Silent Voices

Holiday Tips for Children with Fetal Alcohol

2011-12-01T07:50:00.001-08:00

Tool Tips from The Trenches

Holiday Tips by Liz Kulp

LIZ KULP SHARES WHAT IT IS LIKE TO LIVE WITH HER BRAIN

I prefer my life stable... every day I have a plan I can maintain.
It keeps me on track. When the world moves so fast around me
it is important that I take care of myself.

1. Make appointments on the same day and the same time. Taking a break from an appointment may be a break for you, but for me it messes up my consistency.

2. Shop during quiet times when the lines are the shortest. For me this is late afternoon when I have eaten and am rested. When many people are still at work and before they "stop" at the store to get supper food. I still hate standing in line. I get anxious. I impulse buy. If it is going to be busy - I take someone along to stand in line while I go to the bathroom and regroup.

3. Be respectful of my understanding "I don't do sarcasm" Words can hurt. When I have been hurt enough times I lash out. The problem is I don't always know when I don't understand. Most times I understand "EXACTLY" what you said - just not what you meant.

4. Even as an adult I have sensory issues. Fluorescent lights still make my world move around me and give me headaches. It is hard for me to sit for long periods of time without getting up. I still need to move often to remain calm.

5. Wrap my gifts simply. All the tape and ribbons frustrate me and by the time I have opened the gift - I am less appreciative. Seriously gift bags or a filled stocking is great!

6. Provide some of my comfort foods. There are certain things I like to eat and though I am willing to try most things my teeth and mouth still do not do carrots, celery or nuts. For me it's the crunch I can't munch. The texture I can't do. The temperature of the food also can be irritating. I know it is a sensory thing and I have tried to overcome it, but those two things still remain. Let me substitute some of my choices - I try to pick two new - and then stay with my tried and true.

7. Let me use a flat bowl instead of a fancy dinner plate. I will not be embarrassed because I am using a bowl, but I will feel bad if I spill food on your fancy tablecloth. My coordination is not always on task and it is easier for me to pick up my food. Give me the option of plastic glasses without stemware. Understand that if I leave the table during the meal - I may be getting overwhelmed.

8. Know that it takes me longer to understand new events, new places and new people. When all of these things happen at the same time if can be over-stimulating.

9. Don't speak down to me. Use normal language and stick to the facts. I love people. I love to laugh and I am a good friend to others. Take time to get to know who I really am - not by appearances or mistaken actions.

10. Have a Happy Holiday - find something to take care of you. We need resource people who are calm, friendly and honest in a kind way with us. Have a good year - Liz.

Excerpt from BRAIDED CORD - This could be a good present for someone you love (Liz)

Together we grew... we changed... we learned. (Liz)
(Excerpt page 19) People underestimate me. They believe I cannot do things and what they don't get is when I believe, I can do whatever I need to. It is a matter of choice and focus. It is a matter of feeling safe and capable. Oh yeah, and hard, hard work.

We hope our disastrous journey-which has ended in joy -fills your family or practice with ideas to help others with FASDs. - Jodee

The Kulp Family congratulates our daughter, Liz, on her

independence and over two FULL years of sobriety.

Braided Cord was compiled from her 8 years of journals.

Visit Liz's Website at www.BraidedCord.net

True Commitment - Fetal Alcohol is NOT who I am!

2011-09-05T16:00:00.000-07:00

Learn some from a person whose life is affected by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) -- Author, Liz Kulp, celebrates life at age 25, winner Mom's Choice Gold Award - Adult Non Fiction - Life Challenges

Congratulations Liz on Two Years of Living Independently!
Hope you can achieve your dream of making a difference in your generation to prevent FASDs!

To read more from Liz's book click here

True Commitment
By Liz

Alas I sit,
glued to a place of undoing and unmaking
of all the mistakes I have achieved
or contemplated making.

Waiting for renewed independence.
Proving to you who I am
and who I can be
and who I shall become.

No longer broken, but bent
Bent upon making a difference
with different choices and
new becomings
Reframing my thoughts
and laying down my rebellion
to fight for a future
instead of wants I thought
I so needed but didn't
An though committed by a decree
that states I am an "other"
in need ot care and watchful eyes

I have learned what commitment
truly is - that it is the love
of family who remains
hopeful and helpful
that it is the love of
my sweetheart who
stands true
that it is a belief in myself
that I can do and be better
and emerge from
a state run commitment
to a self formed commitment
of being true to myself
and all of you.

Celebrate 60 Ideas to Build Fetal Alcohol Awareness

2011-09-04T12:58:00.000-07:00

We've made it easy to build awareness of fetal alcohol. Join in the fun on September 9, 2011 with our sixty ideas - we've filled this new page on our blog with links to make it simple!
Click Here For Our 60 Links for a Great Fetal Alcohol Awareness Day!

Meet a Can Do Kid with Fetal Alcohol

2011-08-31T11:48:00.000-07:00

Get our August 31, Toolbox Parent e-news
Congratulations to 13 year old who received her Black Belt

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Toolbox-Parents---Tools-for-School-Kick-Off.html?soid=1101364903444&aid=NCdDp__MWEs

The Whitest Wall meets National Curriculum Standards

2011-08-19T12:02:00.001-07:00

The high school version of The Whitest Wall just came to my office by UPS. A Gold Award winning novel by Mom's Choice it meets high school curriculum standards in the following areas while building awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disoroders. Consider it for the high schools in your areas. Email jodeekulp@gmail.com if you are interested in getting this novel into your high school curriculum.

Click here to order High School sample

The Whitest Wall
NATIONAL CURRICULUM STANDARDS

ENGLISH STUDIES

The Whitest Wall promotes an understanding of the diversity of the American English language in both a current and historic sense with the use of patterns and dialect.

The reader will cross cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions and social roles to acquire new information for a better response to the needs and demands of society and the workplace.

The reader will draw on personal experience to reflect on the understanding of the other citizens. They will be challenged by portions of the texts with word meanings and misunderstandings.

SOCIAL STUDIES

Written for the development of a democratic citizenry to enable learners to engage in civic discourse and problem-solving, and to take informed civic action.

The Whitest Wall can provide classroom discourse in the seven of ten theme areas:
i) Culture
ii) Time, continuity and change
iii) People, places and environments
iv) Individual development and identity
v) Individuals, groups and institutions
vi) Power, authority and governance
vii) Global connections
viii) Civic ideals and practice

HEALTH STUDIES

Students analyze the influence of culture, media, technology and other factors on health.

Students demonstrate understanding of health-enhancing behaviors, reduce health risks, use decision-making skills to enhance health and advocate for personal, family and community health.

The Whitest Wall provides for opens discussion in content areas addressed by the US Center of Disease Control
i) behaviors that result in intentional or unintentional injury
ii) alcohol and other drug use
iii) sexual behaviors
iv) prevention of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

LIRBARY SPECIAL FROM BETTER ENDINGS

2011-03-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

Here is the link to get the library special package

Sick and Tired of Winter

2011-03-02T10:34:00.000-08:00

I need you all during this while I am down for a few counts
http://specialchildren.about.com/b/2011/02/11/vote-for-favorite-special-needs-memoir.htm

Our furnace is out - needs a new motor. I got blessed with the crud from Liz and Karl and the Internet was down all night.
Braided Cord is not 100 points behind My Baby Rides the Short Bus - help pull us out guys, my little engine is pretty slow today.

My Invisible World by Morasha Winokur - Book Trailer

2011-02-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

Braided Cord - Tough Time In and Out Finalist for About.com Memoirs

2011-02-12T14:18:00.000-08:00

We were surprised yesterday that Liz's new book Braided Cord is a finalist in About.com. You can vote once a day for as many days as you like between now and March 8, 2011. Liz shares her adult transition with fetal alcohol to build understanding and hopefully create a catalyst of strategies for the next generation of affected young people.

Just click here and vote: Braided Cord
(Please consider joining us in helping her win this award - all it takes is a quick click!) Braided Cord

If you want a copy of her book click here

List Price: $24.95

6" x 9" (15.24 x 22.86 cm)
Black & White on White paper
320 pages

Better Endings New Beginnings
ISBN-13: 978-0984200719
ISBN-10: 0984200711
BISAC: Self-Help / Substance Abuse & Addictions / General

I was born an addict and ever since I was tiny I have overdone, overlooked or overwhelmed myself. I was born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, otherwise known as FASD. That means my mom drank while I was trying to grow in her stomach and because of her drinking some of my parts got mixed up and didn't grow too well. My differences are hidden and that's a real pain, because it is easy to judge a person by what you see.
The most difficult parts of my life are caused from my brain which was probably the most affected. I have trouble learning new things and I live in a world that is louder, softer, harder, scratchier, noisier, shakier, slippery and more chaotic than most of the people reading this. I want you to imagine what it is like to feel the seams of your socks, the label on your clothes, the flicker of fluorescent lights, the mumblings and rumblings of every noise around you, and then try to learn new things.
Overwhelming.
Yes, that is what it is often for me.
My mom's drinking ripped away who I was to be and helped create who I am today and what I am able to be. If she had known how it would change my life I bet she would have made a different choice. But she didn't, and we can't change how things are. I am as I am. I can't even talk to her about it. She's dead. I was a foster baby and then adopted.
...
I had to fail first in order to succeed.
And I failed over,
and over,
and over again.
...
I am just one of hundreds of thousands of people whose lives are affect each year by alcohol consumption before breathing your first breath of air. For those of you who were not pickled before birth, who believe you are wiser than I am, I ask you to take my thoughts and use your brains to make a difference.

Mom's Choice Awards: Donnie Winokur and Chance at BookExpo America

2011-01-22T17:34:00.000-08:00

My Invisible World Trailer

2010-10-24T16:47:00.000-07:00

FASDay 2010 - TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!!

2010-09-09T01:00:00.000-07:00

Can't do anything ---- Sure you can!
Send this message on your mobile

TEXT TEN FOR FASD DAY
This message will save a baby's life!!!
Alcohol use during pregnancy can cause brain damage, birth defects, premature birth, and death.
WWW.BABYBORNFREE.

COM
Prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders -
Pass this on to 10 people.

#1 Day to FASDAY 2010 - Join the Ringtone Rally

2010-09-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

FASD Day - Ringtone Rally!

From the Thinktank of Teresa Kellerman

Okay, everyone, here's my idea for FASD Day 2010:

We are going to ring people's mobile phones with a FASD Day text message. Send the message (my next email) to as many people as you want.

What, you don't text? Me neither. So I will be sending this message by email, and I will put it on my facebook page. Look for me, my facebook id is... fasstar (of course!) www.facebook.com/fasstar

The web link on the text message goes to www.babybornfree.com. This is newly designed especially for viewing on mobile devices. There are links there to an awareness video (from NOFAS), a slide show (from our friends in NY), the FASDay site, and my main info web site.

You can wait until FASD Awareness Day on Sept. 9th and do your texting that day, or you can go ahead and START RIGHT NOW. Because, as I always say, EVERY DAY is FASD Awareness Day! So go text everyone, email everyond, fb everyone, telephone everyone. Heck, you can even raise awareness the old-fashioned way and tell people face to face about what alcohol can do to the developing baby. You never know when the message will be shared with someone that will save a baby's life, or maybe an entire generation of babies!
Woohoo! Let's do it!
Teresa

TEXT TEN FOR FASD DAY
This message will save a baby's life!!!
Alcohol use during pregnancy can cause brain damage, birth defects, premature birth, and death.
WWW.BABYBORNFREE.COM
Prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders -
Pass this on to 10 people.

#2 Days To FASDay 2010 - Video on FASD

2010-09-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

Special thank you to our New York team of Advocates who prepared this video and to all the children, teens and adults with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) who offered their pictures to put a FACE on FAS.

Help us "Raise The Standard" for our next generation!

#3 Days To FASDay 2010 - FACELESS - by Jennifer Woodward

2010-09-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

Faceless

Peering into a shattered mirror, I try to find myself,

However, all I am is faceless.

I gave up searching because I am always lost.

You lost when you took away my mirror,

My only hope of learning, and living.

Why can you not fix me?

Oh, right how could I forget you did this to me?

I am trying to get over it, over you,

But finding broken pieces of my heart lying

Around me, reminding me of being not whole.

Looking at me in my mirror only leaves me scared and confused.

I cannot see me,

I am faceless.

The world does not see me,

They see a title.

Help me find myself,

Why must I grow knowing I am faceless?

$B!! (B

The face of FASD is sometimes faceless, silent as the world goes by not knowing that we exist. I want you to look me in the eyes and not shut me out, not forget about me. I am here. Maybe you need to look in your mirror.
$B!! (B

Written by: Jennifer Woodward

(Please use and give full credit to Jennifer FASD 29) FASD Day 2010

#4 Days To FASDay 2010 - This book commands attention

2010-09-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

Read a book and learn the realities of being an adult with FASDs.

"This is a book that commands attention and one that influences us to support speaking up in defense of the un-born. Braided Cord, Tough Times In and Out is a must read for professionals in the medical, social service and re-hab fields." Sara Hassler, Midwest Book Review

Midwest Book Review by SARA HASSLER REVIEW 6-25-2010

Braided Cord, Tough Times In and Out
Liz Kulp, Author
Better Endings New Beginnings

978-0984200719, $24.95, www.betterendings.org

Award winning author Liz Kulp brings another outstanding literary work of art to the market in her new book Braided Cord, Tough Times In and Out.

Liz Kulp is a 23 year old woman who was born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) as a result of her birth mother drinking while pregnant. As a child, Liz was in the foster care system and soon adopted at a very young age by Karl and Jodee Kulp and their family. Throughout her young life Author, Liz Kulp, kept journals and her new book, Braided Cord, is the published in-depth account of her life living with FASD. Her openness to share her feelings, her world and what the inside of her body and brain feels like is beyond brave. She is a modern day super hero who overcomes daily struggles to live in a society that does not see or fully understand her disability.

Liz Kulp takes her readers on an incredible journey deep inside the world of a sensitive growing teen and eventual mature woman who shares herself openly and completely. Fast paced, emotional and full of life lessons, readers can look forward to learning what it's like to live with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder from Ms. Kulp's amazing life experiences.

In order to help society change for the better, Author, Liz Kulp has stripped herself naked for all the world to see. She has stood alone, with her family, and before all of us, to teach us how important it is to not drink while pregnant. We applaud Liz. Kulp for her choices to persevere and reach out in order to save millions of innocent soon-to-be-born babies.

Author, Liz Kulp, pieces together diary entries in her book, Braided Cord, Tough Times In and Out. Dated logs from herself, her parents, life coaches, supportive partners and organizations make up her easy to read chapters. Reading Braided Cord is like stepping into Liz Kulp's shoes. To be a witness to a disability that you cannot see or touch and to understand another human being's world is a gift that Ms. Kulp delivers on. Kulp's audience has the chance to sit in a pampered setting as they spiritually travel her life path. Step by step, her readers are exposed to the disturbing effects that alcohol has on the human brain, the trauma it causes families, the pain it inflicts on innocent children and the burden it places on our society. Through Liz's life, we have a chance to learn, to grow and to be a part of saving lives. Her voice and written words are clear, exact and honest. Liz Kulp has made it possible for other children and families dealing with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders to open up, share their stories so they too can transition into the world as healthy and productive individuals.

Ms. Kulp includes an appendix with resource information for her readers to learn more. There is an enormous amount of instruction included on what Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is and how communities can help, schools can teach, people can understand and medical staff can identify it. Parents, Karl and Jodee Kulp, along with the support of their family, speak about the horrifying effects that FASDs has had on their lives, work and what their future holds. Every gut-wrenching stone has been turned and thrown against the wall in order to reach readers in a way that provokes positive change.

This is a book that commands attention and one that influences us to support speaking up in defense of the un-born. Braided Cord, Tough Times In and Out is a must read for professionals in the medical, social service and re-hab fields. Libraries who want to expand their reading programs and booksellers who are involved in book clubs will greatly profit from sharing this educational and inspirational book with their patrons and communities.

Sara Hassler
Midwest Book Review

#5 Days To FASDay 2010 - Wisdom of Hopi Elders

2010-09-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

"We are the ones we've been waiting for..."

is a phrase that reflects the fact that we can
count on only ourselves for leadership.
See The Great River message from the Hopi Elders that follows.

The Great River

We have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour.
Now you must go back and tell the people that this is The Hour.
And there are things to be considered.

Where are you living?
What are you doing?
What are your relationships?
Are you in the right relation?
Where is your water?

Know your garden.

It is time to speak your truth:
Create your community.
Be good to each other.

And do not look outside yourself for the leader:
This could be a good time!

There is a river flowing now very fast.
It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid.
They will try to hold onto the shore.
They will feel they are being torn apart and they will suffer greatly.

Know the river has its destination.
The elders say we must let go of the shore, and push off into the river, keep our eyes open, and our head above the water.

See who is in there and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally. Least of all ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over.
Gather yourselves!
Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary.

All that you do now must be done in a sacred manner... and in celebration.

We are the ones we've been waiting for...
The Elders, Hopi Nation, Oraibi, Arizona

#6 Days To FASDay 2010 - Only one minute

2010-09-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

More Ideas for Minute of Reflection

Everyone participating in FAS Day is invited to share in the "Minute of Reflection" 9:09 a.m. on September 9, as it goes around the world. In this magical moment the ninth minute of the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month we want to get out the message that in the nine months of pregnancy, while breastfeeding or planning to conceive, women should not drink alcohol.
In this minute, we also want the world to remember those millions of people around the world who are living with fetal alcohol disorders.

If a large bell or carillon is not accessible or appropriate, participants can do many things to observe that special minute in accordance with their own cultural background or religious beliefs.

The Minute of Reflection symbolizes the worldwide circle of community which links all of us who care about FASD, all of us who are working towards prevention, all of us who are trying to help children and adults with fetal alcohol disorders reach their full potential. Here are nine more suggestions for observing the Minute of Reflection. If you have other ideas, please share them with us.

Alone or with others, sit outside quietly and listen to the birds, or the wind blowing through the trees, or water lapping against the shore of a river or lake. You may want to focus on the wonderful gifts and strengths of the person(s) with FASD in your life.
Say a prayer or recite a poem appropriate to your beliefs or culture.
Sing a song or hymn.
Listen to an excerpt of your favorite music. (Any suggestions?)
Play a musical instrument, alone, or with fellow musicians, or ring tiny bells and "triangles" as the children of Queen of Apostles School, Toledo, OH did at 9:09 a.m. on September 9, 1999.
Sit in a circle and share some pure spring water with people you care about.
Place a long-distance phone call to a special friend who is equally committed to the FASD issue: you could even make it a three-way or teleconference call.

You may find 9:09 a.m. inconvenient and may prefer to mark the Minute of Reflection at 9:09 p.m., and light a candle to symbolize both the flame of your love for individuals living with FASD, and your burning desire to eradicate this preventable birth defect.

Simple silence.

Each person with FASD is different, and those of us who love them respect their differences. Respecting each other while working together is what FASDay is about.

#7 Days To FASDay 2010 - Give a speech

2010-09-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

Prepare to give a speech -

This is the first time Liz and I stepped out 11 years ago at the 1st International FASDay - You can do it too!
Here is my speech - feel free to use mine and adapt to your community.

Today is a day…
International FAS Awareness Day -- 9.9.99 @ 9:09
Jodee Kulp, Parent Keynote
Federal Courthouse Plaza, 12:30 pm -- Minneapolis, Minnesota

Thank you for being part of International FAS Awareness Day 9 9 99.
The Bells have rung out in Minnesota and are continuing their journey around the globe. We were the 18th time zone in the International Bell Concordance and didn't they sound beautiful! Thank you to the citizens of Minnesota and all those involved with prenatal exposure for the mighty effort they put out to make this day happen.

It is my privilege to speak on behalf of all the parents who love and live with children exposed to alcohol before birth. It is my privilege to speak for those who live daily with the primary and secondary issues erupting from this exposure.

Today is a day of awareness.
We have stripped back the dark covering and let the sun shine in. We have come together as a world family, united in the cause of making a difference and hope this first "One Magic Moment" will begin to change lives.

Today is a day of awareness.
Alcohol is devastating, and most devastating to the weakest and most vulnerable in our society -- the unborn child. Alcohol exposure is the leading known cause of mental retardation in the western world - US, Canada, Europe and Australia.

In the United States 10,657 babies are born daily (1999 US numbers are listed below)

. . . 3 will have Muscular Dystrophy
. . . 4 will have Cystic Fibrosis
. . . 4 will have Spina Bifida
. . . 4 will be infected with HIV
. . . 10 of these babies will have Downs Syndrome.

Researcher and fund-raisers are working for these children.

But -- are you ready for the figures --

. . . 20 babies will be born with FAS
. . . these children will have visible facial and other physical deformities
. . . they are the lucky ones

People will see with the eyes, understand and help will be provided. These physical manifestations are not caused by MORE drinking but simply because of the day in gestation the pregnant mother chose to drink.

Today is a day of awareness.
NOW -- are you really ready for the tough issue

. . . 100 babies will be born with Fetal Alcohol Effects
. . . these children's deformities will be hidden within their bodies, in their brains and organs.
Most will go undiagnosed.
Most will live a life with little help with behaviors misjudged and struggling with learning and emotional issues.

Today is a day of knowledge.
Brain damage is non-reversible and a permanent condition that an individual must live with for the rest of their life. The person with prenatal alcohol exposure does not have the choice of NOT being impaired, yet has the responsibility of learning to live and to fit into a society that neither tolerates nor understands their impulsive behaviors.

Today is a day of knowledge.
Any one of us could become the parent of a prenatally exposed infant. FAS is no respector of persons or culture. It crosses economic and racial lines. The results of a very recent survey of over 100,000 women discovered that women in households of greater than $50,000 income, women who are college educated, unmarried women and female students have a higher than average incidence of drinking during pregnancy. I ask that no fingers be pointed at any person for this affliction. I ask for forgiveness from the past. I ask for a resolution of personal responsibility from this day forward for even one child to be saved.

Today is a day of knowledge.
A can of beer, a glass of wine, a shot of liquor and a wine cooler all contain about 1/2 oz. of absolute alcohol. If a woman consumes 2 drinks in one hour, her baby could have a blood alcohol content higher than the mother could. FAS is 100% preventable. If a woman becomes pregnant, she shouldn't drink. It's that simple. There is no known safe amount of alcohol for a pregnant woman. When a woman drinks, her baby drinks, because alcohol passes directly through the placenta to the baby.

Today is a day of hope.
When we join together we can achieve a better tomorrow. The knowledge each of us holds can provide the tiny pieces of a large puzzle to help contribute to the success and happiness of those afflicted. Together we can provide knowledge, wisdom, support and encouragement to women who are planning to conceive, pregnant or breastfeeding a child. This we can all do with love.

Today is a day of hope.
Solutions require us to work together. Doctors, researchers and nutritionists around the world can share their discoveries and treatments that are already making a difference. Mental health professionals, educators and parents can join as a team to reach, teach and train these young people, sharing ideas from around the globe.

Today is a day of hope.

We must open our eyes and our ears. We must shift our focus and understand the inner world of living with prenatal exposure. We must begin to see these children differently, and begin to build the bridge of understanding. Diane Malbin a tireless advocate provides the clues by changing from:

"Won't to can't"
"Bad to frustrated"
"Lazy to tries hard"
"Refuses to sit still to overstimulated"
'"Fussy and demanding to oversensitive"
"Trying to make me mad to can't remember"
"Resisting to doesn't get it"
"Doesn’t try to tired of failing."
"Doesn't get the obvious to needs many reteachings."

Yes it is hard to be the parent of an FAS child.
Yes it is hard to be the teacher of an FAS child.
But have you tried to be the FAS child!

Our adopted daughter Liz exhibits Fetal Alcohol Effects. Our family has grown deeply because of it. The primary issues of hypersensitivity, overstimulation, night terrors and learning disabilities have challenged us.

We have struggled with impulsivity, low self-esteem, anger and frustration.

We are determined to prevent the secondary issues from occurring - violence, suicide, alcohol abuse, poverty, homelessness, delinquency, incarceration, and early pregnancy.

We have discovered that proper nutrition, added nutrients and sleep make an incredible difference and allow Liz to function very well.

We have discovered she is happiest when provided clear boundaries and concrete communication.

We have discovered her learning styles and teach everything in multiple modalities….see it, hear it, do it. With a strong emphasis on doing it.

I am proud Liz is my daughter and she is doing wonderfully. This growth did not come easily for her. She is a fighter and has climbed many mountains. In a quiet one-on-one teaching arrangement she has been able to gain 5 years in reading, 7 years in spelling and is currently at age level in mathematics. Learning any new material has been very difficult for her. We have been building one very tiny step at a time, without moving on until mastery has taken place and then often reteaching areas a number of times.

Though her brain still works compartmentally we are beginning to see transfer of some information and together we are learning how to teach and how to learn. She and I are on the same team. By "compartmentally" I mean, for example, that when are doing spelling she can spell at the 9th grade level and when we are learning to write she can spell at the 6th grade level. The transfer of information is very difficult for her.

Two weeks ago, my daughter Liz and I bought a peck of cucumbers to make into pickles. Our science classes are very hands on and we were going to study sterilization and Louis Pasteur. We washed and carefully brushed each cucumber so they were perfectly clean - they were beautiful. Then we soaked the cucumbers overnight in a 5% salt solution. In the morning the cucumbers looked the same, but no longer tasted the same. We cut up garlic and dill and red peppers, and boiled vinegar, salt and water with pickling spices. We packed sterilized jars tightly with our beautiful bright green cucumbers and poured on the brine. Then we sealed the jars and boiled them 20 minutes in a hot water bath. When we lifted the jars out of the water a dull green pickle had replaced the bright green cucumbers…

And I thought THIS IS WHAT we have done to these children.

Today is a day of advancement. Growing up with FAS is a community process and it takes a united community to raise these children. It took one dream and two people to create the vision for today -- Bonnie Buxton and Teressa Kellerman.

They believed:

'The oscillation of butterfly wings in Brazil may set off storms in Texas.'

And what a storm they set off. They mobilized and motivated individuals from around the globe. From New Zealand to Alaska people have united. The Internet has connected a previously silent world of creative, intelligent and hardworking individuals willing to lay down differences for a common cause of helping children and adults living with FAS

Where do we go from here?…

These children are teachable, lovable, creative and energetic but they do not learn like other children. They need to be taught things other children just seem to simply know. We need to discover the resources already available and we have powerful resources in our backyards -- birth parents, adoptive parents and foster parents who are living, loving and growing together 24 hours a day with prenatal exposure. These families have been creative in developing processes that work to help their children succeed and find happiness in a world they struggle in.

I challenge each of you to make a difference.

Tell people this is an important issue.
Join with NOFAS www.nofas.org and share ideas and information.
Visit our website at http://www.betterendings.org/
Email your successful ideas to us. We will publish them.
Encourage women to remain alcohol and drug free during pregnancy.
Write to your congressman, senators, schools, community leaders and medical professionals and let them know "We're Tired of Our Children Being Pickled."

Today is the day to make a difference.

My words on this 1st hopefully of many future International FASDays are dedicated to my wonderful Liz. May we begin this difference in changing this world for others together.

#8 Days To FASDay 2010 - Speak out

2010-09-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

Speak Out in Your Community and open the minds of others to Help Raise the Standard to Build Better Baby Brains

Join the International Virtual Million Mind March

If we want to create an "REAL" Economic Stimulus Package - now is the time to begin promoting "Building Better Baby Brains" by Raising the Standard for the Future - Alcohol and Babies don't mix and add to the future cost of education, medical, community and judicial services.

Church sermon sample http://www.betterendings.org/FASD/christian/sermon.htm

Join our virtual Million Mind March to give One Million Babies in the next year the opportunity to develop healthy minds

Participate in a Local Radio Show and Get Your Events Talked About

Call your local radio show and see if you can get on a program to talk about FASD during the next 60 days. You may just open up some minds and save a few baby brain cells.

Visit:

www.toolboxparent.com for current articles

http://toolboxparent.ning.com/ join our social networking site - blogs, discussions, event, chat with Jodee or Deb, more!

www.betterendings.org to learn more about our host

Step out, speak out, get out and make some friendly noise to build awareness of FASD - fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Tomorrow I will share the first speech I fearfully spoke on 09.09.99 at the 1st Annual FASDay - sadly the same message still needs to be heard.

Enjoy coming up with GREAT ideas - we'd love to hear from you!

#9 Days To FASDay 2010 - What One Person Can Do?

2010-08-31T09:09:00.000-07:00

What can Only One person do?
From Deb Fjeld - a mom of four children with multiple complex issues and webweaver of www.toolboxparent.com

I was feeling frustrated the other day when I was listening to myself complain about the recent funding cuts going through our state. I realized that I have become so obsessed with trying to find grant moneys for programs that I have lost my focus like I had lost my paying job.

I had the "I'm Only One Person" Syndrome.
I felt that if I don't find grant money for programs, that nothing good can happen and I can't make a difference.

Then, I re-framed my thoughts. (My favorite thing to do next rationalization)

What can one person do to help a family who is struggling?

One person can (without a lot of money or no money which we sometime have):

be a mentor for a child
offer support to another parent who is struggling
create a blog to support other parents
phone a friend who has tough kids and say I appreciate what you do
operate a web site to help others
bring a meal to a sick friend
offer respite for a family who needs a break (even an hour makes a difference!)
pray for another who needs help
join a list serve and share ideas
call a church, school, government center to ring some bells on 09.09
get a little assembly together on your county courthouse on 09.09 to talk about FASD
hold a pregnant pause event at a local restaurant, hotel or bar
send an encouraging email to one, or all on your email list
write a book!
invite a few girlfriends out for coffee and relax!
read our articles on http://www.toolboxparent.com/
join a disccussion, ask a question, post a great idea to help professionals and parents of complex kids and intense adults at http://toolboxparent.ning.com/
write a review for an author who raises tough kids - your input really counts
HAVE FUN FUN FUN - pay attention to the little miracles every day
start a 501c3 (then you add a few board members and maybe get a grant)

These are things that don't need a grant.
These are things that make an actual difference in another's life, without costing any money.

I have noticed, though, that I receive much more in return than the effort I gave out.

What else can one person do to help another?? Any ideas we would love your comments.

Deb Fjeld and Jodee Kulp

Look what three parents with a single idea pulled off ten years ag0 and it is still continuing to ring our warnings.

FASDay 1999 began in Auckland, New Zealand, where "Minute of Reflection" bells rang at 9:09 a.m., at Mt. Albert Methodist church. Then it moved to Adelaide, Australia, and then to South Africa, where at 9:09 a.m., Cape Town volunteers gathered to hear the War Memorial Carillon that rang when Nelson Mandela was released from prison. Volunteers in Italy, Germany and Sweden held events -- and then FAS Day crossed the Atlantic. Volunteers staged events and bells and carillons rang across Canada and the U.S. The westernmost activity was the community breakfast on the tiny island of Kitkatla, B.C., near the Queen Charlotte Islands, where the village bell rang at 9:09 a.m. followed by prayers in the native tongue by village elders. We missed a few international time zones.

We did it all on $100 in donations, plus thousands of hours of volunteer labor.

It was a labor of love and passionate commitment. We generated as much media attention as a million-dollar public relations campaign, and we made many new friends and supporters in the process. Many women of childbearing age learned for the first time that no amount of alcohol in pregnancy is safe.

All of us knew that in one magic minute, we really did begin to change the world.

Yeah, but...
What can one person do to fight FASD?"

You'd be surprised -- if he or she is working with a world community of people equally committed to eliminating this tragic and totally preventable disorder!

#10 Days To FASDay 2010 - Take a Stand

2010-08-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

09.09 Reason to Take a Stand to
Build Better Baby Brains

On the ninth minute of the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month, we ask the world to remember that during the nine months of pregnancy, alcohol can be very dangerous to the baby. We also ask the world to remember the millions of people worldwide who will struggle lifelong with intellectual disabilities caused by prenatal alcohol.

What the members of FASworld want:

We want to make the world aware that no amount of alcohol in pregnancy is safe for the baby.
We want to make the world aware of the millions of people internationally who can never live normally, because their brains - and often their bodies - have been damaged by alcohol before they were born.

We want our governments to invest in information programs; rehabilitation facilities for women with alcohol addiction problems, and their families; adequate diagnostic facilities, special education, and other support for individuals with FAS, and their families.

Volunteers from around the world work together year-round to build awareness. Each year, on September 9, we observe International FAS Awareness Day (FASDay) with its "Minute of Reflection" at 9:09 a.m.

Each year our memberships grows and we are represented by volunteers in Canada, the U.S., England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Germany, France, Poland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay, Bermuda and Costa Rica participated and new communities join in every year -- be sure to let us know when your community holds a FASDay event.

#11 Days To FASDay 2010 - Visit FAS World

2010-08-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

VISIT
http://www.fasworld.com/
and FASworld

FASworld is an international alliance of parents and professionals who do not want to see any more children, teenagers and adults struggle with birth defects caused when their mothers drank alcohol in pregnancy. Co-founded by volunteers in Toronto, Canada, and Tucson, Arizona, it has resulted in the creation of the Canadian organization, FASworld Canada, which continues to work with the FAS Community Resource Center

Meet families and professionals working together to build awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

Individuals struggling with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders may be diagnosed with:

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS),
Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND) -- formerly known as Fetal Alcohol Effects (FAE) --
Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD),
Alcohol-Related Birth Injury (ARBI) or
Partial Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (pFAS).

(In New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and other parts of the world, these conditions are spelled," etc.). Syndrome,? Alcohol Foetal DIV <>

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) is an umbrella term describing the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother drank alcohol during pregnancy. These effects may include physical, mental, behavioral and/or learning disabilities with possible lifelong implications. The term FASD is not intended for use as a clinical diagnosis.

Psychologists and psychiatrists often assess individuals with FAS disorders as having Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), Conduct Disorder or Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD) -- but are often unaware that the real problem is permanent neurological damage caused by prenatal alcohol.

People with prenatal alcohol exposure have a high risk of mental disabilities, learning disabilities, early school drop-out, juvenile delinquency, trouble with the law, alcoholism, drug addiction, unemployment, homelessness, poverty, incarceration, and mental illness. As many as half of all adults with some form of FASD have depression and a significant percentage of those have attempted suicide. With early diagnosis and treatment, many of these "secondary disabilities" could be prevented.

For a comprehensive review of information about FASD, read Damaged Angels by Bonnie Buxton. You will find reviews and ordering information, including discounts for bulk orders at http://www.damagedangels.com/

#12 Days To FASDay 2010 - You Can Ring Some Bells

2010-08-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

60 Easy Ideas to
Raise the Standard in Building Better Baby Brains

Ring Bells at 9:09 am on 09.09.10!
Search out bells in your community

Church Bells
School Bells
High School Orchestra
Cow Bells
Government Bells
Business Door Bells

Make connections today to schedule a special bell ringing ceremony of ringing out the warnings of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

Bells will begin ringing at 9:09 am on 09.09 in New Zealand
and continue to ring their way around the world.

For more great grassroots ideas visit http://www.fasday.com/

Hundreds of crazy but wonderful people in communities in every time zone volunteer their time and energy to organize FASDAY activities, where parents and professionals alike join forces in this phenomenal grassroots movement that now involves thousands of participants.

Is the world listening?

We think so!

The FAS Community Resource Center that provides the majority of the information for FASDAY activists has 50,000 people each month visit its web pages that contain a wealth of information on research, prevention, and intervention of fetal alcohol issues. Parents, professionals, teachers and students alike visit the popular web site to educate themselves and to share information with others by downloading the hundreds of articles and handouts available there.

The FAS Center web site can be found here: http://fasstar.com/fas

Jodee Kulp, Executive Director
Better Endings New Beginnings

Join the Virtual Million Minds March to Build Better Baby Brains

#13 Days To FASDay 2010 - Tie Some Knots

2010-08-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

#13 Let's Knot to be Silent
INSTRUCTIONS TO TIE YOUR OWN FASKnots

By Bonnie Buxton,
author Damaged Angels
co-founder International FASDay
Re-printed from December ICEBERG 2008

In January of 1999, while digging out from a Toronto snowstorm, my husband Brian Philcox and I realized that September 9, 1999 (9-9-99), would present an opportunity to inform the world that during the nine months of pregnancy, alcohol is dangerous to the baby.

Within 24 hours, Teresa Kellerman of Tucson, Arizona, had contributed her creativity and Internet genius by encouraging volunteers in seven countries and 11 time zones to participate in the first International FAS Awareness Day.

Because every ribbon colour had been taken by other causes, Brian and I spent several hours developing the FASKnot symbol in honor of the first book about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Michael Dorris’s "The Broken Cord."

Ten years later, the events continue and now we challenge FASD advocates to take advantage of 2009 to build awareness all year long, particularly on 09-09-09. This year in Canada, FASDay events included a major conference, some candlelight vigils, “mocktail” competitions, breakfasts, luncheons, a play, and one brave woman with ARND speaking out for the first time to a group of university students. Many of these events brought media attention to FASD, building awareness in the community.

Join the movement to Build Better Baby Brains Let's Raise the Standard

Jodee

#14 Days To FASDay 2010 - Plan a Pregnant Pause!

2010-08-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Georgia team of advocates. Nice job... wonder how many more PAUSES we can do around the world this year!

#15 Days To FASDay 2010 - Grab and Go Materials

2010-08-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

FASD Center of Excellence offers FREE Materials

You can learn about FASD and share information with others through our "Grab and Go" feature.

You'll find camera-ready documents that you can download for reference or copy and distribute at PTA meetings, health fairs, doctors' offices, and other settings.

All documents are in the public domain and can be adapted as needed, such as adding your organization's phone number.

#16 Days To FASDay 2010 - Trail of Tears

2010-08-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

A Trail of Tears

Peggy Oba, takes us on a trail of the tears of Fetal Alcohol from ancient times to the present.
If you are interested click here

You will see there is nothing new FASDs have been among us since alcohol.

Are we ready to remain sober for our future children?

#17 Days To FASDay 2010 - Pass on a summer read

2010-08-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

Pass on a summer read to a friend you'd like to learn more about fetal alcohol...

The Whitest Wall, a debut novel by Jodee Kulp is the winner of 2009 Best Adult Fiction and 2009 Best Young Adult Fiction by The Mom's Choice Awards Foundation and a finalist for Book of the Year, Multicultural Fiction.

Jodee Kulp has created a new third person Catcher in the Rye
Kulp captures the chaotic turmoil of culturally-muddled miscommunication and FAS brain fog of lost-boy Kevin, a 21-year-old going-on-ten jailed for murder, seemingly by his own matter-of-fact confession. The Whitest Wall is a worthy read, a trip into a novel world, written with entertainment quality as vivid as a screenplay with a multitude of metaphors for interpretation and meaning. This tantalizing tale should engage youthful readers and provoke discussion among those of high-school age and older. Caulfield, move over, there is much more to tell!
— Dr. Lyelle Palmer

"What you don't know won't hurt you is a lie... Fiction, as C.S. Lewis would say, adds to reality, not just describes it. It enriches daily life and irrigates the deserts of our lives. Jodee Kulp is so adept at casting the players in The Whitest Wall and so passionate a story teller you will look at your neighbor through different eyes than ever before."
— Mac McConnell, author, "Forever Changed", "Bozra""

An inside view of FASD I am overcome with the manner in which Jodee was able to thread together racism, poverty, abuse, fetal alcohol, depression, and post traumatic stress disorder with smoothness that did not confuse the reader."
— Ruth A. Rice, FASD Program Director, White Earth

"This is a must read book for everyone as it's a topic that has been in the closet for too long. Jodee's book will open everyone's eyes that FASD is a very serious issue that we all need to become better educated about as well as develop services for those impacted by it. I can't wait for Book 2."
— Glenys DiLissio Executive Director,

#18 Days To FASDay 2010 - Cheers to all babies

2010-08-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

Cheers to all the babies.
May they grow healthy and warm in their special places.

Tonight our family will celebrate a new New Year Tradition.

We are baking a large pretzel bread for break-fast tomorrow, the knot in the bread will be a square knot - the bread braided and we'll be lighting candles in remembrance of all the persons in the world with Fetal Alcohol brain damage while we say a prayer of protection from the alcohol of those being toasted during the parties of the New Year.

This may be a way we could all celebrate the eve of 9/9

#19 Days To FASDay 2010 - Toolbox Parent

2010-08-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

Visit Toolbox Parent for support and ideas

http://www.toolboxparent.com/

Stop by and visit an informative site to bridge understanding, make connections with families of high risk and special needs individuals and professionals. Deb Fjeld, Minnesota Post-Adoption Parent Liason and Jodee Kulp invite you to visit our new site designed to build collaborative efforts between caregivers and professionals.

What is a Toolbox Parent?

A toolbox parent is a parent who is willing to reach out and discover new ideas and strategies to work with a difficult child. If you are struggling with behaviors in your home, we hope that you can find something here to help you.

We need power tools - consider joining our team!

Power Tools: Regionally, meet our Power Professionals. This section represents some of the best professional minds in the business of “kids”. Learn about their specialties. If you are a professional skilled in working with REALLY complicated children with neurodiversity issues please contact Jodee or Deb

#20 Days To FASDay 2010 - Listen to persons with FASD

2010-08-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

A story you won’t forget.
Visit her website

Liz Kulp, winner of Gold Mom’s Choice Outstanding Young

Contributor in 2009 for The Best I Can Be Living with

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Effects offers readers a rare

“new” opportunity of understanding adult transition with FASD.

There is always a feeling of awe when you are handed the first copy of your book. I loved the look in Liz's eyes when she held her new project. (click to learn more)

Liz was diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) as a young teen. Knowing her challenges and understanding her strengths helped her graduate from public high school and strive to move on to independent adulthood like her peers. But, she soon learned that life within the context of a family that understood and helped her gain the desire for independence had not prepared her to live in a world filled with predators and abstract thinking. Liz unashamedly lets readers inside the hidden world of adult transition for many of our young people with FASD.

FREE PREVIEW for blog readers

“Stunning. Absolutely stunning.”

– Deb Evensen, FASD Behavior Specialist, FASAlaska

“Wow Liz this is one fantastic book. I can't tell you how impressed I am. This is a best seller.”

– Renae Sanford, FASD Educator and Family Support Person

“After reading Braided Cord Tough Times In and Out I wanted to shout out to all social workers, adoption workers, foster parents, and adoptive parents ‘You have to read this book!’”

– Ruth A. Rice, Mental Health Practioner, Birth Mom, Adoptive Mom

“Heart wrenching, yet inspiring! There is so much that Liz Kulp can teach about FASD because she has lived it. From her lowest lows to her highest highs, we need to listen to her song.”

– Victoria Deasey, M.S.Ed, Cert AVT, CED, Teacher/Therapist/Parent Coach/Consultant

“Once again, Liz and Jodee have handed us exactly the book we've been waiting for. Braided Cord is an unfinished story of resiliency, courage and love. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your life as it continues to unfold. Your honesty is a light for the rest of us.”

– Laura Nagle, Bluegrass Prevention Center

Speaking, workshops or wholesale books contact:

www.betterendings.org

#21 Days To FASDay 2010 - Listen to persons with FASD

2010-08-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

One of Many Voices for Fetal Alcohol Awareness Day

Note from jodee: I have removed L.'s name and
country and added word changes in (--).
Please understand that this woman with
fetal alcohol is writing in English, speaks
the language of the country she lives in and
was born in another country with another
language - Well done L. You are a beautiful
person. Keep safe.

Dear Jodee and Liz

I am 31 years old...I have FAS

I have pay (bought) Liz and your book,
the best i can be...i have been,
is comfusing very often,
and think bad things about myself...
but when i read the book i cried..
becuse i'm felt not alone anymore...
I'm catholic and is very comfusing their sometimes..
no one can see that i have FAS and
is hard to lived up to the church..
i always failed..
everybody failed,
but i'm never learnd,
and i'm feel bad..

but when i read your and Liz book,
and about your trust in God
i'm now feeling calm...
but i cry and cry..

I'm single mother to a boy who is 5
and get help from the socity in my country
...clean help,
and with paper...
but i wish more
...it's very difficult

...i pray for God's protection and
that he chow me to be a good mother...
hope you understand my english.

God bless you and your family.
Love from L. in Europe

Dear L.
Your English is beautiful and
very very good I am happy with your English.
To speak three languages and write to me
is very very wonderful.

Lord I pray for L. -
you know she is a good woman
and person and kind and loving.
Lord I ask for you to help her
and let her know she is not alone,
that many men and women have FAS and
many live good lives
She is living a good life
being the best she can be.
Father be with her and
help her learn good things
to grow in your love.
Amen

Jodee and Liz
L. may I share your email with other families?
Or may I add to my website -
I think your words are wonderful!

Dear Jodee and Liz,
thanks for caring and answer
Thanks for your beutiful prayer...
yes you can add it on your website,
but please not wright where i'm from...

My FAS is many fysical disorder
like haert deffects, and i have problem
with member (memory) in daily life,
when i cooks food,
and sometimes i'm not see cars come in my way...
and problem with anger, and self defence..
but i tried gfcd ( wtithout gluten and casein milk)
and now i don't cut my self,
sometimes i have bite my self in anger,
but your book gave me hope,

It learned me to try to pray insted,
or chows bite paper insted...
my son gives me so mutch and i love him,
so i need to focus him..

the daily life is hard to focus and
it's so mutch planning...
but God leads me,
even i'm bad sometimes...
One time in week i,m riding.
It's good for me too

Love and pray, L.

#22 Days To FASDay 2010 - Write a PSA

2010-08-18T09:09:00.000-07:00

Write a PSA!
Or use one that already exists -
most of the people working with FASD Awareness willingly share -

This was created by a 2009 high school graduate in a tiny rural KY county - he's got real talent, and I'm so grateful to him for taking the time to do this. Please feel free to pass it on - I want Parker and his fabulous PSA to get a lot of views today!!

Happy FASD Awareness Day from Kentucky!
Laura Nagel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_USXRi8zt8

#23 Days To FASDay 2010 - Listen to persons with FASD

2010-08-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Listen to persons who have fetal alcohol - they have insight we can all use.
This is John Kellerman's speech given on 09.09.09
Great job John!

My name is John Kellerman.

I’m the drummer in the band at the 9:30 service at St. Paul’s church. I love playing the drums. That is one thing that is easy for me.

But many things are difficult for me, because I have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.I have a hard time making friends. I don’t always remember social rules and I can be inappropriate sometimes, especially when my mom is not around.

The hard thing about having FAS is that sometimes I act like a little kid, sometimes I act like a teenager, and sometimes I act like an adult. The really hard part is that I can never control or predict what level I will be at any time.

That’s kind of scary for me, because I know what the rules are, I know I can get into trouble, but I break the rules anyway, like I’m on a train with no engineer and the brakes don’t work.

I depend on other people to help me stay on the right track. My mom helps me by making sure I am safe all the time, and by teaching me what is important.

She teaches me to be respectful, to ask for help, and to communicate my needs.She teaches me about the dangers of alcohol. She says we can celebrate without drinking, and we can have fun without alcohol. And that nobody ever died from not drinking!

Happy FASD Awareness Day, everyone!

(Watch Johnny’s speech on YouTube: www.youtube.com/trilevelman )

#24 Days To FASDay 2010 - Two minute talk

2010-08-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

Get a local or national interview - give it a try!
Give a Two Minute Talk
Here's Teresa Kellerman's for 09.09.09

Teresa's Two Minute Talk
(I was asked to share my personal story of raising a child with FAS, and I was limited to just two minutes!)

Hello, I am John’s Mom.

That’s how I am known across the US and around the world. You see, John is famous. Not because he has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, but because he allows his story to be told around the world, in order to raise awareness about Fetal Alcohol Disorders.

Thirty years ago, a baby was born to an alcoholic mother who did not have the gift of recovery. The baby suffered with birth defects and brain damage. The mother died.The baby came to me as a special needs foster child, one of many I cared for over the years. This baby soon became my own through adoption.

As an infant, John cried all the time, and could not be consoled. He didn’t want to be touched or cuddled, as if he rejected all love. But by the time he was two, he was a happy little guy - hyper, but happy.

Over the years, he has struggled with developmental delays and learning disorders. He had a heart defect that required open-heart surgery. This was traumatic for him and for me. But it was nothing compared to the day-to-day struggle he has with not being able to control his behavior.

John inherited alcoholism from his birth parents. To help him survive addiction, we maintain a drug free home, with no access to alcohol or other dangerous drugs.

John also needs help to survive his Fetal Alcohol disorder. His brain damage causes him to forget rules, to be impulsive, and to have poor judgment. So John requires close supervision at all times. This is has not been easy for me, and it is certainly not easy for John. But with understanding and acceptance, he trusts me to help him stay safe and healthy and happy

I am proud of John, and I am blessed to be his mother. And we are both blessed to be surrounded by loving friends here in Tucson and around the world through the Internet.

We are grateful for the support of the Division of Developmental Disabilities and are happy to share that support with other families through the Fetal Alcohol Resource Center.

#25 Days To FASDay 2010 - Host a drop in event

2010-08-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

Host your own drop in event.

offer coffee and cookies on FASD Awareness Day
Simply send out an invite to your clients, friends and family.

Sample

FASD Awareness Day -
Owen Sound Drop In Event
Wednesday, September 09

Organization: Children's Aid Society
Wednesday, September 9

Children's Aid Society
1290 3rd Ave E,
Owen Sound

2:00 - 4:30 pm

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is the most common birth defect in the industrialized world causing permanent damage to the developing brain of one in every one hundred babies born in North America.Join us for this drop-in event, which will include refreshments, networking, education, awareness, and advocacy for those with FASD.

For more information contact:

#26 Days To FASDay 2010 - Write a letter to the first lady

2010-08-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

How to Write a Letter to First Lady Michelle Obama

Dear First Lady Obama
let me tell you about FASD

As part of International FASD Awareness Day, please join us in this easy, free activity to help raise awareness of FASD at the highest levels of our government.

This idea originated with Tami Eller, a member of our local FASD Council.
Cheri Scott, FASD Family Support Project
Stone Soup Group
www.stonesoupgroup.org

If you would like to write a letter to First Lady Michelle Obama there are certain steps you need to follow. While you may feel comfortable writing letters to your friends and family this letter needs to be formal and concise. Please follow these steps to correctly send the First Lady a letter.

________________________________

Dear First Lady Michelle Obama...

Let me tell you about FASD...

International FASD Awareness Day Letter Writing Campaign

Did you know that First Lady Obama reads 10 letters each night written by everyday Americans?
Imagine if every letter the President read was written by someone whose life is impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.
If everyone affected by FASD writes to the First Lady prior to 9/9 then the probability of her opening even one letter regarding FASD is incredible.
The more letters, the higher the probability that all ten letters she reads will be written by those affected by FASD.

Are you a parent of a child with FASD, are you an adult with FASD?
Does your sibling have FASD?
Do you teach a child or an adult with FASD?
Are you a grandparent of a child with FASD?

For everyone person born affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol, everyone who loves that individual lives are also affected.

Join us in educating our First Lady regarding the most prevalent of all birth defects: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

Join us in asking our First Lady to ring a bell at 9:09 am on September 9, 2009 to recognize the importance of Nine Months of an Alcohol Free Pregnancy.

Tell your story of how Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders have affected yourself and those you love.

Send First Lady Obama a letter to at:
First Lady Michelle Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Send First Lady Obama an email by filling out the form at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Talking Points

* The Facts:
* Fetal alcohol exposure is an international and national crisis
* Prenatal exposure to alcohol causes permanent brain damage
* Prenatal exposure to alcohol is the leading cause of mental retardation
* Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are 100% and easily preventable - simply no alcohol consumption during pregnancy
* Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are a life long disability - from cradle to grave
* More babies are born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders than Autism Spectrum Disorders or Downs Syndrome
* There is no safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy
* It is estimated that more than half of the prison population is affected by FASD
* Prenatal exposure to alcohol costs the United States millions of dollars a year to provide services to individuals affected by a FASD
* Early identification and intervention has huge impacts on the reduction of mental health concerns and behaviors resulting in legal intervention
* Even with early identification and intervention,individuals with a FASD will need to lifelong supports
* The Daily Realities of Living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

As a Parent:
* Struggles with you have raising your child with FASD
* Struggles you have explaining the invisible brain damage to others who deal with your child
* Struggle finding appropriate services for your child
* The lesson you have learned in your journey of raising a child affected by FASD
* Your dreams for your child

As an Adult affected by FASD
* Struggles you had to overcome in your lifetime
* Strengths and talents you have
* Accommodations that enable you to be successful

As a Profession working with individuals affected by FASD
* What systematically is working for your clients
* What systematically is not working for your clients
* Struggles your clients face on a daily basis
* Struggles you face on a daily basis in obtaining resources for your clients
* What resources are necessary for your clients to be successful
* What needs to happen
* Proclamation by the President of the United States recognizing September 9th as International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day and the importance of abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy
* Ask him to ring a bell at 9:09 am on September 9 in recognition of the individuals affected by FASD.
* Diagnostic teams in all 50 states to facilitate and identify early diagnosis and intervention
* More resources toward prevention and early intervention

#27 Days To FASDay 2010 - Each One Reach One

2010-08-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

What if each of us chose to reach out to another person with a disability.

We could offer simple things.

A ride to the store for groceries
Coffee once a month at the local cafe
Sitting on a porch swing.
Helping to organize a room

We would love to hear ideas on how you can "be a friend" to a person with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD)

For t-shirts, hats and other gear visit www.cafepress.com/fetalalcohol

#28 Days To FASDay 2010 - Press Releases

2010-08-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

Media Release Ideas for Canada and US
International FASDay

Suggested Media Release for Canada (should fit on single page):

For Immediate Release
Contact:
(contact person’s name)
(contact person’s phone number)
(use actual date)
(contact person’s e-mail address)
(Name of your organization)

Fights FAS: International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Day Video Premiere, Sept. 9
“Our house was in turmoil from the time he got up until the time he fell asleep, probably about ten o’clock – and then I would crawl into bed, totally exhausted, and cry myself to sleep every night because I felt like such a failure,” says Guelph’s Chris Margetson, parent of a son with FAS, in a compelling new Ontario-produced video.
The 25-minute video, “Different Directions: Understanding Fetal Alcohol Syndrome,” will be offered, along with an informal breakfast, when (Name of your organization) marks International FAS Awareness Day on September 9 at 8:45 a.m., at (location), and observes the worldwide “Minute of Reflection” at 9:09 a.m.
“We’ll be joining parents and professionals around the world in building awareness about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome,” says (name and position of spokesperson). “On this second annual FAS Awareness Day, people from Nunavut to New Zealand will participate. On the ninth minute of the ninth hour of the ninth month, we ask the world to remember that during the nine months of pregnancy, a woman should not drink alcohol.”
(name of your city or town) will be among many Canadian communities to use FAS Day to launch the new video, produced by Ontario’s North for the Children and Toronto’s Breaking the Cycle with the assistance of Health Canada.
The video focuses on two children with FAS and their mothers: 5-year-old Brenda, and her adoptive mother, Kim Meawasige, both of aboriginal ancestry; and young adult Joe and his birth mother Chris Margetson, of non-native background. Both Meawasige and Margetson work with FAS professionally, and bring to their work compassionate understanding of the struggle faced daily by children with FAS – and their families.
In one of the more touching moments in the video, Meawasige, adoptive mother of four children with FAS/FAE, bursts into tears. “Knowing how many kids are lost, either killed or living on the street with FAS and FAE, it scares me...One of the reasons I adopted (my children) is because I know that ...no matter how weird our family is, we’re family and we’ll be there for them.”
Following the screening of the video, (what else is on your program?) All are welcome. For more information, call (contact name and number).

Suggested Media Release for U.S. (should fit on single page):

For Immediate Release
Contact:
(contact person’s name)
(contact person’s phone number)
(use actual date)
(contact person’s e-mail address)
(Name of your organization)

Fights FAS: International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Day Video Premiere, Sept. 9

The 35-minute video, "FAS: Everybody's Baby" (that focuses on teenagers who struggle with the effects of alcohol in their lives) will be offered, along with an informal breakfast, when (Name of your organization) marks International FAS Awareness Day on September 9 at 8:45 a.m., at (location), and observes the worldwide “Minute of Reflection” at 9:09 a.m.
“We’ll be joining parents and professionals around the world in building awareness about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome,” says (name and position of spokesperson). “On this second annual FAS Awareness Day, people from Alaska to New Zealand will participate. On the ninth minute of the ninth hour of the ninth month, we ask the world to remember that during the nine months of pregnancy, a woman should not drink alcohol.”
(name of your city or town) will be among many U.S.communities to use FAS Day to launch the new video, produced by the U.S. Dept.of Education.
Promoting zero tolerance for alcohol, tobacco, and drugs during pregnancy, the video is particularly aimed at problem teenagers who are at risk for both unplanned pregnancy and substance abuse. The film concludes with a reflection from adolescents on what parenting is all about, how it begins in the womb, and the responsibilities of the mother and father. “It’s an excellent film for teenagers,” says Teresa Kellerman of Tucson’s FAS Community Resource Centre, “and it will make an impact on viewers of all ages.”
Following the screening of the video, (what else is on your program?) All are welcome. For more information, call (contact name and number).

#29 Days To FASDay 2010 - Be a poster poster

2010-08-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

Become a Poster Poster!
©http://www.fasstar.com/

Print out some FREE - FASD Awareness posters and hang them up on local bulletin boards, at the store, the laundromat, churches, universities, etc. You might even get your local schools to post them.

"Little One" everybody's favorite poster

NOFAS Posters and Brochures

If you print these out yourself on photo paper at "best" resolution on your color printer they will have a high quality appearance. You can have large posters printed for just a few dollars at your local print or copy shop. Even one may be seen by hundreds of people.

#30 Days To FASDay 2010 - An easy FASDay Plan

2010-08-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

AN EASY FASDay Plan
Yes! You and a friend can do something!

Easy Plan - The Foolproof FAS Day Formula

Sit down with paper and pen. If you have one or two other key people to work with, print up copies of this manual, and invite them to join you. Give them some time to read it, and then answer the following questions:

Who is chairing this event?
Who can we count on to help out?
What kind of help can they give us?
Who do we know will want to attend?
Potential attendees -- what other people and organizations in the community do we want to reach? (Start with interested friends and family members, and professionals –doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc. – that you know. Then add people who should be interested: e.g., local municipal, state/provincial and federal politicians, agencies with an interest in FAS, school personnel, etc.)
How many people can we reasonably expect to attend?
Will we require child care?
Where should we hold this event?
Who are our best local media contacts to promote this event and the FAS issue?

1. Confirm location.
Once you’ve decided how many people are likely to attend, choose your location. Try to find a reasonably-sized meeting room with comfortable seating, and a convenient area to serve coffee, tea, juice, and snacks.
2. How to Obtain a FAS Day Proclamation
If you want civic and state FAS Day proclamations, find out the appropriate name to write to, and do this immediately. You’ll find a boiler-plate letter plus sample proclamations in this document. (Note: Canada’s provincial governments are not likely to issue proclamations.)
3. Planning the Video Premiere -- Plus
The program is a simple one, but you’re going to need to make some choices.
Who will be M.C.? Choose the most articulate person in your group, or try for a local personality who could be sympathetic to your cause – e.g., a TV or radio broadcaster or local entertainment figure.

Will you use the Invocation, and if so, who will read it?
Will you ask your mayor or a municipal counsellor to read the Proclamation?
How will you observe the worldwide “Minute of Reflection” at 9:09 a.m.? e.g., will someone ring a bell nine times?
Or will you say a prayer, sing a song, have someone play a musical instrument, or have simple silence?
Will you have a keynote speaker following the video, and if so, who?
Or will you have a panel discussion? Your panel could include a birth parent, a foster or adoptive parent, an articulate survivor of FAS/FAE and a professional (teacher, doctor or nurse, psychologist or social worker, knowledgeable lawyer or judge, etc.)
Will you add music to the mix – possibly a live musician?
Would you like to close with the poem, “The Integrity of Hope,” by Michael Kami? And if so, who will read it?

4. Invitations and flyers
We’ve enclosed a sample invitation and 2 sample flyer/posters. Ask your committee members to come up with names of people to invite, and make a master list, which can be used in 2001. To save on postage, you may want to e-mail and fax many of your invitations, but make sure to follow up with a personal phone call. The invitation contains a RSVP: whose number will invitees call?
5. Breakfast Food and Drink
Easy does it. Muffins and/or bagels, cheese or cream cheese optional, possibly some cut-up melon or citrus fruit, coffee, tea and fruit juice, cream/milk and sugar. Possibly a local retailer or coffee shop may be willing to make a donation. If you’re tight for cash, possibly a local service club or church will help. Will you need storage or refrigeration or help setting up tables? Do you have enough electric coffeemakers?
6. Other equipment
Make sure your video equipment is adequate well in advance of Sept. 9.

Is your VCR working?
Is your TV set or monitor large enough for the size of group you expect?
If you’re expecting two dozen people or more, you may need two or more monitors hooked up to one VCR: this can be done easily with a splitter. Most audio-visual specialty stores can show you how it’s done.
If more people than you expect turn up, simply hold two screening sessions. One group snacks and chats while the other group watches the video. Then they trade places.
Your alternative is to rent a video projector and screen from a company specializing in video display or presentation rentals. This will cost about $250-$300 per day, and you will need to darken the room. Some colleges and universities have this equipment in screening rooms.

7. Media Relations
You’ll find a sample media release, ready for you to personalize with local information. Make a list of all of the members of the media you would like to reach, particularly those whom you know personally. You should also prepare a list of individuals who are knowledgeable about FAS, and willing to talk to the media. These might include participants on your panel – parents, people with FAS, and professionals. The media release can be faxed, but make sure you have a person who will make follow-up phone calls. You will also need a media contact for any members of the press, radio or TV who want to know more.

8. Other
Bells and carillons around the world will be ringing nine times at 9:09 a.m. in the international Bell Concordance, to remind the world that during the nine months of pregnancy, a woman should not consume alcohol. If there is a church bell in your community, you may want to speak to the minister or priest, to ask if it is rung manually. If so, we suggest you photocopy the material from the FASworld Report regarding the Bell Concordance, or download and print it from the website www.come-over.to/FASDAY/manual.htm , and invite the church to join in. If you live in a city which is lucky enough to have a carillon, get the name of the carillonneur and do the same. Gerald Martindale, carillonneur at Toronto’s Metropolitan United Church geraldm@planeteer.com> is building on last year’s concert of international lullabies and would be pleased to share this with other international carillonneurs.

Make sure you have a guest book easily accessible as guests enter or leave. It would be useful to have someone stationed to remind people to sign the guest book and hand out FAS Knots as your guests arrive.
The FAS awareness symbol, the FAS Knot can be easily made for about 8 cents each. They can be given away, sold for about $2-3 each, or you can simply have a cash box available for donations. Complete information on the FAS Knot can be found at www.come-over.to/FASDAY/manual.htm
FAS Knots and the guest book can be placed on an information table, with other available material. The table can also include petitions your group wishes to support.

For suggestions for both U.S. and Canadian petitions, e-mail Bonnie Buxton at ogrady@axxent.ca.
For suggestions on posters and printed material you can download yourself, check out the website http://come-over.to/FASdisk/

#31 Days To FASDay 2010 - Information table

2010-08-09T09:09:00.000-07:00

FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder)
Information Table

You may want to have an information table, which can include the FAS Knot, a cash box for donations, and relevant local material.

Correctional Service Canada has produced a well-written research report, “Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Implications for Correctional Service” which is applicable to most English-speaking countries, and is also available in French. It’s available, free, in bulk, from the Research Branch, Correctional Service of Canada, 340 Laurier Ave. West, Ottawa, ON K1A 0P9, or phone Tina Bada at (613) 996-5222, fax (613)996-2867, reslib@magi.com
It is full of facts and figures about FAS/FAE, relating to the lifespan of the affected individual, and includes recommendations for changes in the criminal justice system, taking into account the needs and disabilities of offenders with fetal alcohol disorders. This report would be particularly useful for members of the media who would like more information on the secondary disabilities of people with FAS, which make them susceptible to getting in trouble with the law.
Your committee might consider making various petitions available, and Bonnie Buxton ogrady@axxent.ca can suggest a number which might be appropriate.
We particularly like a “declaration” for men to fill out, promising to support their wives, partners, sisters, daughters, and friends in sobriety when pregnant. This declaration was developed by the Lakeland FAS Committee, in northern Alberta, Canada. The complete petition form can be downloaded at www.come-over.to/FASDAY/FathersDec.htm

Encourange Partner Declarations
The partner declaration, in the form of a petition, reads:

“I am aware that alcohol exposure during pregnancy may cause irreversible brain damage to the baby, therefore, I declare that I will support and encourage my partner, friends and family members to be alcohol free during pregnancy.”

FAS fact sheet and educational handouts
There is a file called FASdisk that can be downloaded in its entirety or just selected documents. The FASdisk can be found at http://come-over.to/FASdisk/

Suggested documents include:

What Is FAS?
FAS FACTS
FAS Characteristics
FAS101Assessment
Resource List FAS and the Brain Birth Defects Comparison (Canada) Birth Defects Comparison (U.S.)
Timelines for FAS
Visible Kid with the Invisible Disabilities
Visible Teen with the Invisible Disabilities
FAS Presentation Notes
Download the entire file of 50+ documents and photos here!

#32 Days To FASDay 2010 - How to make a FAS Knot

2010-08-08T09:09:00.000-07:00

How to Make a FAS Knot

“A threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
–The Bible, Ecclesiastes IV, 10

In 1999, volunteers from New Zealand and South Africa to Nunavut used the FAS Knot as a symbol of our worldwide campaign to inform the world about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and related disorders.
This piece of knotted cord was designed in memory of Abel Dorris, 1968-1991, whose brief and poignant life resulted in the groundbreaking 1989 book about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, The Broken Cord, written by his father, Michael Dorris, 1945-1997.
The broken cord may refer to the umbilical cord, the spinal cord, the nervous system, the cord between the generations, or the cable on an elevator. Michael Dorris wrote that if we back off on our children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effects, they will sink like an elevator once the cable is snapped. Ten years after Dorris’s book, a loving community around the world reconnected the broken cord, developing the FAS Knot as our symbol.
Each knot can be made easily and cheaply in less than a minute. The cord is tied in a square knot, sometimes called a reef knot, the favoured knot for reconnecting a broken line or cord. The knot is stronger than the cord itself, and cannot be broken or snapped. You may want to sell the knots for $2-$5, or ask for donations.
Volunteers in the U.S. and Canada generally use an eight-inch piece of 3/16" white cord, available in most hardware stores for a few cents per foot. Volunteers in New Zealand and Germany have made smaller, more discreet FAS Knots, using thinner cord. Make a circle approximately the size of your thumb (possibly smaller if you use a thinner cord), then tie right over left and under; left over right and under. Using a straight pin or safety pin, pin this to your lapel or other garment with the loop above and the knot below.
Step-by-step photos of the FAS Knot may be seen on the website at www.come-over.to/FASDAY/manual.htm
We have chosen a cord instead of a ribbon, to separate ourselves from all of the other campaigns. We are not just another cause trying to raise money -- we represent those millions of individuals and their families who have gone unrecognized, unidentified, neglected on this continent and throughout the world.
The circle symbolizes the womb, a baby’s head, the human brain, the earth. And we, a planet-size network of people who care about people living with FAS, are the knot that will make them whole. FAS is totally preventable. We must create a society in which everyone recognizes that there is no lower threshold for drinking in pregnancy. Our long-range goal is to rename this small piece of cord, “The FAS Not!”
The FAS Knot was designed by Bonnie Buxton and Brian Philcox, trademark pending.

Copy for FAS Knot Scroll (optional)
(You may want to print a one-page sheet, roll it up in a scroll, and tuck each one inside the loop of a FAS Knot. The sheet can contain information about the program, and also includes this information about the Knot.)

THE FAS KNOT
This piece of knotted cord was designed in memory of Abel Dorris, 1968-1991, whose brief and poignant life resulted in the groundbreaking 1989 book about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, “The Broken Cord,” written by his father, Michael Dorris, 1945-1997.
The broken cord may refer to the umbilical cord, the spinal cord, the nervous system, the cord between the generations, or the cable on an elevator. Michael Dorris wrote that if we back off on our children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effects, they will sink like an elevator once the cable is snapped.
The circle symbolizes the womb, a baby’s head, the human brain, the earth. And we, a planet-size network of people who care about people living with FAS, are the knot that will make them whole. FAS is totally preventable. We must create a society in which everyone recognizes that there is no lower threshold for drinking in pregnancy. Our long-range goal is to rename this small piece of cord, “The FAS Not!”

#33 Days To FASDay 2010 - Invocation and poem

2010-08-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

“The Integrity of Hope” (optional)
This is a warm and positive way to end your event, particularly if it is read by a birth mother or person living with FASDs.

The Integrity of Hope
by Michael Kami, 1993

Just as the gentle flutter of a butterfly's wing
Can change the path of a hurricane
So the gentle beat of a child's heart
Can change the destiny of the world.
Children are our future and our hope.
Only they determine humanity's progress.
We must protect all children.
We must feed all children.
We must educate all children.
We must love all children.
They are we and we are they,
In a joint journey to a better future!

#34 Days To FASDay 2010 - Invocation

2010-08-06T09:09:00.001-07:00

FASDay Invocation
(optional and inclusive)

(This beautiful and inclusive prayer was written and delivered by Sister Eileen Power at the Toronto observance, and has been updated. It’s freely available for anyone in the world who wants to use it. If you use it, please credit Sister Eileen Power, and mention that she is a teaching sister of the Congregation of Notre Dame in Toronto.)

by Sr. Eileen Power, CND

O Great Spirit, Creator of the Universe, we gather on the ninth minute of the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month in the (first year of the New Millennium).
Our connection with our whole world is made visible in a special way today.
People in every time zone gather, as we gather, to change our world.
By our coming together and our working together, we will make the world better.
Accept our prayers with all who are praising you this very moment and with all who will gather today.
As we begin (this millennium), we are filled with hope,
O Ever-Creating God,
that in the circle of life,
in the cosmos, in the womb,
in our hearts,
your hope goes round,
your strength goes round,
your power goes round,
your love goes round and
our hearts and spirits are joined in a new birth.

We gather to intensify our awareness of the fragile beauty of life from the first moment of conception, of the privilege of the nine months of pregnancy, and of our resolve to help all children and adults with fetal substance disorders to lead happier and more fulfilling lives.

All of our words, gestures and hopes of today:
Our silence and our bells,
Our dance and our reflection,
Our words and our drums,
Our children and our knots,
Our lullabies and our resolve,
All of our words, gestures and hopes of today,
Are powerful reminders that life is your gift to us.
May the drumming of our hearts, echoing the drum of the heartbeat of the universe, be the sound of your tender love.
May the knot of our connections be ever firm. And may this special moment on this special day continue to mark the beginning of change, for mothers, for fathers, for all children and for those yet-to-be, and for all of us who join in spirit today around this unique planet, so beautiful, so fragile, so large and yet so small. Together, we are family.

#35 Days To FASDay 2010 - Host a baby shower

2010-08-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

Have a PARTY - A PREGNANT PAUSE PARTY
HOST A BABY SHOWER FOR A NEW SOON-TO-BE MOM

Get a group of friends to join together to
support sobriety for a newly pregnant mom.

Download some great SPIRIT FREE RECIPES

Host a Non-Alcoholic Drink Mixing Contest with the best drink toasted to the future.

Take a PASS commitment to support a sober pregnancy - offering to find spirit free fun events and support during the tough and joyous moments.

Most of all HAVE FUN and CELEBRATE
Join the Million Minds March to Build Better Baby Brains
Raise the Standard
Zero 4 Nine

#36 Days To FASDay 2010 - Need proclamation copy?

2010-08-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

Did you get a proclamation from a city, county or state leader?

Here's an example of State Verbage -
but city proclamations are great too!

Office of the Governor

PROCLAMATION
*FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME AWARENESS DAY*

WHEREAS, healthy children are the most important resource in the great State of (your city or state); and
WHEREAS, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is the leading cause of mental retardation in (your city or state), the United States, and all of western civilization; and
WHEREAS, as many as 1 in every 100 individuals in these United States may be adversely affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol; and
WHEREAS, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Effects are a root cause of numerous social disorders, including learning disabilities, juvenile delinquency, school drop-outs, homelessness, unemployment, mental illness, and crime; and
WHEREAS, economists estimate that each individual with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Effects will cost the U.S. taxpayer nearly two million dollars in his or her lifetime; and
WHEREAS, people around the world will be observing International FAS Day on September 9, 20___, in order that on the ninth day of the ninth month of the year, the world will remember that during the nine months of pregnancy a woman should abstain from alcohol,
NOW, THEREFORE, I, (governor’s name), Governor of the State of (your state), do hereby proclaim September 9, 20___ as
*FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME AWARENESS DAY*
in (your state), to promote awareness of the effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol, to increase compassion for those individuals so affected, to minimize further effects, to ensure healthier communities across (your state) in the future.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to be affixed the Great Seal of the State of (your state)
______________________________ (Governor’s name)
GOVERNOR

DONE at the Capitol in (state capital) on this _______ day of _____________ in the year of Our Lord Two Thousand and ___

ATTEST: ______________________________ (Name of Secretary of State) Secretary of State

#37 Days To FASDay 2010 - Send invitations

2010-08-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

SEND SOME INVITATIONS TO YOUR EVENT!

The Invitation
(This can be e-mailed, and personalized as much as possible -- e.g., add a note in your own handwriting. Here is the link to E-Vite)

(Your letterhead and date)

Dear Friend,

In one “Magic Minute,” on September 9, at 9:09 a.m., you can help us begin to change the world.
Please join us for a breakfast video premiere on September 9, at 8:45 a.m., at (location) as we connect with others around the world who will be observing the second annual International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day.

Researchers now believe that as many as 1 in 100 North Americans are struggling with brain damage caused when their mothers consumed alcohol in pregnancy. This means that right here in (city, town, or region) of the (check number of babies born locally each year) 0000 babies born annually, about 00 will never reach the intellectual potential they possessed when they were conceived.

These children will be at high risk of mental retardation or learning disabilities, school drop-out, juvenile delinquency, alcohol or drug addiction, trouble with the law, incarceration, homelessness, and poverty. Nearly 100% will be diagnosed with mental illness during their lifetimes. Research indicates that each person living with fetal alcohol damage will cost the taxpayers about $2 million in his or her lifetime.

Our FAS Day program will begin with the reading of the civic/(state?) FAS Day proclamation, and then we will join numerous communities in this time zone, in the “Minute of Reflection.” On the ninth minute of the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month of the first year in this new Millennium, we will ask the world to remember that during the nine months of pregnancy a woman should not consume alcohol. We also ask the world to remember those individuals who are struggling with the effects of maternal drinking before they were born.

We feel privileged to offer the premiere of the new (either: all-Canadian video, Different Directions: Understanding Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, (24 mins.) (OR) "FAS: Everybody's Baby" (35 mins) distributed by Fasstar Enterprises and John Kellerman, a young man with FAS.

It will be followed by (keynote speaker or panel).

By learning more about FAS, you can help us to make a difference.

Please RSVP (name and number) before (date), and indicate how many people in your group will be attending.

Yours truly,
(Your name and position)

#38 Days To FASDay 2010 - Write a poem

2010-08-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

Write a poem

I have a dream ...

That one day little children will not be born with brain damage because of the alcohol they were fed before they were even borm.

I have a dream...

That one day persons with inivisible disabilities will not be treated second-class citizens, but will be able to participate in their local communities accepted in their differences

I have a dream...

That one day predators and persecutors will not addionally victimize persons with fetal alcohol. That people will realize it is no joke. That the day - to - day struggle is real and cannot be kissed away, or bandaged or ignored.

I have a dream...

That one day we will see all people as mattering.

As my young adult daughter says so profoundly,
"You can't be handicapped if you are born like that. You just are."

#39 Days To FASDay 2010 - FASDay Guide

2010-08-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

Easy FASDAY Guide
ABCs

A. Agenda for the FAS Day Breakfast Premiere

We have mapped out a simple, informal breakfast premiere for any size group, which begins at 8:45 a.m. on September 9, and lasts between 1 ½ - 2 hours. It includes some of the suggestions in the longer “How-to-do FAS Day Manual,” which you can find on the Internet at www.come-over.to/FASDAY/manual.htm

Your event should begin promptly at 8:50 a.m.,
so we suggest you invite your guests for 8:45.

Suggested agenda:
8:50 a.m. Opening Remarks
8:55 a.m. Reading of local FAS Day proclamation
9:00 a.m. Reading of ecumenical Invocation (optional)
9:09 a.m. “Minute of Reflection.”

Your group may want to participate in the International Bell Concordance, linking up with others who will be ringing bells, chimes and carillons nine times at 9:09 a.m. in time zones around the world. Or you may want a poem, prayer, song, or just a minute of simple silence.

9:10 a.m. Refreshments.

Participants serve themselves a drink and a snack at an informal buffet table, then...
9:20 a.m. Video Premiere.
Sit down to watch the new video. (Popcorn optional.)

Following video: brief washroom break.

9:50 a.m. Presentation.

Informal speaker or speakers plus (optional) brief musical entertainment – such as a local children’s choir or local musician – OR panel discussion.

Download these Presentation Notes prepared by Teresa Kellerman.

10:30 a.m. Poem. Program closes with reading of a brief poem, “The Integrity of Hope,” by Michael Kami, possibly by a birth mother or survivor of FAS. (Optional)

B. Buying the Videos

To obtain the 24-min. Canadian video, Different Directions: Understanding Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, check in with Pat Spadetto of Ontario’s North for the Children, $50 includes shipping and handling. The video will be provided free to all Ontario CAPC and Aboriginal Head Start sites. This honest and inspiring video looks at two children with FAS -- one five-year-old girl, and one young adult man -- and their remarkable mothers, one a birth mother, and one an adoptive mom. Pat can be reached by email: tbfnorth@onlink.net or by phone: Kirkland Lake (705) 567-5926, fax (705) 567-2466.
The 35-min. U.S. video is available for only $20 (US Dollars) plus $5 S&H. This video now comes with a free set of handouts and a free 8½ x 11 color glossy poster "101 Reasons" as seen here: http://come-over.to/FAS/littleone.htm. The video can be ordered here: http://come-over.to/FAS/store/fasvideo.htm.
For a double whammy, why not show BOTH videos?
If you want to join up online with international FAS Day activists, visit www.fasworld.com and join the FASDAY mail list.

c. CHECKLIST (download here)

#40 Days To FASDay 2010 - Tie some knots

2010-08-01T09:09:00.000-07:00

TIE SOME FASKnots
and Pass Them Around Town or School

The FAS Knot – A Symbol for Our Time
(click here for directions they are easy to do and a great summer youth project!)

We have been pleased by the enthusiasm that volunteers from New Zealand to Arctic Alaska and Canada's northern territories of Yukon and Nunavut to South Africa have expressed for our unique, wearable symbol, the "FAS Knot." Each FAS Knot can be easily made in about a minute, for less than ten cents, and can be used as a fund-raiser ($2-$5 each) or given away as reminders of the work we all do to help prevent FASD.

This piece of knotted cord was designed in memory of Abel Dorris, 1968-1991, whose brief and poignant life resulted in the groundbreaking 1989 book about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, "The Broken Cord," written by his father, Michael Dorris, 1945-1997.

The broken cord may refer to the umbilical cord, the spinal cord, the nervous system, the cord between the generations, or the cable on an elevator. Michael Dorris wrote that if we back off on our children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effects (i.e. Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder), they will sink and crash like an elevator once the cable is snapped.

Years later, a loving community around the world reconnected the broken cord, and the FAS Knot is our symbol. The cord is tied in a square knot, sometimes called a reef knot, the favored knot for reconnecting a broken line or cord. The knot is stronger than the cord itself, and cannot be broken or snapped.

To make the FAS Knot, we suggest an eight-inch piece of 3/16" white cord, available in most hardware stores for a few cents per foot. You make a circle approximately the size of your thumb, then tie right over left and under; left over right and under. It should look like two loops intertwined. (Volunteers in Germany and New Zealand use a thinner cord, and make a more discreet knot. The choice is up to you.)

By choosing a cord instead of a ribbon, we are separating ourselves from all of the other campaigns. We are not just another cause trying to raise money - we represent those millions of individuals and their families who have gone unrecognized, unidentified, neglected on this continent and throughout the world.

The circle symbolizes the womb, a baby's head, the human brain, the earth. And we, a planet-size network of people who care about people living with FASD, are the knot that will make them whole. If women did not drink in pregnancy, FASD would be totally eliminated.

Our long-range goal is to rename this small piece of cord, "The FAS Not!"

The FAS Knot lapel pin is a more recent innovation and can also be used for fund raising. Many groups resell the pin for $5 or $6.

The pin is available for the low cost of C$3/pin for orders of 25 or more. Shipping is free for orders of 100 or more. The pin is white enamel with a faux gold edge and is approximately 1.8 cm wide. The FAS Knot lapel pin is a registered trademark of FASworld Canada. The lapel pin may not be replicated, copied or incorporated into any other design without specific written permission from FASworld Canada.

The original FAS Knot was designed by Bonnie Buxton and Brian Philcox, and is an official symbol of FASworld. You can find step-by-step photos above. We encourage groups supporting FASD endeavours to use it for promotion or fund-raising, and ask only that you notify us before doing so.

E-mail us at info@fasworld.com

#41 Days To FASDay 2010 - Gear Up

2010-07-31T09:09:00.000-07:00

Make a social difference that will impact millions -
help support friends and family members who are pregnant to help
"Build Better Baby Brains" for the future.

September 9

Hold a local pregnant pause or non-alcoholic drink mixing party.
Consider getting your local bells to ring at 9:09 am on 09.09
Check out what they did in ENGLAND

Need gear for your event:
shirts - mugs - stickers - buttons - more!

To learn more visit:Million Mind March 09.09 Website

Or check out my blog
SILENT VOICES
#50 Days of Ideas to Countdown to FASDay Celebrations

Let me know if you choose to do something
and we will post it to our international site at http://www.fasday.com/

Step up to raise the standard.
FASD is 100% preventable and lasts a lifetime.

Consider reading "The Whitest Wall" to learn more about the realities of FASD.
Winner Mom's Choice Gold Best Adult Fiction and Best Young Adult Fiction.

#42 Days To FASDay 2010 - Meet Chancer

2010-07-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

Learn about Chancer -
an FASD Service Dog

Morasha Winokur speaks out on CNN. Go girl, you did a GREAT job!!!!

My Invisible World -
My Brother, His Disability and His Dog
by Morasha Winokur

Written by an eleven year old sibling about growing up along side a same age brother discovered at four to have FASD. The Winokur family shares their journey with a service dog for FASDs. Learn about what a canine service dog can do for families with children who have fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD).

11 year old Morasha Winokur wins BIG for SPEAKING OUT!
2010 Mom's Choice Award for
Outstanding Young Contributor for
My Invisible World, Life with
My Brother, His Disability and His Service Dog

Reader Views
2010 First Place Award for Children's-Young Reader (8-10)

Reader Views Kids Award for
2010 Best Children's Book of the Year

#43 Days To FASDay 2010 - Write some letters

2010-07-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Write a Letter to the President
or Your Country's Leader!

This is a great summer family fun project...
Everyone can "make some noise" -
artwork, postcards and note cards are great from kids

Dear President Obama,
Let me tell you about fetal alcohol spectrum disorders or FASD,
.....go kids you can do it!!!

As part of International FASD Awareness Day,
please join us in this easy, free activity
to help raise awareness of FASD at the highest
levels of our government.

This idea originated with Tami Eller, a member of our local FASD Council.
Cheri Scott, FASD Family Support Project - Stone Soup
http://www.stonesoupgroup.org/

A knowledge of the path cannot be substituted for putting one foot in front of the other.
M.C. Richards

Dear President Obama...

Let me tell you about FASD...

International FASD Awareness Day Letter Writing Campaign.

Did you know that President Obama reads 10 letters each night written by everyday Americans? Imagine if every letter the President read was written by someone whose life is impacted by Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

If everyone affected by FASD writes to the President prior to September 9th then the probability of him opening even one letter regarding FASD is incredible. The more letters, the higher the probability that all ten letters he reads will be written by those affected by FASD.

Are you a parent of a child with FASD?
Are you an adult with FASD?
Doesyour sibling have FASD?
Do you teach a child or an adult with FASD?
Are you a grandparent of a child with FASD?

For everyone person born affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol, everyone who loves that individual lives are also affected.

Join us in educating President Obama regarding the most prevalent of all birth defects: Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

Join us in asking President Obama to ring a bell at 9:09 am on September 9 to recognize the importance of Nine Months of an Alcohol Free Pregnancy.

Starting the week of September 1 send a letter to President Obama telling him your story of how Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders have affected yourself and those you love.

Send President Obama a letter to at:
President Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Must be mailed by August 17th!
OR
Send President Obama an email by filling out the form at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Talking Points

The Facts:

Fetal alcohol exposure is an international and national crisis
Prenatal exposure to alcohol causes permanent brain damage
Prenatal exposure to alcohol is the leading cause of mental retardation
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are 100% and easily preventable - simply no alcohol consumption during pregnancy
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders are a life long disability - from cradle to grave
More babies are born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders than Autism Spectrum Disorders or Downs Syndrome
There is no safe amount of alcohol to drink during pregnancy
It is estimated that more than half of the prison population is affected by FASD
Prenatal exposure to alcohol costs the United States millions of dollars a year to provide services to individuals affected by a FASD
Early identification and intervention has huge impacts on the reduction of mental health concerns and behaviors resulting in legal intervention
Even with early identification and intervention, individuals with a FASD will need to lifelong supports

The Daily Realities of Living with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

As a Parent:

Struggles with you have raising your child with FASD
Struggles you have explaining the invisible brain damage to others who deal with your child* Struggle finding appropriate services for your child
The lesson you have learned in your journey of raising a child affected by FASD
Your dreams for your child

As an Adult affected by FASD

Struggles you had to overcome in your lifetime
Strengths and talents you have
Accommodations that enable you to be successful

As a Profession working with individuals affected byFASD

What systematically is working for your clients
What systematically is not working for your clients
Struggles your clients face on a daily basis
Struggles you face on a daily basis in obtaining resources for your clients
What resources are necessary for your clients to be successful

What needs to happen

Proclamation by the President of the United States recognizing September 9th as International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day and the importance of abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy
Ask him to ring a bell at 9:09 am on September 9 in recognition of the individuals affected by FASD.
Diagnostic teams in all 50 states to facilitate and identify early diagnosis and intervention
More resources toward prevention and early intervention

#44 Days To FASDay 2010 - A FASWorld Fable

2010-07-27T09:09:00.000-07:00

(To Share at Your FASDay Event from Bonnie and Teresa)

A FASWORLD FABLE

Once upon a time, not too very long ago, Beautiful Blue Butterfly Bonnie flew across the sunny skies from the Nippy North down to the Sultry South, where she met Tucson Turquoise Tutterfly Teresa. They spoke of their butterfly babies and tutterfly troubles, and wistfully whispered of all the other butterfly babies in the world who couldn't fly because their baby butterfly wings could not develop enough for them to fly freely on their own. The baby butterflies were always flying into terrible trouble.

! ! ! ! ! Tutterfly Teresa told Butterfly Bonnie all she knew about broken baby butterflies and their booze-battered brains.

Butterfly Bonnie shared all she knew about the overwhelming ! obstacles that must be overcome by all the mamas and the papas and their blessed baby butterflies.
Together the two shared their worthy wisdom. They lamented at length.
Butterfly Bonnie said, "Let's save all those baby butterflies!"
Tutterfly Teresa said, "How can we do that? We are only two burned out bedraggled butterflies. We cannot save the world."
To which BB replied, "Oh, we may not save the whole wacky world, but we can save some of the suffering souls trapped with their tattered and torn, worn wings. I have my Big Brainy Butterfly Brian to help me, and Cute Little Clutterfly Colette! And back home in the Nippy North is Nifty Nutterfly Nancy."
TT said, "Well then, that is five of us - ten wings in all. What kind of a flap can five FAS friends make?"
Butterfly Bonnie said, "Have you not heard?
'The oscillation of butterfly wings in Brazil may set off storms in Texas.' "
"Brazil?" exclaimed TT. "I know some terrific tot-tutors in Texas, but I don't know any butterflies in Brazil."
"Oh, but you will! You will! Brazil and beyond." Butterfly Bonnie continued to cheerfully chatter. "If we mobilize and motivate all the other butterflies in the world, just think what storms we could set off! Not just in Texas, but in Tucson and Toledo and Toronto and Everywhere that our butterflies beat their beautiful wings! Why, we might even move mighty mountains."
So Butterfly Bonnie flew back to the Nippy North and stirred up serious storms all over earth space.
And Tutterfly Teresa flew back to the internet and intermitently interrupted inertia all over cyberspace.
Before long there were hundreds of busy butterflies making wonderful waves of awareness, telling their true tales, procuring proper proclamations, mobilizing media, bringing bells a-ringing,
"Nine! Nine! Ninety-Nine!"

And so, air waves announced and reporters revered all the awesome events planned and produced proudly by those sixty successful blessed butterflies on that fine Fall day. Ripples reverberated across the peaceful planet, telling the truth about the broken baby butterflies. Beyond the barriers of ignorance and indifference, the message of mothers and fathers afar:
"Desist the destruction of the delicate development of those wee little wings of the babies we bear. Try not to trample those innocent individuals whose wings cannot wend their way so well. Listen and learn. Don't forget and regret. Beware and take care!'
And they did!

The moral of the story is this...
Never underestimate the power of the pen, the wonders of the web, and the beating of butterfly wings in the wind. Especially esteem the miracles of mothers and daddies who love their little lassies and laddies above all on the earth in this fabulous family called FASWORLD.
And to think it all began with one Beautiful Blue Butterfly... Bonnie! Read thank you messages sent to Butterfly Bonnie Buxton here.

#45 Days To FASDay 2010 - Historical memories

2010-07-26T09:09:00.000-07:00

Some World Wide FASDay Events Remembered from 1999
You can do these too!

Here are some events as FAS Day #1 moved around the world - feel free to borrow ideas.
If three people were able to get this much movement and awareness - think what all of you can do today!

Aukland, NZ: Breakfast for FAS supporters, Minute of Reflection bells ringing in nearby Mt. Albert Methodist Church. Events also held in Wellington, Hamilton and Invercargill.
Cape Town, South Africa: program outside historic 37-bell War Memorial Carillon, which rang when Nelson Mandela was released from prison.
Kiel, Berlin, Flensburg and Hamburg, Germany: posters, buttons, info stand in town centre; information evening for Social Services, teachers, physicians; famous restaurant giving free nonalcoholic drinks to pregnant women all day long.
Iqualuit, Nunavut, Canada: events included church bells, art exhibit featuring soapstone carving donated by famous artist Ookpik Pitseolak, showing drinking mother with baby in Aamouti@ (parka hood.)
Toronto, ON, Canada: program inside Metropolitan United Church included international lullabies on church carillon, native drum singer/elder offering prayer in English and Ojibwa, keynote address by Dr. Carolyn Bennett, federal Member of Parliament.
Sioux Lookout, ON, Canada: program in local park featuring sharing circle, prayer by First Nations elder, Minute of Reflection with wind chimes and rain sticks.
Kenora, Keewatin, Jaffrey Melick, ON, Canada: poster distribution to doctors= offices, three-level curriculum offered to teachers.
Toledo, OH, U.S.A.: Day-long activities included hot-air balloon with words on it, AFAS: THE HIDDEN PLAGUE@ and matching yellow AHidden Plague@ T-shirts.
Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.: 9:09 a.m. bells included two carillons, City Hall, three cathedrals, two other churches, followed by large rally and speeches outside State Courthouse.
San Antonio, TX, U.S.A.: Day-long information program for teachers and others concerned with FAS, included presentations from FAS Day volunteers, Claudia Barker, and Dr. Bob Clayton.
Austin, TX, U.S.A.: program built around the 56-bell Kniker Carillon at University of Texas.
Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.: 9:09 a.m. bells at St. Augustine Cathedral; outdoor program featuring two young people who struggle daily with FAS.
Lakeland, AB, Canada: five communities participated in day-long events, including poster blitz, mall display, bars offering Apregnant pause@ nonalcoholic drinks for pregnant women, church bells ringing, junior high school students making FAS Knots, proclamations in all five communities.
Red Deer, AB, Canada: all-day mall displays, use of FAS brochures as place-mats in local restaurants.
Brooks, AB, Canada: A 9-block walk to symbolize the 9 months of pregnancy, with Atrimester@ information provided every three blocks. At the end of the walk the handouts were assembled into a picture of a healthy bouncing baby.
North Vancouver, B.C., Canada: Co-ed sweatlodge held by AChange of Seasons Society@ with traditional pipe ceremony, prayers at 9:09 a.m., on Capilano Reserve.
Port Orchard, WA, U.S.A.: Bells of United Methodist Church, at the edge of a scenic hilly bay overlooking the Pacific, plus prayer ceremony. Bells were heard for miles and miles

#46 Days To FASDay 2010 - What is FASDay?

2010-07-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

What is FASDay?

FAS Day is the short name for International Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Awareness Day, which was observed for the first time on September 9, 1999, with a "Minute of Reflection" at 9:09 a.m.

It came about because a number of people on the online support group "FASlink" were feeling frustrated about the lack of awareness by professionals and the general public about FAS.
We were trying to figure out how to make the world more aware that woman should not drink in pregnancy - and also inform the world that millions of people throughout the world are suffering from brain damage caused by alcohol before they were born.

Twenty volunteers from around the world began working together to build awareness, and by September 9 we had 80 volunteer coordinators.

On September 9, 1999, events were held in communities across Canada and the U.S., and in South Africa, New Zealand, Germany, and Sweden. We also had individual volunteers in Australia and Italy. All of this was accomplished with volunteers and no financial resources.
Our international butterflies really did cause a storm.

The event generated enormous local media and on September 10, 1999, we decided to do it again in 2000 - only bigger and better! And then again the next year and the next and each year it has grown little by little.

Visit www.fasday.com to learn more - Join the fun!

#47 Days To FASDay 2010 - How about a mini-event

2010-07-24T09:09:00.000-07:00

Organize a Mind Mapping Meeting.

If you have community interest and commitment already and want to move forward, and want to do more than just a one-day media event, then you are ready to follow the Prince George’s Northern Family Health Society model for community action.

If this is too overwhelming, then stick to something simple and easy, like the last idea here:

Host a Mini FASD Awareness Campaign!
This is great for the office - yours or your doctor's - or any reception area that will give you permission. Just a bowl of Snickers mini bars and some FASD Fact Cards are all you need. Details here.

#48 Days To FASDay 2010 - Host a pregnant pause

2010-07-23T09:09:00.000-07:00

Host and Plan
a Pregnant Pause event in your community.

This is great fun and involves lots of folks for a fun media event.

Pregnant Pause is a contest for creating non-alcoholic drinks, where bartenders mix the drinks, and pregnant women judge the drinks and vote on a winner. The recipes can be shared along with a message about the importance of staying alcohol free during all 9 months of pregnancy.

Infact, consider pulling together a pot-luck BBQ of people interested in helping you this year and mix up some non-alcoholic drinks to celebrate your future event!

Take a look at www.mofas.org their events keep getting bigger each year!

#49 Days To FASDay 2010 - A teen survey

2010-07-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

Conduct a Teen Survey -

At your high school
At the local mall
At your sports events

Conduct a FASD Teen Survey in your community. Just find one teen who knows 20 other teens, and you will be participating in a nation-wide survey. All this takes is a $5 donation to the teen who conducts the survey to pay for 20 mini candy bars. The survey can be downloaded here.

#50 Days To FASDay 2010 - Get a proclamation

2010-07-21T09:09:00.000-07:00

GET A LOCAL OR STATE PROCLAMATION!
You really can do it!

Get a Proclamation signed by your mayor or governor. Here is a sample letter. Here is a sample proclamation. This is probably the easiest thing to do, if this is your first FASDAY. Sometimes the mayor or governor will allow a "photo op" - like Steve in WA or Dayna in KS. It might be a good idea to use this FASDAY Fact Sheet to back up your proclamation statements.

Call your local mayor today . . .

#51 Days To FASDay 2010 - Great downloads

2010-07-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

LOOKING FOR SOME GREAT DOWNLOADABLE FILES
VISIT NINE ZERO

http://www.ninezero.org/

Filled with free downloads

VIDEO PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS
NINEZERO RACK CARDS
NINEZERO TRIFOLD BROCHURES

So, what is the NineZero Project?

The NineZero Project is a way for you to affect the next generation. NineZero stands for Nine Months, Zero Alcohol. That’s what we want you to stand for, too. By committing to avoid alcohol during pregnancy and encouraging others to do the same, you will be helping the next generation avoid the challenges that come with a lifetime of developmental disabilities.

An initiative of The Arc of Riverside County, the NineZero Project for Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) prevention began in Moreno Valley in 2001 and is now reaching numerous counties in California and many other states. NineZero is rapidly becoming the word most associated with FASD prevention everywhere. The Arc of Riverside County hopes that through their prevention efforts, they can also raise awareness of the need for services and supports for people with FASD.

The most important aspect of the NineZero Project is our peer-to-peer training education curriculum called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Teaching and Research Awareness Campaign (FASTRAC). The

#52 Days To FASDay 2010 - Take ten survey kit

2010-07-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

TAKE TEN AWARENESS SURVEY KIT

Brand new and ready to go
click to download - all it takes is a couple people
to pull this off - thanks to Teresa Kellerman

http://www.fasday.com/Take%20Ten%20Packet.pdf

Includes snicker cards, survey and much more!!
Have fun building awareness.

#53 Days To FASDay 2010 - Free videos

2010-07-18T09:09:00.000-07:00

Utilize Teresa Kellerman's new video

in your presentations on Fetal Alcohol to build awareness.

http://www.youtube.com/babybornfree

This is worth watching - very short

Want the facts about alcohol use during pregnancy?

Here they are.

All sources are cited at end of video.

More information available here: www.come-over.to/FASCRC

Need a speaker?

Check out the http://www.nofas.org/

Resource Directory for US speakers

#54 Days To FASDay 2010 - Parent to parent support

2010-07-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Last year Deb and Jodee tried a
Family Support Show called

TOOLBOX PARENT RADIO

to get the word out about living,
loving and laughing with atypical
children and adults.

Since we didn't have enough listeners -
we got shut down, but not shut up!

Each week we hosted special guests that open our eyes to new ideas and provide us with new tools to help parents and professionals live, love and care about atypical children and intense adults. We worked really hard on the shows and actually did 16 of them!

Don't worry if your idea doesn't work like you planned.
It's okay to try again later or another way.
Families with atypical kids are busy - REALLY busy - and life can turn around and spin in a moment.

Visit our website at http://www.toolboxparent.com/ for FREE ARTICLES, forms and more

or join our social networking site with online chats, blogs, discussions, events and more at http://www.toolboxparent.ning.com/

#55 Days To FASDay 2010 - Create visibility

2010-07-16T09:09:00.000-07:00

Create Visibility in Your Community

Make A Quilt Display of Public Awareness

All the pieces can be printed on your color printer. In addition there is a 11th Anniversary Special Library Bundle Offer from Better Endings New Beginnings

Show a video or give a presentation.

This can be scheduled at your local library. If you don't feel comfortable giving a talk, your local March of Dimes office (look them up in the phone book) might be willing to provide a speaker and/or a video.

You can purchase an excellent video for teens and young adults called "And Down Will Come Baby" for $12.50 by calling the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information (NCADI) toll-free (800) 729-6686 (Inventory Number VHS86). There are a limited number of copies of a good prevention video with Native American theme, “Sacred Trust” available from the same source (Inventory Number VHS100).

Become a Poster Poster!

Print out some FASD Awareness posters and hang them up on local bulletin boards (at the store, laundromat, churches, universities, etc.) You might even get your local schools to post them.

Here's everybody's favorite poster: "Little One" - with the link for the printable version at the bottom.

Here's the FASD Awareness Day poster 2005 version.

High quality color posters are available from NOFAS. If you print out some of these on photo paper at "best" resolution on your color printer, they will have a high quality appearance. You can have large posters printed from the small ones for just a few dollars at you local print shop.

#56 Days To FASDay 2010 - Pick a project

2010-07-15T09:09:00.000-07:00

Pick a Project!

Are you bookmarking everything?
Keeping notes on file in your computer?
Good!

Set up a meeting (in person, by email, or on the phone) with the other contacts in your area. Think about what a difference YOUR part will make in preventing future cases of FASD or helping children and adults already affected! Don't forget to include at least one parent, one service provider (teacher, doctor, judge), and one government leader (legislator, head of local department of mental health or developmental disabilities or corrections).

This will help you to bridge the information gap in your community!

Now pick one (or more) of the following events to turn into a news story:

Ring some bells. Plan your own Bell Concordance. Ask a church to ring their bells. I choose to deal with the Catholic church, because the bishop of the diocese can ask all the churches in the city to participate. In fact, the photo is our cathedral here in Tucson. Here is the letter I wrote to our diocese today. It has a sort of pro-life twist, because I know that will appeal to the Bishop. If you know a local church that has bells, write a letter and call and make an appointment to talk to whoever is in charge. Take along a few brochures. If you can’t find any bells to ring, you can simply have a Moment of Reflection.
Host a "BreakFASD" (after the bell ceremony perhaps?). You can ask the church if their is a community service group that might like to provide donuts and coffee in the church hall. Or invite everyone to bring a potluck dish to a nearby park, or a facility provided by a local disabilities agency. This is a good opportunity to partner up with other organizations who might like to collaborate in future projects and grant opportunities. With an informal gathering of families and community leaders, the folks who formulate local policy will get to meet the children for are impacted by how those policies are implemented. It might also provide an opportunity to start a local support group for parents and families.
Start a support group. It only takes two of you to begin with. After the news story, families will reach out to you and you will meet the folks who will do all this work for you next year! Call your local library and reserve a meeting room. Set a date and time that is convenient for you. We are going to meet the day after FASD Awareness DAY this year. The library is a good place, because they usually have computers and Internet access (you might want to reserve an hour, if necessary), and you can show local folks all the cool Internet sights. Some fun and interesting web sites will be provided to you later.
Plan a "Walk-Along" - round up your city's disability groups (like The Arc). Even if you only get a dozen people together and at least one special walker (someone you know with FAS/FAE), you will have a crowd worthy of media attention. This is kind of like a Walk-a-thon but not exactly. It's called a "Walk-Along" to remind everyone that kids with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders will need someone to "walk along" with them for the rest of their life, because they are at risk of failing if they try to go through life on their own. Instead of pledging dollars per mile, people can make straight donations to support the walker. Donations can be made to an umbrella organization, like your local Arc chapter. Inform your local Arc chapter that the National Arc has made funds available just for FASD Prevention. Our Arc recognizes the need for preventing secondary disabilities as well as preventing FASD itself, and awareness about secondary disabilities is included in Arc awareness events here. More about the "Walk-Along" later. Just find a public place like a park or a lake or a mountain trail that you can use as a meeting place (and media interview place). Look at what Minnesota did!
Plan a public Information Table. Call the manager of your local shopping mall. Ask if you can have a table for your FASD Support Group (even if it is only you and your family) to distribute information on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.

NEED MATERIALS?
They are only one click away!

You can print FASD handouts and get them copied at a local disability agency or parent to parent organization or your local Arc. These Think Before You Drink brochures from the Arc are nice.
You can download and print these FASD fact sheets.
Buy several bags of Snickers mini bars and pass them out with one of these FASD cards. (Use card stock or standard business card forms.) Your local March of Dimes (look in the phone book) might contribute bulk brochures.
Oh yes - here's a basic info sheet, very simple, and a documented FASD Fact Sheet, just print and copy.
Make some FAS Knots. Or just order them here.

#57 Days To FASDay 2010 - Pick a reporter

2010-07-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

HERE'S ANOTHER THING YOU CAN DO.

Pick a Reporter!

Next time you read the local newspaper, pay attention to which reporters write about personal interest stories.

Choose a reporter who seems to be sensitive to special family or children's issues, who will do a respectful interview with a family or spokesperson. This spokesperson doesn't have to be you, but it could be! We'll walk you through it - piece of cake.

Write down the name of the reporter and find out the phone number and address of the newspaper. Later you are going to ask for an appointment and give them a press release.

Would you like to conduct a 5-minute radio interview on your favorite radio station?
Here is an interview script for you and a radio person or you can just read this one-person script.

Before contacting the media, it might be helpful to go over these suggestions from FASDAY veterans, Teresa Kellerman and Brian Philcox.

CONGRATULATIONS TO KIM "YOU" MADE A DIFFERENCE!

Hi Everyone,
On a whim, the other night I thought I would try to get FASD Day put on the website of an international Christian Radio station-KLOVE's- community calender.

I never really thought they would approve it because it wasn't an actual "event" that I have here in BG, and they requested specific information on the form that I couldn't really give.
But they did approve it- now all of the millions of people who look at their site will know about FASD day. And they might put it on their radio station. Its kind of a grab bag what events they promote on the air- but I'm excited.

Locally we don't have specific plans yet to my knowledge, but I thought this was a great way to spread the word.

Take care,
Kim

We hope that your event is successful and that God will bless it!
~ Your friends at KLOVE.com

Celebrate
International Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day
Main Street, City, State ZIP
Join us for (this is your idea)
Time (9:09 suggested but it can be anytime)

This day is set aside each year internationally to raise awareness on the dangers of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. September 9, was chosen to represent 9 months of no alcohol. The above website describes the first FASD day and how it turned into an international awareness day event.
Event Website: http://fasday.com/BirthFASDay.htm

GO KIM!

#58 Days To FASDay 2010 - Call a friend

2010-07-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

Let's Get Started in the Celebration!

If you are like most other FASD Awareness Day activists, you don't have much time or energy. But have no fear - we have done the groundwork for you.

Here are ONE THING you can do now.
It's really not that hard.
Give it a try. Nothing to lose, right?
If you think you are busy, look at how busy this Mom is. Three kids, two with special needs.
If she can do it, you can do it too, can't you?

Here are three easy steps to get started:

(1) Pick a Partner!
You don't have to do this alone.
Grab your phone and call someone in your area.

In the US?
Look here: USA Directory
Click on your state.
Connect with someone.

Here's support in Canada.

Here's some international contacts.

If you can't afford a phone call outside your area, then email somebody.
You don't have to do this alone.
There's someone else out there who is willing to help.
Ask and you just might receive!

Let today be a blessing of more friendship connections!

#59 Days To FASDay 2010 - You can do a bell concordance

2010-07-12T09:09:00.001-07:00

The Bell Concordance
What is the Bell Concordance?

(From the Oxford English Dictionary) Concordance: 1. The fact of agreeing or being concordant; agreement, harmony...4. An agreeable or satisfactory blending of musical sounds or notes; harmony.)On Sept.9, 1999, bells around the world marked the "magic minute" at 9:09 a.m., and we named this ringing of bells, "The FAS Bell Concordance."

It was so successful that other organizations have picked up this term and copied it!

We came up with the bell idea as there is a purity about bells that reminds us of the innocence of children. As well, bells are historically associated with warnings, alarms, marking important moments, and simply pealing for the joy of connecting with the community. FASDay is all of these things.

On FASDay, 2000, even more bells and other percussion instruments were played - ranging from the first mission bell in New Zealand to the historic 56 bell carillon in Cape Town, South Africa, to tiny bells rung by school children, and wind chimes and rain sticks played by native Canadians.

Last year, on September 9, we want the noisiest, most joyful Bell Concordance ever -- and you can organize one, even if right now you are the only person in your community who knows what FASD is!

You might even be able to organize the ringing of a local carillon -- the largest musical instrument in existence. Even in a large, noisy city, carillon music can be heard for several blocks. There are about 600 carillons throughout the world, and we would like many more to ring during the Minute of Reflection this year.

To find out if there is a carillon near you, go to http://www.gcna.org/, the most complete and accurate listings of carillons in North America, and also check out www.cs.yale.edu/~douglas-craig/bells and http://soda.csua.berkeley.edu/~maestro/stat.htm.
Gerald Martindale, carillonneur at Toronto's Metropolitan United Church (email:geraldm@planeteer.com), can help put you in touch with a local carillonneur (carillon player), if there is one. Mr. Martindale has created a concert of international lullabies, representing some of the countries participating in FASDay, and would be pleased to share his arrangements with other international carillonneurs.

The FAS Bell Concordance is quite simple, and you can do most of the work on your phone. Is there a tower with a hand-rung bell in your community? This could be an older church, a city or county hall, state or provincial building, or part of a college or university campus. Unfortunately many church bells are now rung by computer, making it difficult to ring the bells off-schedule, and this may be the case in your community.

Find out who is in charge of getting that bell rung, and ask that person to have the bell rung for one minute at 9:09 a.m. on September 9.

You can download the FASDay information from this site and present it to this person. If this building is a church, you may wish to speak briefly to the congregation on one of the Sundays before FASDay, and explain why the bell will be ringing at 9:09 this year.

You may want to have a small program in the church or near the bell tower, for 20 minutes to a half-hour before 9:09 a.m. Notify your child's school, friends of FASD and related organizations that you think would be interested, e.g., your local ARC (U.S.), Association for Community Living (Canada), Exchange Club, homelessness and anti-poverty coalitions, John Howard and Elizabeth Fry Societies, and every single friend or relative you can convince to come.

No bells in your community?

Use other musical instruments of your choice: drums, cymbals, whatever.
One FASDay supporter shook her grandmother's old school bell,
A group in a small northern Canadian community approached their local fire department!

This should be a happy occasion.

Those ringing bells, or whatever else you choose, will be a powerful auditory reminder that we are all connected to the planet, and each other, and make a statement that FASD can be beaten.

#60 Days To FASDay 2010 - FASDay Manual

2010-07-11T09:09:00.001-07:00

Online Manual How To Do FASDAY

Online Manual - www.fasday.com
Seminar - Or try our easy, effective, exciting 1½ hour program that walks you through the morning of Sept.9:http://www.come-over.to/FASDAY/ABCDEFG/

Want to get on the FASDAY Train?
Want to bring others on board?

Subscribe to the FASDay mail list.

INTERNATIONAL FAS DAY - IN ONE MAGIC MINUTE, WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD:9 /9 9:09 a.m.In late February, 1999, a small group of burned-out parents, most of whom had never met face-to-face, began to change the world. Since then, hundreds of communities around the world have joined us to honour International FAS Awareness Day (FASDay).

We are parents of children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or ARND (Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder), the most common and damaging birth defect in the world, and the one which could be totally prevented. The full range of disorders caused by maternal drinking in pregnancy are now generally known as FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder), and it affects about 1 in 100 people in North America, about 4 times in incidence of AIDS/HIV. (There are about 3 million people with FASD in the U.S., and 300,000 in Canada, the majority undiagnosed.)

In South Africa, Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union, the rate of undiagnosed FAS is even higher.

Our original volunteers were mainly adoptive and foster parents, plus a small but committed number of mothers in recovery, who have been working hard to inform and support other women with substance abuse problems. All of us lived daily with children whose prenatal damage caused mental retardation or learning disabilities, plus severe acting-out behaviour that disrupted our lives and their classrooms, and often physical problems requiring much medical attention.

For most of us, life revolved around our children's crises: most mothers had been forced to abandon any thought of full-time career. Frustrated by the lack of public awareness of FAS by both public and professionals, we had communicated on line internationally for more than two years.

And on that February day, Bonnie Buxton, and Brian Philcox working in collaboration with Teresa Kellerman, began to wonder:

“What if, on the ninth minute of the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month of the year one thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine, we asked the world to remember that during the nine months of pregnancy, a woman should not drink alcohol? And, what if we also asked the world to remember those millions of people who will struggle all of their lives, because of prenatal alcohol?

“At this magic minute in history, could we begin to change the world?”

And we began to work together, helped only by the Internet. Our group grew to include more than 70 volunteer coordinators in eight countries. Our northernmost volunteers were in Alaska, Yukon and the new Canadian territory, Nunavut, our southernmost in New Zealand. We obtained FASDay proclamations from numerous cities and towns, and 14 U.S. states.

Let My Yes, Be Yes and My No, Be No

2010-06-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

After almost 30 years of parenting an array of complex children who have grown into now adults I learned that Yes, my no must mean no. It has to. A 'no-boundary' must be clear and visible.

Working with tough kids you could spend all day using NO and sorry to say a NO used to often blows through one ear and out the other never stopping to allow a thought.

I have learned that one must use that NO frugally because it is a precious word of great power. For atypical children/adults, especially those with brain injury it sends them to the end of a cliff in a free-fall without answers. The word NO becomes a set up for defensive behaviors.

My friend and I were comparing notes and we have both come to the same conclusion - we use YES most often, whenever we can. So NO sticks when it is needed, and we can be strong enough the stand still without bending.

How can we do that with tough kids who look like they are defying or challenging us?
How do we keep control while giving them a path of acceptance?
How do we use YES, so we create boundaries and don't become a doormat?

When I am asked to do something

I do not have time to do,
I don't want to do,
I don't know how to do.

I use the following statements:

If it is something I also want to do and it is a good idea, I make an appointment

Yes, we can go to the park tomorrow after you eat your lunch or after your nap. Then I remind them in the morning - Remember after your nap we get to go to the park.Yes, we can deliver those job applications, after you bring them back to me filled out. If you need help filling them out I am available right after dinner.

I provide abilities to accomplish the idea

If it is something I can't do I say so.

I can't do that because it is (describe behavior - cheating, lying) and I like to look at my face in the morning and say smiling "Good morning, Jodee, this will be another grand and glorious day.)

My moral standards need to stand firm.

If it is something I don't know how to do I say so.

I don't know how to do that, can you find out how to do that for me or maybe we can find out how to do that.

Together we can make this happen.

Share your ideas so that when a NO has to happen it can stick.

My Invisible World Rocks CNN Atlanta

2009-10-24T06:27:00.000-07:00

Morasha Winokur speaks out on CNN. Go girl, you did a GREAT job!!!!

A Kid Who Rocks - Morasha's book is moving FASD mountains!

2009-10-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

CMS sixth grader, Morasha Winokur, featured on CNN On-Line’s show, Young People Who Rock!

Join Morasha’s journey as a young author as she publicizes her book, My Invisible World – life with my brother, his disability and service dog. Go to: http://ypwr.blogs.cnn.com to watch her live interview from last Friday. Get a book signed and meet Chancer, an irresistable 90 lb. Golden Retreiver, who is the first certified service dog in the U.S. to help a person living with the “invisible” life-long disability, fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Morasha will be at Walden Books in the North Point Mall on Saturday, November 14th at 1:00 pm. We’ll keep you posted about other upcoming events. To find out more about Morasha’s book and Chancer, visit www.thechancerchronicles.com.

The website is now up - take a look around!

Toolbox Parent Radio is making a difference. Thanks Victoria for last night!

2009-07-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

Deb Fjeld, Minnesota Parent Advocate and I, Jodee Kulp, recently completed our 8th broadcast of Toolbox Parent Radio on Global Talk Radio. When we were first selected to share our insights into the rough and tumble world of living with intense and atypical children/adults with a variety of diagnosis – we weren’t sure we could do it.

Could we get a large enough audience?
Would people be interested in interviews with us?

We are happy to announce our numbers of listeners are growing each week and we are almost booked for interviews through year end.

So I guess we are doing it!
And…we will keep on keeping on…and on….and on

Last night we chatted with Victoria Deasy who has been a special education teacher for 36 years and is Mom to a young adult with multiple issues. As she said last night,”Nothing prepared her for the real day to day world of parenting a person with fetal alcohol, FASD. She felt so alone.”
Alone is what we want to help. Deb Fjeld and Jodee Kulp, offer our voices and friends in the disABILITY world community to help provision families and professionals to support persons with neuro differences.

Listen to July 21 archive with Victoria Deasy at www.globaltalkradio.com/shows/toolboxparent (main show page) or www.globaltalkradio.com/shows/toolboxparent/program8.php (July 21-Victoria Deasy archive).

Entro Magazine 2009

2009-07-15T08:06:00.001-07:00

Entro Magazine 2009
Click the link above to see the WHOLE magazine

Shared via AddThis

The Million Mind March starts with a single step.

2009-04-16T06:35:00.000-07:00

Daring to Live - He Won The Million Minds Race Without Ever Taking A Step

Jim Grimm never joined our Million Mind March, he died yesterday quietly in "his" home. He was 42 and he Dared to Live with Cerebral Palsy that captivated him to rejoice in a life few live so strongly. He never uttered a word, yet he profoundly and joyfully touched the lives of all who came to know him. He was an inspiration to all who met him.

Born with cerebral palsy and unable to communicate verbally or move of his own volition, Jim turned his severely isolating lifelong disability into a gift of connecting deeply with others. The community of Chisago Lakes rallied around the family while Jim was in preschool, little Jim went to school and graduated with his class in 1986. He was a friend to all. Independent and strong spirited, he moved into his "own" home as an adult and was surrounded by care givers who became his "Friends." He climbed the first Liberty Ridge.

His Award Winning "The Heart's Alphabet - Daring to live with Cerebral Palsy." Won National Mom's Choice Gold Award for Adult Memoirs. The Heart's Alphabet is Jim's self-told story, painstakingly spelled out, letter by letter, with the assistance of an interpreter is a tale of personal perseverance, a tribute to loving families, and-most of all-a testament to the possibilities that lie within each of us.

Jim ran the race of life wearing a wheelchair.
Jim taught life living independently hurdling barriers other placed before him.
Jim climbed Liberty Ridge - he scaled the impossible as a man
Jim spoke letter by letter with his tongue - his words and life live on in his book
Jim loved life, people, concerts, vacation, travel, sports & his dogs.

His dogs was how I was reunited with Jim last year. Jim was looking for a dog and he knew what "he" wanted. After visits with my large size puppies, he clicked with his tongue "No." For Jim his No has always meant no, and his Yes has moved him forward. He never settled for I Can't. For Jim has always been able to work with his family, love with his family, and do with his family and the community he became a part of - He expressed his needs - as a child and as a wholesome and loving man.

His parents, his sister and brother and the community he embraced can rejoice in a life lived with courage and strength. He won the race, he finished his life and I am sure on both feet this man raced into heaven - his job well done! For Jim death was his first step - and knowing him his body free he can now run and jump at last.

"If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
If I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me.
Your right hand will hold me fast."
Psalm 139:9

His website is http://theheartsalphabet.com/

May his family be blessed in their remembrances.

Million Minds March

When Budget Cuts Create More Fail Firsts

2009-04-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that funding cuts are necessary,
and everyone will have a special program to address.

As a parent who has volunteered thousands of documented hours to MNASAP and daily provides 2-4 unpaid hours to adoptive families in crisis with tough kids I need to note that the infrastrucure these organizations provide me allow for efficient additional access to parents with children in crisis or handling complex issues. Families who adopt our Minnesota Waiting Children and Foster Families need supports to do a larger than typical life job. Behaviors due to genetic factors, prenatal factors and complex early life experiences are compounded when children are moved from family into new or established temporary family. These programs hired experienced, trained adoptive parents across the state to provide support, parenting skill development, and referrals to adoption-competent professionals and other community-based services to stabilize adoptive families and it was a place I could direct a family spinning out to gain parent to parent support - or be referred to trained and skilled professionals,

It has taken 10 years to get where we are today.
My daughter (diagnosed with fetal alcohol brain damage at 12.5 years) is in the first generation of this care - (one of the first three high-risk legal adoptions in 1986 - a foster baby at five months adopted at 14 months) She lead a successful life as a teen - graduated from high achool and passed her basic standards with a 70 IQ. This success happened because there were other organized families that surrounded us with ideas, compassion and directives to appropriate healthy supports. Other families we connected with who laughed and cried with us in this journey - developed friendships for respite.

Challenging children need safe places to play with caregivers who understand their issues. This is a chicken and egg issue - one could place blame on the child, or the new parents, or the system, or the original family. One could state this is an inappropriate funding priority that needs to be slashed. OR one could say that this system is working for families and children and because of this program we are seeing less complex issues arise. Our infrastructure fell apart when she reached 18 and aged out of supports - just as it has for so so many of these kids.

My recommendation, and I am but one, would be to increase ASAP and Harambee funding to develop an continuing adult program so that transition to adulthood is smoother and successful. Minnesota has been a leader in this area - these are the most vulnerable of our children - tough on the outside and fragile on the inside.

I challenge you to:
1. check the number of adoptive children (or previous foster children) in adult mental health
2. check the number of adoptive children (or previous foster children) who are incarcerated

CHECK THE COST of our adult failing infrastructure and it will give heed to what is about to happen to the younger age group also. Please look carefully at this issue. The answer is more complicated and it is perhaps because this sytem is working you do not see the total possible fallout. Parents are beginning to call and rely on other parents that is a real outcome, they also seek professionals when the issue become greater than what they understand.

In this time of economic trauma our young people suffer, our children suffers and our country suffers. The cost of adoptng a traumatized child is great. The cost of not allowing a child to have a healthy family is greater.

MN ASAP and Harambee have been instrumental in keeping families together - Personally I want to congratulate them on a job I hope they continue to do well.

Jodee Kulp
Director of
http://www.betterendings.org/
http://www.toolboxparent.com/

I have a dream. . . .

2009-02-04T18:43:00.001-08:00

That one day little children will not be born with brain damage because of the alcohol they were fed before they were even borm.

I have a dream. . .

That one day persons with inivisible disabilities will not be treated second-class citizens, but will be able to participate in their local communities accepted in their differences

I have a dream. . .

I have a dream . . .

That one day we will see all people as mattering.

As my young adult daughter says so profoundly, "You can't be handicapped if you are born like that. You just are."

I have a dream. . . .

2009-02-04T18:43:00.000-08:00

That one day little children will not be born with brain damage because of the alcohol they were fed before they were even borm.

I have a dream. . .
That one day persons with inivisible disabilities will not be treated second-class citizens, but will be able to participate in their local communities accepted in their differences

I have a dream. . .
That one day predators and persecutors will not additionally victimize persons with fetal alcohol. That people will realize it is no joke. That the day - to - day struggle is real and cannot be kissed away, or bandaged or ignored.

I have a dream . . .
That one day we will see all people as mattering.

As my young adult daughter says so profoundly, "You can't be handicapped if you are born like that. You just are."

2008-12-31T15:27:00.001-08:00

Best I Can Be by Liz Kulp will receive gold award in 2009

2008-12-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

Being an adult with FASD is a struggle and a bright light in this holiday season for our family and especially Liz Kulp is that her book The Best I Can Be written when she was almost 13 will be recognized as the Mom's Choice Gold Award 2009 for Best Young Author. Liz's dream was to provide information to people who could not understand how her brain works and how she thinks and enjoys life. The book was a hard struggle for a young person who at that point did not write, each handwritten paragaph copied from recipe cards took over twenty minutes.

It has been a privilege to embrace parenting Liz - a struggle sometimes for both of us, but never without wonder and adventure. My daughter never ceases to amaze me with her insight and how she understands the world. I want to publically congratulate her for risking voicing her opinion and openning the doors for others. Liz will continue to open doors as she transverses adulthood - watch out world - she just keeps on moving forward in a dance that is all hers. - Blessing on the work you are doing in your next book - may it change as many hearts of those who do not understand as The Best I Can Be.

- Love Mom

Grandpa knows I'm a good girl

2008-10-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

Grandpa died on Friday
And I really did my best
My mom left home without me
And my dad was put to the test
My father is a woodworker
Like my grandfather before
And my uncle asked my daddy
To make the box for grandpa to soar
And so I went to my friend’s house
And had a really good time
I missed the mortuary
So I wouldn’t stand in line
I called upon my mother
who was busy as can be
Writing up the remembrances
and an obituary
I asked her to please come home
And do my pretty hair
I wanted my sweet Grandpapa to
Really know I cared.
But she said I’m sorry darling
I can’t come home tonight.
I am sleeping with your Grandma
Go to bed, turn out the lights
I went downstairs the best I could
It was actually time for meds
I could feel my hands shaking
But decided not to go to bed
Instead I stayed up fixingAnd fixing my pretty hair
And nothing seemed to be working
As I thought of grandpa
A way up there.
In a mighty fit of frustration
I pulled out and then redid
Only to see in the morning
There were bald spots on my head
I picked my clothes out carefully
Something grandpa would care
A bright red shirt and blue jeans
And barrettes for my hair
I worked til’ almost morning
The sun was about to rise
I took my medication and
Closed my pretty eyes

I didn’t hear the alarm clock
Dad jumped me out of bed
We’re leaving in five minutes
Was all I heard he said.
I grabbed the red shirt I’d chosen
I jumped into my jeans
This wasn’t how I wanted it
I hate being me.
I wanted to look pretty
I wanted to do my best
Instead I went overmedicated
And looked a sorry mess
The red shirt I was wearing
Looked like a club night
And the jeans I jumped into
Were not at all right.
The medication was humming
As we pulled quickly away
And I could tell inside myself
It was going to be a terrible day.
I did my best to be happy
I forgot my morning meds
I wanted to show everyone
How hard I’d worked to be
My very best.
We missed the visitation
We almost missed the church
I missed the long progression
That headed with the hearse
I missed the soldiers shooting
I missed putting grandpa in his grave
I finally understood this was not a very good way
I wanted to hold my mother
Who was busy for her dad
I wanted to hug my family
Who seemed sometimes happy sometimes sad
I didn’t eat a breakfast, and I forgot a snack
I even forgot the medication that I usually pack
I called my dad to say sorry
I tried really hard to be nice
But it got really obvious
People were looking at me twice.
My Auntie told be about the rose
Thar laid upon the stone
And I went to say goodbye to grandpa
When I was alone.
I looked upon each stone I saw
Holding eagles, plaques and pain
Not one stone held the rose
I felt I was insane
I went back home to tell them
That it was no longer there
My Auntie said go back again
And look down and stare
The rose will have grandpa’s name
I really know you care
I watched my feet a walking
And the rose still had it’s stick
But the stone they had told me to find
Was actually a brick.

She’s 22, I overhead
She’s able to behave
She’s doing drugs another said
My grandpa in the grave
I ran away to grandpa who was watching way up high
And I marched around the little town trying not to cry
Lost and scared and empty
My Auntie took me in
And we journeyed to the jail house
To prove I didn’t sin

I looked into the mirror
At my face when I can home
And I soon discovered I was not alone
My mother saw the bare spots that covered over my head
And I went into the bedroom to get my pretty shirt of red.
I held it up before her and I looked into her eyes
And we finally held each other
And she finally cried
And I told her that I loved her
And I said it was too bad
And I told her I love daddy
Who is my real dad
And I told her not to worry
Because I knew something true
That Grandpa saw me for who I was
And that she did too
She showed me the spent chamber they shot for grandpa today
Grandpa knows I’m a good girl, was all that I could say.

Bear In Mind

2008-08-20T09:37:00.000-07:00

The bear is back in my mind
a grizzly wrizzly izzly bear
with a flurry of surly wurly feelings
that want to grow
and growl
and snarl
but they can't
because there is nothing
and nowhere to place
the snarly warly barring teeth
feelings so real.

I have no fairy wand
to wave
to make life better
- to change what has been done
to 45,000 children a year
in this country.

Under the hearts
of those who say
they love them.

I want to shout
loud
and clear that

DRINKING

while pregnant must stop
and . . .

that the person
you are growing matters.

That this person
matters to me
and to the others
who will love
and care
and hold the little
he or she.

The bear is back
in my mind as I remember
when you came
so small,
with arms so thin
and legs so small
you were 'bearly'
a nothing at all
except a very big voice.

Bear in mind -
A growling raging voice
proclaiming your incidious beginning.
And not yet half a year
you vomited every thing you tried to eat
until we found the special foods
so you could survive.

And the mama bear in my mind
went looking
for answers
to help you live
and grow.

And you did.

Bear in mind -
A growling raging voice
proclaiming you
could not be touched
or held
or cuddled
and I wanted
a snuggly
wuggly
buggly child
who I could hold-

and so the mama bear in me
found ways to enjoy you
and realize that you loved
the best you could-
until we learned about
how your body worked
and the sensory issues
and the missing pieces
and misconnections
at age twelve

Twelve years too late.

how could a mother not know?
or doctors?
or others so educated-
the bear in mind was there searching
- but not finding
asking
with no answers
because I did not
have the right questions.

Bear in mind -
A growling raging voice
proclaiming that fun things to do
were too intense
and yet you
my child were the most
intense of all-

and I learned to calm
and quiet all the grizzly voices
in my mind
and not add energy
to energy
so you could learn
and grow
and go
and do like other children

- and you grew into a
giving,
loving,
forgiving child
woven with the grizzly bears
of your mind
we did not understand.
Alien in a world I understood
that could not understand you.
With media
and advertisement
undermining all we said-
because they knew
and we didn't
and they were the truth.

Oh the bear in my mind
wants to pound my chest
and more than growl.

Do bears roar?

Bear in mind -

You grew
and you grew
and you grew away
becausewe were not
who you wanted to be
- could be
- would be

The bears in our minds
no longer can remain silent
- pushing each other away
with our snarls and growls
and stares.

We were not the MTV family
or the Bratz
or the Glamour girls-

we were happy in our litle den
with our close friends
doing close friend things-

while you my little cub
needed to run and explore
what you believed were
pots of honey
at ends of rainbows
that did not exist
except in the media
of music and video.

The bear in my mind
watched as you worked your way
through your imagination
of Truth with brain injury
caused by alcohol to the unborn
- 100% preventable

-I asked my child what happens
when you go around the same tree
over
and over
and in her brain injured wisdom
she shared.
"I fall down like a nut."

I smile.
I laugh.
And I know there is hope.

Bear in mind
-I hope you have come
to the end of yourself
dear little baby bear
- your spirit still intact
- so that it can change
the course of history
for others

- you my child are one
- only one of many
- too many
- 45,000 a year too many.

The bear in my mind
wants to hybernate-
to go away
and sleep it all off
as a bad dream

but there must be no hybernation
we and weery
mother bears
and
father bears
must remain awake.

We must embrace
the voices of those
45,000 a year
450,000 in ten years

- we must stand together
with all our bears
in our minds
and change the course of
time.

COMMITTED TO GROW

2008-07-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

From Liz

Mom, don't you understand that I am committed with rules and regulations that if I don't obey they will increase my stay, my time, my life will never be my own. I am to participate and comply and obey and yet because they cannot get my medications filled it can be my demise - once again - and I will not let that happen because of medication. I did that once because I did not understand, but now I do. I lost my life and my will to live not understanding my medication and what it can do, that it can curl my fingers and toes and scrunch up my stomach so I cannot eat if the helping pills are wrong in dose or type so what I thought could help can hurt. I cannot unravel myself again. I have worked too hard to rebuild from nothing.

Yet without the medications to sleep how will I not pace, how without sleep will I participate in groups and activities the next day. You wonder why I worry and and am full of anxiety - it is my life they take - when I cannot take my perscription because it is unavailable. And I have heard it before, that they understand, but they dont't. They will judge me. They always do. On behaviors I may be unable to deal with and so I would rather risk fighting to get what I need than lose what I have gained.

I have been taught to be compliant - med compliant. To obey the hospital where they taught me how, and when, and how much, to mould my mind to even and without this prescription filled I cannot be - the me - they desire and want for me to be free.

Red tape and government rules I cannot scale without your help. I need a conference call between my doctor, and you, and the pharmacy. I will even pay for the meds myself to remain compliant. How can I prove myself if I cannot have the tools I need to do the job they require?

I am writing lyrics again mom, for the silent voices of fetal alcohol, I will fight the fight.

A Pit Bull With Lipstick

2008-07-14T14:33:00.000-07:00

From Liz

Sometimes everyone needs an advocate
Mom, you know what they call you?

You're a
pit bull with lipstick
and that's pretty funny because
I wear the lipstick
and you never do
You train dogs
but you raise poodles.

I guess me and the poodles
need a pitbull
with lipstickto guide
and show us the way.
and not put up with
our silly billy prancing
but work to keep us
calm and maintained
secured through
the strength of caring.

You're a pit bull with lipstick,
and I know that is true
because I have seen you
march upto a gangster
and neck hold the leader
against the wall to explain
in no uncertain terms why
claiming points for virgins
is not cool.

You're a pitbull with lipstick
and I know that is true
because I have seen you
alpha dog stare down
the most feared of all
who feared you enough
to call his father for advice
Whose father thanked you

You're a pitbull with lipstcik
and I know that is true
because you growl seldom
you don't have to
You're presence changes
hearts and minds to make
better decisions.

I laughed when I heard you
called a pitbull with lipstick
but I know it is true .
And if I got to chose
another mother -

I would have to choose you!

Happy Independence Day

2008-07-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

Today is not independence day, but someday it may be true.

The only person I want to be committed, God, is to you.

Alcohol stole my being, before I was even born

Alcohol took my heart and mind, before the early morn

Alcohol stole my first mother, and my father at her side

Alcohol took my young adult self, on a roller coaster ride

I hate what it has taken

Even though it is so true

But we stand united together to fight and not to lose

Thank you God for all you have done!

Liz Kulp

Changing a ‘Pair of Dimes’

2008-06-16T14:40:00.000-07:00

The miniscule cells that worked diligently to become a completed little person were zapped with a night of binge drinking.
Kaboom!

A night of partying a few days later zapped more
... Kaboom!

And then another night of social drinking
... Kaboom!

And at a business conference
– Kaboom! - another set of brain cells were destroyed.

Alcohol is a ‘teratogen’ (a substance that is toxic to the baby’s developing brain). Since the brain and central nervous system are developing throughout pregnancy, the baby’s brain is vulnerable the whole time and alcohol may damage some parts of the brain while leaving other’s intact. This loss is lifetime brain damage that affects the childhood, adolescent and adulthood of the individual.

Parenting a child with hidden brain damage is complex, but being the person with this lifetime invisible disability places the individual in the position of being a stranger in a strange land. What can we do to help a person we love or care for? A crucial first step is to accept we are parenting a person with a brain that is damaged and realize ‘normal’ behaviors may not be feasible without support, environmental control and special training. By changing our frame of reference, our caregiving strategies will change.

Accept The Whole Child
Prenatal exposure affects more of the child than simply their brains. In our daughter’s case all of her processing systems from the tips of her fingers and toes to her eyes and ears were affected. Her pupils did not dilate properly and she was unable to compensate for changes in lighting. She was a mouth breather and feared closing her mouth because she believed she’d die. She could not feel her fingertips. Her senses were confused and light touch felt painful while a major injury didn’t hurt. Her circulatory system and digestive system didn’t work properly. Her infant reflexes were still engaged at age fourteen and she could not cross her midline. This midline crossing affected her ability to play games, sweep and even chew.
Each of these issues complicated learning at higher levels and we discovered teaching the earliest missing development steps strengthened those later steps she already knew.

Teaching Backwards to Move Forward
A willful looking child may act annoying and steadfastly refuse to participate or try something new. Hurt or fearful, they become defensive. It is easier to be mean or have a tantrum than to say you don’t understand. On the other hand, the child may appear lazy and unmotivated. The child may not know how to begin what is being expected and does not want to fail.
Liz, my 19-year-old daughter explained, “Mom when plans change or I have to learn something new, it is like I am standing on a blank nothing. I don’t have pieces I can use to help me. I need someone to guide me to get me to that new place. I don’t want someone to be condescending to me and treat me like I am not intelligent. I can learn. I just don’t learn like other people. Sometimes it takes more time. Sometimes you have to try different ways. I have to do something many times to get it. It helps to know how I need to finish so I can start.”

Liz’s last sentence gave me a clue of how to help her. When I am teaching Liz a new skill I let her help me finish what I am doing instead of starting from the beginning. For example, in making her favorite Tator Tot hot dish she began by adding the cheese layer to the meat and topping it with the potatoes. I helped her carefully put it into the oven, set the timer, remove it and proudly exclaim she had done it ‘all’ herself. The next time she opened the soup and added it to the fried hamburger and onions. She poured the hamburger mixture over the mixed vegetables and remembered how to finish the hotdish on her own. Building skills backwards provides the joy of completion.

I have learned to change me. I cannot control my daughter’s behavior due to brain injury any more than she can, but I can provide a learning environment to teach her coping skills and adaptations. I can help her learn to become an advocate for herself by learning how her compromised brain and body work so that before she gets into trouble she asks for help.

Frames of Reference
“I am so stupid! Why do I do such stupid things over and over and over again,” Liz shouted. I had wondered the same thing myself. The answer was simple. Until she has enough experience with the same thing, at the same time, with the same people and the same surroundings, she is unable to access information in her brain. This is the difference between real life and a video game.

A video game follows the same path with the same codes for the same results. My daughter can win a video game once she has discovered the order to push the buttons. The repeating game process is a secure learning place for her. Unlike video, my home constantly changes. The dishes may be dirty or clean, the stove off or on, and the refrigerator empty or recently filled. People interrupt with phone calls and doorbells. These normal day-to-day differences that I hardly notice change her frame of reference.

For example, her frame of reference affected her spelling and math. Sitting at our dining room table, with a dog at her feet and mom next to her she aced her homework. She felt confidant carrying her knowledge in her head and her homework in her red folder to school. But her frames of reference change in the classroom. The desk felt different from our table, the young man behind smelled of cologne, and she heard the fluorescent lights buzz. The knowledge gained by hours of homework vanished. She broke her pencil and hit her desk. She knew, she knew it! Where did it go?

Her teachers began emailing me the next week’s lessons. On Sunday night I presented a sneak preview. We translated vocabulary into language she understood. I prepared her for new concepts by saying “I’m going to show you what Mr. Jones will be teaching, if you get frustrated when I am showing you, tell me and I’ll stop.” This gave her permission to gauge the amount of material she could comfortably absorb. She warned me when she felt frustrated and we switched to reviewing similar material she already knew.

As the teachers worked through the week’s lesson, Liz had ideas and stories she was able to contribute. She no longer remained silently shaking her head, appearing to understand while everything flew by.

The Process of Time
“Mom, if plans change it is like I am walking along and I fall into a hole. I don’t know how to get out. I need help to get back on track.” Liz lives from one process to the next. An event is a point of reference in her life much like we use time. If events happen too close together she becomes unable to managed and is stressed. If plans change she has nothing to fall back on.
Care giving a person with brain injury is hard. I have to remind myself often to take care of me so that I can take care of Liz. She resists when she doesn’t understand something. She is mean to those who love her when others have hurt her. We are the safe sentinels. She is drawn into environments of excitement and chaos, where she is hurt and taken advantage of. She makes strangers her friends and treats her friends as strangers. I love her unconditionally. Her growth to adulthood will be long and hard won. I treat her now as a chronological adult, albeit she is still a child in so many ways. I cannot walk in her shoes, but I can walk along side and guide her. I can be there to pick her up with compassion when she falls. I can keep my focus on looking deeper and forever changing my paradigm.

Silent Voices

Holiday Tips for Children with Fetal Alcohol

True Commitment - Fetal Alcohol is NOT who I am!

Celebrate 60 Ideas to Build Fetal Alcohol Awareness

Meet a Can Do Kid with Fetal Alcohol

The Whitest Wall meets National Curriculum Standards

LIRBARY SPECIAL FROM BETTER ENDINGS

Sick and Tired of Winter

I need you all during this while I am down for a few countshttp://specialchildren.about.com/b/2011/02/11/vote-for-favorite-special-needs-memoir.htm

My Invisible World by Morasha Winokur - Book Trailer

Braided Cord - Tough Time In and Out Finalist for About.com Memoirs

Mom's Choice Awards: Donnie Winokur and Chance at BookExpo America

My Invisible World Trailer

FASDay 2010 - TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!!

#1 Day to FASDAY 2010 - Join the Ringtone Rally

FASD Day - Ringtone Rally!

From the Thinktank of Teresa Kellerman

#2 Days To FASDay 2010 - Video on FASD

#3 Days To FASDay 2010 - FACELESS - by Jennifer Woodward

#4 Days To FASDay 2010 - This book commands attention

#5 Days To FASDay 2010 - Wisdom of Hopi Elders

#6 Days To FASDay 2010 - Only one minute

#7 Days To FASDay 2010 - Give a speech

#8 Days To FASDay 2010 - Speak out

#9 Days To FASDay 2010 - What One Person Can Do?

#10 Days To FASDay 2010 - Take a Stand

#11 Days To FASDay 2010 - Visit FAS World

#12 Days To FASDay 2010 - You Can Ring Some Bells

#13 Days To FASDay 2010 - Tie Some Knots

#14 Days To FASDay 2010 - Plan a Pregnant Pause!

#15 Days To FASDay 2010 - Grab and Go Materials

#16 Days To FASDay 2010 - Trail of Tears

#17 Days To FASDay 2010 - Pass on a summer read

#18 Days To FASDay 2010 - Cheers to all babies

#19 Days To FASDay 2010 - Toolbox Parent

#20 Days To FASDay 2010 - Listen to persons with FASD

#21 Days To FASDay 2010 - Listen to persons with FASD

#22 Days To FASDay 2010 - Write a PSA

#23 Days To FASDay 2010 - Listen to persons with FASD

#24 Days To FASDay 2010 - Two minute talk

#25 Days To FASDay 2010 - Host a drop in event

#26 Days To FASDay 2010 - Write a letter to the first lady

How to Write a Letter to First Lady Michelle Obama

#27 Days To FASDay 2010 - Each One Reach One

#28 Days To FASDay 2010 - Press Releases

#29 Days To FASDay 2010 - Be a poster poster

#30 Days To FASDay 2010 - An easy FASDay Plan

#31 Days To FASDay 2010 - Information table

#32 Days To FASDay 2010 - How to make a FAS Knot

#33 Days To FASDay 2010 - Invocation and poem

#34 Days To FASDay 2010 - Invocation

#35 Days To FASDay 2010 - Host a baby shower

#36 Days To FASDay 2010 - Need proclamation copy?

#37 Days To FASDay 2010 - Send invitations

#38 Days To FASDay 2010 - Write a poem

#39 Days To FASDay 2010 - FASDay Guide

#40 Days To FASDay 2010 - Tie some knots

#41 Days To FASDay 2010 - Gear Up

#42 Days To FASDay 2010 - Meet Chancer

Reader Views2010 First Place Award for Children's-Young Reader (8-10)

#43 Days To FASDay 2010 - Write some letters

#44 Days To FASDay 2010 - A FASWorld Fable

#45 Days To FASDay 2010 - Historical memories

#46 Days To FASDay 2010 - What is FASDay?

#47 Days To FASDay 2010 - How about a mini-event

#48 Days To FASDay 2010 - Host a pregnant pause

#49 Days To FASDay 2010 - A teen survey

#50 Days To FASDay 2010 - Get a proclamation

#51 Days To FASDay 2010 - Great downloads

#52 Days To FASDay 2010 - Take ten survey kit

#53 Days To FASDay 2010 - Free videos

#54 Days To FASDay 2010 - Parent to parent support

#55 Days To FASDay 2010 - Create visibility

#56 Days To FASDay 2010 - Pick a project

#57 Days To FASDay 2010 - Pick a reporter

#58 Days To FASDay 2010 - Call a friend

#59 Days To FASDay 2010 - You can do a bell concordance

#60 Days To FASDay 2010 - FASDay Manual

Let My Yes, Be Yes and My No, Be No

My Invisible World Rocks CNN Atlanta

I need you all during this while I am down for a few counts
http://specialchildren.about.com/b/2011/02/11/vote-for-favorite-special-needs-memoir.htm

Reader Views
2010 First Place Award for Children's-Young Reader (8-10)