at the game afterwards, and other activities will be available at the Recreation Center for people to try (eg. blindfolded climb on the rock wall). The Toledo Crash is a competitive wheelchair football team with members from the Toledo area. Some have also competed in the Paralymic Games They are coached by Mario Duncan, an employee at the Abilities Center and former athlete.
This Family FASD Forum is a network opportunity for parents/caregivers raising children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. It will be Friday, April 25, from 1:00pm -3:00pm at the Owens Corning Conference Center, Room - Commons 2, One Owens Corning Parkway in downtown Toledo at Summit and Washington. Dress is business casual. Please Note: all visitors MUST check in at the front desk in the lobby. Register at www.notasingledrop.org or call 800-788-7254, option 2.
The Autism society of Northwest Ohio is reserving a section of seats at Fifth Third Field behind the Mud Hen’s dugout for the game on April 27. It will be Dora the Explorer Day so kids can meet-n-greet Dora. Kids also can get autographs from featured Mud Hens players before the game starts and after the game kids can run the bases. Tickets must be purchased in advance from the Autism Society for $8 per ticket (a one dollar discount per ticket.) To purchase tickets: call the office or go online to www.asno.org . PLEASE purchase your tickets NO LATER THAN April 25. EXTRA: For every ticket you purchase, your loved one with autism will have a chance to win the opportunity to throw out the first pitch of the game.
April 28 "Living with Autism" is an inservice sponsored by the Sandusky County Board of MR/DD. See the attached flyer.
June 13 the Miracle League will hold a golf outing to raise funds to build a baseball field for children with special needs. The flyer is attached.
The Special Olympics State Softball Tournament will be held at the Oregon Recreation Center September 6.
September 18-19 are the dates for the 27th annual conference of the Brain Injury Association of Ohio. It will be in Columbus at the University Plaza Hotel. For registration forms go to www.biaoh.org
The annual Sibling Conference will be November 7-8 in Columbus. For more information visit the website.
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Please forward this newsletter to others interested in activities, events and issues concerning individuals in our community with mr/dd. To subscribe, send your e-mail address to comments@lucasmrdd.com
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