#9 Days To FASDay - Speak Out on Fetal Alcohol

Prepare to give a speech -

This is the first time Liz and I stepped out 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.

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


• 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!

#10 Days To FASDay - Pass on a fall read

Pass on a fall read to a friend 

you'd like to learn more about 

fetal alcohol... 

Here are a couple curl up to read novels... reviews are appreciated by all authors

• The Whitest Wall by Jodee Kulp 
• Before the Storm by Dianne Chamberlain
• Tiny Titan by Ann Yurcek
• Lies that Bind by Delinda McCann

Click link above to read more or order books from Amazon

Reviews

The Whitest Wall by Jodee Kulp 

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. The Whitest Wall has meets high school curriculum standards.

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,

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

1. 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.



2. 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.



3. 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

1. 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.


2. 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

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


2. 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.


3. 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

#11 Days To FASDay - Tie Some Knots

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

#12 Days To FASDay - Get Some FASD Grab and Go Materials

FASD Center of Excellence offers FREE Materials

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

FREE STUFF TO HELP YOU EVENT!!

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.

#13 Days To FASDay - $3 Coupon - Listen to persons with FASD

Braided Cord - Tough Times In and Out

by Liz Kulp

A story you won’t forget. Visit her website

Liz Kulp, winner of Gold Mom’s Choice - Life Challenged 2011 and 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 order 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.

“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 or jodeekulp@gmail.com
$3.00 Gift from Kulp Family for each book orders additional quantities please contact us:

Direct links provided for discount - Just add coupon code JZLZLVT2 to order - you can simply click special link for each book provided below. Any reviews or comments on our books are appreciated. Happy September 9 - for larger quantity please message me and I can get you a deal.

NEW! 3rd Revision Our FAScinating Journey -Keys to Brain Potential Along the Path of Prenatal Brain Injury - (2012)https://www.createspace.com/3579462

The Whitest Wall (2012) - A Mystery novel
https://www.createspace.com/3497641

Braided Cord (2010) - Liz's adult transition with FASD
https://www.createspace.com/3436934

#14 Days To FASDay - Plan a Pregnant Pause!

Host a Pregnant Pause... in your community... at your school... at your government center... get some attentions









How many Pregnant Pauses can we host around the world....

Need some t-shirts to sport a look....
Visit www.cafepress.com/fasdawareness 

#15 Days To FASDay - Take a Stand for Persons Living with FASD

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.