Fall Special Times 2017

Special Times Volume 32 No. 3

Fall 2017

Inside This Issue Letter from the President

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Year in Review

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Play & Leisure Skills

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Parent Groups

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It is the mission of the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota to empower individuals and families, to create community and celebrate the abilities of people with Down syndrome.

Board of Directors

Officers Brandon Yerxa, President Carrie Delaney, Vice President Dan Gallas, Treasurer Laura Lee, Secretary Directors Allison Bass Jennifer Elston-Brondell Karen Lehner Camilo Mejia Don Schwartz Billy Weber

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Managing Editor, Kathleen Forney

Staff

Kathleen Forney, Executive Director Tracy Hafeman Annie Hines Kathleen Holiday Catherine McDonnell-Forney Kate Pickford Marcy Rede

Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota 656 Transfer Road St. Paul, MN 55114 Phone: (651) 603-0720 or (800) 511-3696 Fax: 651-603-0726 Website: www.dsamn.org Email: dsamn@dsamn.org

On the cover:

From our Self Advocate Supper Club: Lauren, Lori & Allie

Inset:

Piper is all ready for winter!

Letter from the President All we can say is thank you!

As a parent of an 8 year old son with Down syndrome, Winston, I can’t express how grateful I am that we’ve had a thriving parent group community within the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota to connect with, celebrate milestones, gain insight and manage the challenges of the present. Our community, which extends throughout the state of Minnesota, has been made possible by you and your generosity!

As a proud father, how do I express my appreciation for the hundreds of hours and countless individuals that coordinated and organized the 20th Annual Step Up for Down Syndrome walk, which was our first connection to the Down Syndrome community, over 8 years ago, and the reason we were able to get on the path to support and resources as early as the first few months of our son’s life. Perhaps you would consider joining my family and friends and make a contribution this year to help support others as they take those very same steps into what is, for lot of us, an unplanned journey.

Or consider what our families have learned and gained from our educational and empowering webinars, conferences, speakers and more….all I can say is thank you! Maybe I could count on you to show your appreciate with a year end contribution.

You see it is people like you, as you make your thanks clear though your donation, who have helped make our mission a reality for families like mine – and perhaps like yours – since 1984. And it is people like you who help countless others who will come after us to have a better experience with Down syndrome because you have given and contributed with such generosity. For all these reasons and many more, thank you for considering our cause and for giving.

We ask now, as our year comes to a rapid close and you’re planning your annual year-end giving, for you to support the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota as we fulfill our mission of empowering individuals and families, intentionally creating community and celebrating the lives of those with Down syndrome who are blazing new trails into the limitlessness of their ability. Thank you for your generosity.

Gratefully, Brandon Yerxa President, Board of Directors

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Volume 32 No. 3

Fall 2017

Year in Review The Down syndrome Association of Minnesota empowers our families and professionals Kathleen Forney

We are a state wide organization and while most of us live in the 13 county metropolitan area, our membership is composed of families from throughout the region. Conferences held in the Twin Cities are not readily accessible to all our families. Technological advances are enabling us to make these very important educational opportunities - for parents, grandparents, self advocates, educators - available to a boarder audience.

In 2017 we launched a new initiative: We began holding webinars on various topics specific to Down syndrome and they have been enthusiastically received. We held a webinar with Dr. David Stein on “Supporting Positive Behavior”; Dr. Lena Patel presented on “A Successful Journey to Toilet Training” and Vanessa Slivken from St. David’s presented on “Relationship Tools for Parents of Children with Special Needs”. We have one additional webinar scheduled prior to the end of the year covering the topic of Inclusion.

In addition to a live presentation, each of these speakers has agreed to have their webinar available to our members on our website for a year.

We were also honored late summer to be awarded a grant from Dakota County to present four webinars on the Down Syndrome/Autism connection.

Topics on these webinars to date covered behavior and cultural differences. Additional webinars are scheduled to cover medical concerns and educational best practices for students with co-existing

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conditions of Down syndrome and Autism.

Along with venturing into the production of webinars, your Association live streamed our annual Educator Conference in November, allowing parents as well as educators who couldn’t travel to the cities for the day to attend remotely.

We look forward to continuing these initiatives with the support of our membership and sponsors in the coming years as we strive to build the best access to our educational programs for our entire membership.

Youth & Adult Programming Self advocates are learning how to cook! With the assistance of Bill Niemer at THAT Cooking School in Lilydale and some wonderful volunteers, DSAM ran 3 different cooking series in 2017.

We began the year with All About Eggs! This 4 part series ran in January, February, March and April.

Eggs were fried, shirred, basted, scrambled, poached, deviled and baked. We made eggs in a nest, egg salad, omelets, French toast and fresh pasta!

Over the summer, we were Grillin’ & Chillin’! Steaks and chicken were on the menu and we enjoyed our meals on the cooking school’s lovely patio deck overlooking the Mississippi River.

Our fall cooking series was All About Soups! October, November and December were tasty and delicious as we learned how to make Butternut Squash, Chicken Wild Rice, Tomato, Chicken Noodle, Navy Bean and Ham, and Potato Leek Soups!

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Continued from page 3

A special thank you to volunteers Kim and Dave Hocker, Megan Schmid Pauley, Tiffany Vang, Kathleen and David Forney for your loyal assistance. A shout out to Leah Spring, Elle Dykema, Emily Vang, Chaly Vang and Chase Sutton for their help also!

Youth & Adult Conference The 20th annual Voices & Choices get together was our all-time best attended Youth & Adult conference ever! We had 62 attendees, including self advocates who have been at all 20 conferences, as well as teens attending for the very first time.

Attendees could choose three workshops from the following list: Staying Safe in the Community; Zumba; Get fired up! Paint you own pottery!; Eat This, Not That; Woodworking; Finding and Keeping a Job; Smoothies; Toneworks; and Relationships. After lunch, there was the ever-popular open mic time where self advocates could share an accomplishment or achievement from the past year. At the end of the day, all 62 self advocates headed to the dance floor. But just before that got started, participants from the Smoothie workshop shared tastings from 4 recipes they had made and the Toneworks participants performed music and movement they had learned in their workshop. Then DJ Sacha Muller provided the tunes and self advocates provided the moves!

We would like to thank the Minnesota Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities for the cosponsorship grant for our Youth & Adult Conference. We would also like to give a big shout out to the 14 volunteers and 4 staff members who provided support to the self advocates throughout the day.

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Grandparent Conference April 29th dawned bright and sunny and 57 grandparents gathered at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Plymouth for the 14th annual Grandparent Conference. Turnout was double what it had been in 2016, probably due to the choice of a date in April as opposed to late May. We’ve learned we need to steer clear of the Minnesota fishing opener!

Amy Carstensen informed and entertained grandparents with her presentation “Ten Hints to Be a Successful Grandparent of a Child with Down Syndrome.” Grandparents commented on their Feedback forms: her real life stories were powerful and life impacting; the “10 Hints” session was excellent, lots of great reminders for me; Amy is very dynamic…fun and very informative!

At the 2016 Grandparent Conference, grandparents expressed interest in the topic of “How Best to Support your Child as they Parent a Child with Down Syndrome.” Since “the best support” may vary and look different in each family…we pulled together a parent panel to present different perspectives: Heather Kamia is mom to 2 year old Kahnu; Tiffany Yerxa is mom to 7 year old Winston and Mark Lehner is dad to 15 year old Jacob.

Heather’s presentation focused on resources Grandparents could access: books, websites, blogs, organizations, etc. Tiffany gave helpful and intimate suggestions for grandparents, focusing on an open and honest exchange; allowing grace for parents and for grandparents themselves, and encouraging grandparents to tell their kids they are doing a good job as parents and how proud they are of them. Mark’s presentation was a welcome perspective not only from a father, but also from the parent of an older child. Grandparents welcomed a glimpse into what the future may look like.

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Adult Matters Conference 58 people attended the 6th annual Adult Matters Conference on September 9th with the theme Independent Living: It Doesn’t Happen OvernightHow to make it a Reality!

Leading off the conference was the ever-popular Dennis McGuire and his topic this year was Promoting Skills to Survive & Thrive in the Teen & Adult Years. Appearing electronically with McGuire was Bryn Gelaro.

Gelaro works with McGuire at Global Foundation in adult initiatives, including the medical care guidelines for adults with Down syndrome. She is a social worker specializing in mental health in adults with Down syndrome.

The second speaker of the day was Susan Dahlby, an Employment Consultant with Kaposia Inc. for the past 14 years. Her presentation Moving Forward: Step up><Step Back focused on employment and the role it plays in Independent Living.

Susan explored practices which best support the development of healthy, sustainable life skills, habits and attitudes specific to securing and maintaining employment.

Rounding out the day was Dr. John Faughnan who explored Independent Living with an iPhone. His presentation focused on using a smartphone to support independent living for teens and adults with special needs. Topics included phone setup, calendaring, Facebook and safety, notes, and messaging.

Educator Conference The Mall of America once again generously donated the space for our Educator Conference. The Parkview Meeting & Event Center played host to 47 educational professionals including general education teachers, special education teachers, therapists, paraprofessionals, special education coordinators, and 11 parents. Additionally, we had 16 people who attended remotely by live

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streaming the conference. A special thank you to DSAM staff member Catherine Forney for assisting with that technology!

The day began with a presentation by Karen Swanson on The Learning Profile of Students with Down Syndrome. Swanson is an Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy at the College of St. Scholastica and also the mother of a child with Down syndrome.

Covering the specific developmental profile associated with Down syndrome, Swanson pointed out both strengths and weaknesses.

Strengths include social interactive skills, empathy, behavior, visual memory and processing. Weaknesses include delayed motor development, visual and hearing impairments, speech and language delays, verbal short memory function. Strategies and interventions were discussed to capitalize on the strengths and adapt for the weaknesses.

Teachers indicated on their evaluations that they appreciated hearing from both a parent and a professional.

Curricular Supports to Create Access and Engagement in General Education Curriculum and Environments was the topic explored by Laura Medwetz and Terri Vandercook from University of St. Thomas. They brought with them a presentation team that included 3 educators working in the schools: Leah Wheeler, Nicole Jaworski and Michael Perszyk. The team shared various frameworks to consider when thinking about curricular supports. Multiple examples across elementary through secondary programs were provided within each framework. Activities were designed to support attendees to consider and create curricular supports for the students they serve. It was a day of working together and sharing ideas to support meaningful access and engagement for students with Down syndrome in general education classrooms.

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2017 Parent Programs

By Tracy Hafeman

Update

This year has proven to be an exciting one in the world of DSAM Parent Programs! From new parent groups to community building social events, we have a lot to share about as 2017 comes to a close.

Parent Groups: Under the leadership of some fabulous facilitators, DSAM has welcomed three new parent groups to the scene this year: Mounds View Area Parent Group (Facilitators: Kelly Hodges, Kristen Priore, and Ashley Rabemahefa) Down Syndrome and Autism- Minnesota: Facebook Group (Facilitators: Marcy Rede and Lisa Bailey) Down Syndrome and Medical Complexity: Facebook Group (Facilitator: Kelly Dirkes) Our existing parent groups have continued to welcome new families and have hosted a variety of guest speakers. Using grant money provided

by DSAM, most of our groups are now serving meals in order to make it easier for families to attend evening meetings. Our facilitators have found this to be a huge factor in increased attendance at meetings. Some popular meeting topics/speakers in 2017 included sibling panels, speech/language pathologists, music therapists, behavioral specialists, and toilet training.

Once again, we would like to extend a huge thank you to each and every one of our wonderful facilitators. The time, energy and LOVE that you put into your groups is greatly appreciated by so many!

Social Events: DSAM was excited to offer several social events in 2017: -Our first annual Summer Park Meet Up was held on June 10th at Emerald Park in St. Anthony. It

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was one of the hottest days of the summer, but turnout was wonderful despite the heat! DSAM provided the indoor/outdoor shelter areas, popsicles and bottled water for those attending.

Parents appreciated having an opportunity to connect and share while their little ones enjoyed splashing around in the splash pad or playing on the playground. Look for this event again in 2018!

-On Sunday, July 16th, DSAM hosted an open gym event for 5th-8th grade students with Down syndrome. The event was held at TCT Gymnastics/Ninja Zone in Brooklyn Park. Gym space was donated by TCT, and the event was staffed by volunteer coaches and gymnasts. The kids had a blast rotating between stations which included trampolines, ninja equipment, rock and warped walls, and rope swing. While the kids explored the gym, parents had the chance to meet one another and share ideas/resources. Light snacks and beverages were provided by DSAM. It was truly a great opportunity, and we look forward to offering similar events for this age group in the future!

-This year’s pancake breakfast event, now named the “Fall Celebration Breakfast,” was a big success! The event, which took place on October 15th, was once again held at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington. In addition to unlimited pancakes and sausage, there were also a wide variety of fall-themed children’s games and activities for families to enjoy before or after eating. A fallthemed picture backdrop, complete with hay bales and pumpkins, provided a perfect photo opportunity for the little ones. It was a wonderful morning enjoyed by many families!

Welcoming New Families: In 2017, DSAM has continued to welcome new families by providing resources, support, connections and gifts.

-New Parent Gifts: This year, DSAM has sent welcome gift packages to nearly 40 families who have received a prenatal or birth diagnosis of Down

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syndrome! Our gift packages include several books/resources, a DSAM onesie, a blanket, a hat, our current newsletter and a DSAM calendar.

-New Family Breakfasts: We were excited to host two New Family Breakfast events in 2017, one in April and the other in August. At each breakfast, family members including parents, grandparents, and siblings had a chance to connect and share in an intimate and casual setting. We look forward to meeting with and welcoming even more new families in 2018!

-Parent to Parent Connections: Whether it be a via phone call, email or hospital visit, sometimes a new parent simply wishes to talk privately with another parent who has been there. Our Parent to Parent program will be going through a bit of a face lift in 2018… If you are a parent who would be interested in volunteering through this program, please email Tracy at tracy@dsamn.org.

As 2017 wraps up and we look ahead to the upcoming year, we do so with eagerness and enthusiasm. Our desire to continue to build upon the support DSAM offers families through our various parent programs and community building opportunities will remain in the forefront of our vision and planning.

Thank you for a great year!

Making Connections Marcy Rede Here at the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota we help people connect with the resources they need…those resources might be other families, information on Down syndrome or referrals to other professionals to name a few.

Most new parents connect with the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota after they have received our new Down Comforter: Parents Guide to Down Syndrome or through our website. They

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make connections with other parents though our Parent to Parent program, our Parent Groups, and social events like our New Parent Breakfasts. And throughout their journey, they can connect with needed resources through our staff, website and educational conferences.

We also work to provide resources to the medical community. Medical professionals in the state received our new updated Down Comforter: Parents Guide to Down Syndrome at the end of 2016 to be given to families when a diagnosis is made. Contacts are made frequently with these medical professionals throughout the year. 250 of our new Down Comforter booklets were sent at the end of last year and we continue to supply booklets as needed at these hospitals and birth centers.

Mayo Clinic also uses the booklets for staff educational purposes.

Programs like Birth-toThree (Help Me Grow) and Early Intervention educators have also received copies of our Down Comforter booklets; they also receive copies of our newsletter keeping them up to date on programs and services from the Association that are beneficial to families.

We are here to connect you with the resources you need. Every day we get calls asking for referrals to medical professionals, therapists and leisure activities. Sometimes it’s a sibling trying to locate a new primary care provider for their adult sibling with Down syndrome, sometimes it’s a new parent starting their journey with private speech therapy. Sometimes it’s a family moving to Minnesota from another state needing to learn the landscape of the county system and local schools.

We have handled well over 100 resource requests throughout the year.

As we strive to empower our families, build community and celebrate the lives of individuals with Down syndrome…please know we are here for you when the need arises.

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Thank you!

All of the great programs and services that you just read about are made possible by your generous donations and fundraising efforts! Thank you so much for your belief in our programs, services and dedication to the Down syndrome community. Thank you to all of our sponsors, who make our events possible. Thank you to all of our volunteers who run everything from our parent groups across the state to making our youth programs possible. Thank you to our dedicated board of directors! Thank you to all of you who have donated!

Top 3 Step Up for Down Syndrome Teams

Ironman for Winston/ Walkin’ with Winston $21, 053

Kickin’ with Kit $8,131

Besty’s Bunch $6,697

2017 Tee It Up & Step Up for DS Sponsors

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Volume 32 No. 3

Fall 2017

Welcome New Families & Members New Parents Nicole DeWitte & Noah Wick Stephanie & Josh Grubb Myra Sanchez Courtney Benavidez Anita Hill Karri Hotakainen & Jordan Sherman Apolgail Yang Kelly Peck & Jason O’Leary Eric & Darlynn Theimann

Renee Lee & Joe Pupack Ann-Marie & Tom Magee Bud & Olivia Schaefer Cassie Markgraf Wendy & Sonny Kommany Erin & Tina Kastl

New Members Sharon Kallinen Jay Johnston

Mae Yost Latoya Lewis Anna Vasquez-Banerjee Raquel & JeremySieben Mary Louise Gooch Lori Page Ryan Strauser Mary Kay Edyvean Nicole Kapps

Thank you Fall 2017 Donors Patron (1000+) Basma & Jonathan DeVries Knights of Columbus – Richfield/Bloomington Knights of Columbus – Ramsey Eli Lauermann Motorcycle & Classic Car Run Benefactor (250+) Anderson Insurance & Investment Agency Phyllis & James Bjork Ingrid & Chris Culp John Errigo Knights of Columbus – Apple Valley Knights of Columbus – Crystal/Robbinsdale Mary & Mark Maher Chris & Leslie Neugent Chrisopher Pettit Jeannie Saffert Contributor (100+) Dr Roger & Dr Kay Worner Mary & John Donato Kathleen Rulka & Brian Ewert Rick & Linda Glasgow Vance & Wendy Haesemeyer John & Teresa Homan Roger Howe Knights of Columbus – Columbia Heights Gary & Caol Lauermann Robyn & Jason Lauermann Matthew & Jessica Liebrock Chris & Leslie Neugent Paul & Jean Nordgren

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Kevin Rask Bob & Norita Schottler Richard & Bonnie Theilfoldt In Memory of Faith Gardner Harvey Andresen Michael Brickley Arlene Gibbons Linda Jacobsen Kathleen Wilde Kutter Richard Lambert Sally, beloved dog of Kate & David Pickford Henry Tanton Eldo Thielfoldt Margaret ‘Sunny’ Waters Peter Webster In Honor of Nels Carlson Mark & Kathryn Hronski Carter Kilby Owen Marksteiner Wyatt Neus Miles Wolfe Jonah Young Special Thanks Stephanie Friend for raising over $2000 at her fundraising event Kowalski’s Market on Grand Avenue, St Paul

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Play and leisure skills Preschool years The ability to occupy oneself in self-satisfying play or leisure activities is clearly important in children’s development. If a child is not able to gain pleasure from playing with toys or other activities, he/she is likely to seek out adult attention or, over time, resort to passive entertainment provided by the TV or video machine and will miss out on self-motivated learning experiences. Temperament and attention, as well as mental ability, play a part in children’s ability to sustain play.

Some children, such as those with limited attention spans, a tendency to be distractible or to be overactive and restless, may be more vulnerable and need more help to learn to occupy themselves.

In fact, research studies indicate that many children with Down syndrome develop good play skills, including representational or pretend play and that their play skills are often as good or better than those of children of similar developmental age, with or without developmental disabilities.[1] However, all play skills will be influenced by delayed motor skill development as noted by Anne Jobling in a recent review of the area.[56] Fine motor skills are needed to manipulate toys, puzzles and building toys while gross motor skills will influence the ability to join in active games such as play in the park and social games in the playground. Despite delay, researchers indicate that the play of infants with Down syndrome progresses in the same way as that of other children but that there may be a tendency for more passive play and for more repetitive play, that is, repeating the same actions and activities more frequently and having a smaller repertoire of play actions.

Some children with Down syndrome may need more support than typically developing children to learn how to play, as they may be slower to explore toys and develop play activities for themselves. Initially this

may be showing them what they can do with toys and taking turns in playing with the toy to model the play possibilities of the toy. Their ability to manipulate toys and play with construction toys such as Lego may be hampered by delay in developing the necessary fine motor skills.

When encouraging play, try to follow the child’s lead and extend (scaffold) their play. When helping children, avoid being too directive, always initiating and organising play, as this may reduce their ability to self-direct play over time, rather than encourage it.

Imaginative (pretend) play with dolls or cars may also need to be modelled to help a child to begin to engage in such play. Shared activities such as playing with toys and reading books together increase children’s ability to sit still and attend. Learning to play and to engage in enjoyable activities by oneself is an important life skill. As children with Down syndrome get older, many enjoy drawing, colouring and writing activities.

Play with other children is considered important for the social development of children, as they learn about relationships and how to co-operate in social play. In social pretend or imaginative play, children act out adult roles and social play is also considered to contribute to children’s growing understanding of themselves and self-identity. Some children with Down syndrome engage in social and pretend play with other children at home and at school, but some will need help to do so, perhaps by asking other children to think of ways of including them, and by sensitive adult support to facilitate such games.

Sporting and leisure activities such as swimming, gymnastics, dancing and football can all be started in

Encouraging early play skills • Give infants and toddlers time to play • Act as a playmate, showing how to play and taking turns in play activities • Try to follow the child’s lead and extend their play • Encourage shared activities such as reading

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books • Encourage and model pretend play • Encourage group play activities • Encourage skills for leisure activities, such as swimming and dancing

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preschool years with benefits for health and fitness as well as increased opportunities for social inclusion with other children. Many children who find quiet play with toys not very interesting or rewarding will enjoy physical activities such as playing football or swimming.

Primary school years During the primary school years, play with other children becomes increasingly important and some of the issues around this have been discussed earlier in relation to children’s friendships. Some children with Down syndrome develop good pretend play skills and can enter into co-operative play with other children but others will have more difficulty. To encourage inclusion in the playground in primary years, it is important to identify the current play fashions, that is, the popular toys and games of the peers, and ensure that the child with Down syndrome is aware of these.

In addition to play skills, leisure skills become increasingly important in providing opportunities for social activities and for social inclusion. If a child or young person can swim, play football, dance, go bowling, or do gymnastics, for example, he or she will be able to benefit from games and club activities into adult life.

Sporting skills will have benefits for health, fitness and motor development as well as for social contacts, social learning and friendships from infancy to adult life.

Sporting skills provide opportunities for friendships with peers with or without disabilities.

Teenage years Studies show that the leisure interests of teenagers with Down syndrome are similar to those of all teenagers. They are knowledgeable about the football or baseball teams, the current pop groups and the current TV soaps or popular TV series. Most teenagers enjoy discos and the opportunity to dance as well as community activities such as bowling, visiting the cinema or the theatre. Like most other people, they also enjoy the opportunity to eat out in restaurants, or have a drink and a game of snooker in the pub.

See also:

• An overview of the development of teenagers with Down syndrome (11-16 years) Teenagers are likely to need parental support and encouragement to develop their social lives, as few have the independent travel skills to go out and about in the community without support. They are at risk of spending more time in solitary pursuits such as watching the TV or video than typically developing teenagers.

The benefits of sporting activities become clear during the teenage years and several authors have drawn attention to the benefits of sports for young people with Down syndrome.[57,58] The Special Olympics movement provides young people in many countries with a valued range of social experience with peers with and without disabilities. A range of leisure and sporting activities is available in all communities, from swimming, snooker, dancing and bowling to football, athletics and sports that need more specific skills. Sporting activities can also be important for health and fitness during the teenage years as there is an increasing tendency for young people to become overweight after puberty.

Several studies have identified the tendency for teenagers and adults with Down syndrome to talk to themselves[4,28,59] and this self-talk may have a number of useful functions such as ‘helping to plan and practise alternatives of action, reviewing daily thoughts and actions, entertaining oneself when alone and venting feelings and frustrations that are not easily expressed to others’.[59: p.209] As identified in this list, self-talk may also be linked to a degree of social isolation as it can be talk to imaginary friends and talk during solitary activities in the bedroom.

Excerpt from: Social development for individuals with Down syndrome - An overview by Sue Buckley, Gillian Bird and Ben Sacks www.down-syndrome.org/information/social/overview/ Reprinted with permission from Down Syndrome Education International.

Encouraging play in school years • Continue to encourage self-occupation and solitary play • Continue to develop leisure skills such as swimming, football, gymnastics, dancing • Find clubs and activities in the community • Support social play with a range of friends

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• Inclusion in play with typically developing peers may need planning and support • Encourage inclusive play activities that the child with Down syndrome is good at • In teenage years, encourage age-appropriate leisure interests

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Parent Groups

Parent networking groups provide information to parents and grandparents of children with Down syndrome. New members are always welcome. These groups offer a safe place to share the joys and challenges of raising a child with Down syndrome. You network with other families who have a child with Down syndrome, learn and share information and ideas. Please contact Tracy Hafeman at (651) 603-0720 or (800) 511-3696 for more information on existing parent groups or to spark a new parent group in your area.

Apple Valley – South of the River Group

Third Sunday, 5-7 pm, Monthly except no July or December meeting Shepherd of the Valley Church 12650 Johnny Cake Ridge Rd., Apple Valley Erin Statz & Jodi Aschoft SouthoftheRiver@dsamn.org RSVP requested. Childcare and meal provided.

Facebook: South of the River Down Syndrome Support Group

Bemidji and Surrounding Communities

Meeting Year Around – Summertime Social Gatherings Please contact the group facilitator for specific meeting times and locations.

Children are welcome.

Sarah Reiners sreiners77@gmail.com Facebook Group: Northern Minnesota Special Kids United

Please contact Courtney for specific meeting times and topics Pediatric Therapy Services 150 St. Andrews Court, Suite 310, Mankato, MN Courtney Kruse courtneykruse@gmail.com Facebook: Down Syndrome Support Group of Mankato Childcare provided.

Please contact Lisa for specific meeting times and topics Lisa Bartsch ljbartsch@gmail.com

Maple Grove – Birth to 8 Year olds

2nd Thursday, 6:30-8 pm, Sept.-May St. John’s Lutheran Church 300 4th Street E., Chaska, MN 55318 Jeri Haft coo_coo69@hotmail.com RSVP requested. In collaboration with Arc Greater Twin Cities

1st Monday, 6:00-8:00 pm, Sept.-May St Joseph the Worker Catholic Church 7180 Hemlock Lane North, Maple Grove, MN MapleGrove@dsamn.org Tiffany Yerxa t Heidi & Billy Weber Childcare provided Facebook: Maple Grove Parent Group, Down Syndrome Assoc of MN

Chisago Lakes Down Syndrome Family Group

3rd Tuesday, 6:00 – 7:20 pm Lakes Free Church 29620 Olinda Trail, Lindstrom, MN 55045 Kristi Hinsch & Tina Letourneau ChisagoLakes@dsamn.org Facebook: Chisago Lakes Down Syndrome Family Group

Mid-Minnesota Down Syndrome Community Meetings held in collaboration with the Arc Midstate Meetings held at Hope Covenant Church, St. Cloud Please contact facilitator for meeting dates and times Jessica Watson MidMinnesota@dsamn.org Childcare provided

Duluth – Down Up North Parent Group

Please contact the group facilitator for specific meeting times and locations.

Heather Krohn heather.n.krohn@gmail.com Website: DownUpNorth.com Facebook: Down Up North Parent Group

Minneapolis

Elk River Parent Group

2nd Tuesdays Check www.nwspark.com or contact facilitator for time and location details Heather Coudron (763)228-0721 or woodland132@yahoo.com RSVP requested. No Childcare provided.

In collaboration with NW S.P.A.R.K. Website: www.nwspark.com and Facebook group: NW SPARK (Special Parents and Remarkable Kids) andNWSPARK Down Syndrome Parent Group

4th Monday, 6:00-7:30, January-May Richfield Lutheran Church - 8 W 60th St, Minneapolis, MN Lauren Anderson & Ashley Olthoff Minneapolis@dsamn.org Facebook: Minneapolis Down Syndrome Family Group

Minnesota Moms (Children birth to 5, 5-12 & 12-18) Primarily an online community. Please contact a group facilitator for specific meeting times and locations.

Heather Kamia (St. Paul) MinnesotaMoms@dsamn.org Facebook: /mndsmoms5andunder /mndsmoms5to12, /mndsmoms12to18

Mounds View Area Parent Group

Grandparent Group – Twin Cities

2nd Tuesdays, 6-8 pm, September-May Christ the Kind Lutheran Church, New Brighton, MN Dinner & Child care provided Kelly Hodges,, Kristin Priore & Ashley Rabemahefa ViewArea@dsamn.org

3rd Thursday, 9:00 – 11:00 am Perkins, 4201 W 78th St, Bloomington Jerry Cooper (952)432-9769

4th Thursday, 6-8pm, Sept-May Exceptions: December meeting on 3rd Thurs, May meeting on 5th Thurs.

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Mankato

Maple Grove – 8 Years and Older

Chaska Parent Group

Hastings Down Syndrome Connections

Kennedy Elementary School, 1175 Tyler St, Hastings, MN Chris Call Hastings@dsamn.org Childcare provided Facebook: Hastings Down Syndrome Group

Mounds-

North Metro Down Syndrome Parent Group

Meeting the 2nd Monday of each month (Sep-May), 6:00-8:00

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Christ Lutheran Church - 641 89th Ave NE, Blaine, MN Carrie & Rich Delaney NorthMetro@dsamn.org

St. Paul Families

Facilitator needed. Please contact Tracy@dsamn.org

South Central Minnesota Family Group

Not actively meeting. Please join our Facebook group: South Central MN Down Syndrome Family Group

Southeast Minnesota

Become a member today!

Meets quarterly Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Rochester, MN Nicole Kunkel SouthEastMN@dsamn.org Facebook Group: SE Minnesota Down Syndrome Parent/Grandparent Network

Name: ___________________________________________

Southwest Minnesota Parent Group

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Meeting Year Around Please contact the group facilitator for specific meeting times and locations.

Kim Weidert & Shelli DeGroot SouthWestMN@dsamn.org Facebook Community: Designer Genes Down Syndrome Network

Stillwater Area Parent Networking Group

Address: _________________________________________

City, State, Zip: ____________________________________ _________________________________________________ Phone: (_______) _________________________________

2nd Monday, 6:15-8 pm. Sept-May December and Summer Picnic Dates to be determined Stillwater ECFE 1111 Holcombe St., Stillwater, MN Angela Mann, Shere Krusemark & Mary Milligan Stillwater@dsamn.org Facebook Group: Stillwater, MN Down Syndrome Family Support Group RSVP requested. Childcare provided.

Email: __________________________________________

Wright County Parent Networking Group

□ Please send me enewsletter only

Quarterly Family Social Events Contact Sheri or Penny for event dates and locations Sheri Jorgensen sheri.jorgensen@co.wright.mn.us Penny Kauffman pckauffman@comcast.net Facebook group: Wright County Minnesota Down Syndrome Support Group

Name of person with DS: ____________________________ Date of birth: ____/_____/____ Relationship to person with DS: _______________________ □ Do not include me in the Member Directory

Type of Membership: □ New □ Renewal □ Gift for: _______________ □ Patron $1000+ □ Regular (ind. or family) $20 □ Benefactor $250+ □ Alternative ($0-19) $ ____ □ Contributor $100+ □ Additional donation $ ____ Mail a check with registration to: DSAM, 656 Transfer Road, St. Paul, MN 55114 or Charge $_____ to my credit card: Name on card: _______________________________ Security Number: ______(3 digit code on the back of your card) Exp. Date: ____ /____ or visit www.dsamn.org/membership

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Special Times is a benefit of your annual membership in the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota. To join or renew today, visit www.dsamn.org or call (651) 603-0720

656 Transfer Road, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55114 (651) 603-0720 â&#x20AC;˘ (800) 511-3696 www.dsamn.org

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Special Times: A newsletter published

throughout the year by the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota.

Special Times does not promote or recommend any therapy, treatment, educational setting, etc. We will not espouse any particular political or religious view. Individuals or organizations referred to do not necessarily endorse this publication or its editor. The editor reserves the right to make corrections as appropriate and in accord with established editorial practice in material submitted for publication.