September 2000

~Sharing News~
Newsletter of Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona
September, 2000

Volume 9, Issue #9 - Published Monthly

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In The Spotlight

Meet Blake Ryan Hoffman

Blake is a good natured, energetic 3 year old who loves to dance at the first sound of music. When Blake was about a year old, his Dad was walking down the hall and heard whistling. He turned around to see that it was Blake crawling behind him and sure enough, he was the one whistling. WOW! Blake also enjoys photo albums. He loves going through them and naming the people in the pictures. His favorite song is Happy Birthday and he can count to 10 and say his ABCs. At birthday parties, he LOVES to open presents, (even if they aren't his). He is just beginning preschool this week! Understandably, his family is very proud of him!

Blake is very much a gentleman in the making! He pulls a chair out for his Grandma when she comes to his house for dinner so that she can sit down. He also loves to shake hands with people, and is very careful not to leave anybody out. When visiting his Great Grandmother in a nursing home, he went through his routine of shaking everyone's hands. One of the women there said, "He is going to Washington someday and if I live long enough to see him on TV, I will say, 'I shook hands with that man'".

Blake is the oldest of two children. His mother Raquel and his father Kurt are also proud parents to 1 year old Brianna. Blake and Brianna have a lot of fun doing things together. Blake likes to run around the room with a blanket while his sister tries to grab it. They also have a morning routine where Blake will wake up, open the door to his sister's room and yell a cheerful, "HI". She wakes up and starts jumping up and down in her crib and then they sit and "chat" for a while.

Blake has been such a wonderful blessing to his family. When he was born, his Grandmother said, "He will teach us far more than we could ever teach him". It sounds like Blake is on his way to teaching the world a thing or two!

Way to go, Blake!

Would you like to see your child or adult with Down syndrome highlighted in an upcoming issue? call Kym at (480)814-7459. Don't be shy.

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El contacto de habla hispana para nuestro grupo de apoyo a los padres “Sharing” es Martha Vance. La puedes llamar al (602)547-9855

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Koffee Klutch

Moms of adorable kids with Down syndrome meet once a month. This is a very informal meeting, where we get to know each other better, we talk about our kids, and our lives.

Come join us on the first Thursday of every month at the Wildflower Bread Company, on the SW corner of 27th Ave and the Loop 101, (in front of Target). Our next meeting will be Thursday September 7th at 7:00pm. For any questions contact Cathy at 623-465-2778. Bring pictures!

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Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona
Board Meeting Our board meetings are open to all. For information on our next meeting call Lori Marquette at (480)752-0995.

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From my heart to yours…

My Dearest Friends,

As always I am a day late and a dollar short. Trying to meet newsletter deadlines is difficult for me. The day I began to write was August 23rd. Instead of the words flowing, as they usually do, I struggled. I knew getting the kids in school, attending the first week full time with David, getting homework done and then just for fun, getting food poisoning for a day, made writing next to impossible. And as I sat to write, there was something blocking my writing. I could not recognize it but I could feel the sadness it brought me.

As I pondered, it came to me that it was on that day, 15 years ago to be exact, that my life changed forever. One month before we had left all the love and security that living in a small hometown brings you, and came to a place that was so foreign. We did it for David. He was only 20 months old at the time but I knew he would only live his life in a segregated way if we stayed there. When he was born I only wanted to shelter and protect him. I thought I would keep him close to my heart and home forever. I didn't want the world to hurt him. When David was two months old I met Pat Christensen and her son Conner. She was my pilot parent, and invited me to see Conner's school. It was the most wonderful place I had ever seen. I could feel the genuine love the teachers had for the students, regardless of how disabled they were. I believed I had found a place David could know acceptance. As she walked me out she asked, “Would you like David to come to a school like this some day?” How could I not? I knew David would be protected and loved and educated in a wonderful way there. Without a moment hesitation I said yes! She looked at me with a sad seriousness that spoke volumes. “No you don't!” she replied. ”I don't?” I asked? She continued…”No, you want David to go to a normal school with normal children!” Her words took me off guard. How could she say that after showing me how wonderful the school was? So with confusion I responded…“I do?”

Her words stayed with me forever as I tried to sort them and understand. Why would I willingly throw David to the lions, so to speak, instead of giving him that nurturing school environment? In time the realization came to me that if David was going to be a part of this world, then I would need to give him the opportunity to do so. He could not gain that in an artificial environment. The only way he could learn how to fit in was to allow him the chance to do so. Letting David experience life fully and completely, risks and all, was more scary for me than for him. So to Arizona it was.

Just a few weeks after moving here we discovered David needed his heart surgery, three years sooner than previously predicted. We returned to Utah for the surgery, to be near to those who knew him and loved him the most. On August 23rd, Curt flew back to Arizona and soon David and I would follow. All was well. I stayed with David always but on this night I spent time with Kris Holladay, as she tried to give comfort to a new daddy whose newborn daughter had Trisomy 18. It was late, almost midnight, when I stopped to kiss David goodnight. As I walked into the ICU I saw the crash team working on my son, I stopped dead in my tracks. They seemed surprised to see me and for a moment could not answer when I asked, “What's going on?” I caught my breath as I heard the doctor say, “We're losing him. Go call you husband!”.

The memories of that night are still hard for me. I realized it was those feelings coming back that were preventing me from writing. How close I came to losing that which is most precious to me. The hurt I felt still lingers and can reduce me to tears without warning. The fear of losing him still haunts me.

I stayed awake that whole night, waiting for morning when Curt would fly in, counting each minute. I had taken David's blue booties off and kissed his tiny naked body first on his leg then on his head. I held those booties tightly in my hand, believing if I did and if I did not go to sleep, then he could not die. I looked at his swollen body on life support and struggled, as I never had before.

At David's birth I was more afraid than I had ever been in my whole life. I did not know which I feared more…having him live or having him die. At that time I hoped in away, if I could keep myself from loving him too much, then maybe it wouldn't hurt so badly if I did lose him. I was wrong. Love cannot be controlled anymore than it can be contained. Love will come to you whether you're ready or not.

David's condition was critical, and in the early morning hours his doctor came to me and said, “If your son does live, his brain will be much more damaged than before”. I believe he thought his words would comfort me, and was trying to help me accept the unacceptable. I looked into his young eyes with a depth of hurt he will never know, realizing he could not understand all that David means to me. “Do you think that matters to me?”, I said, “if you told me my son would be a vegetable for the rest of his life I would still want him to live! He is my son.” My hurt felt only deeper and he walked away probably thinking I had no idea of what our lives would be really like. Well, he was right.

“The world is round, and that which feels like the end may only be the beginning.” Ivy Baker Priest,

David's birth was not the end, it was only the beginning.

Now, as I walk the halls of Gilbert High School with him, (at a distance of course because it's not cool to be seen with your mom) I can't help but know how far we have come. Kris would have called these 15 years “Bonus Time”. It is said, “God speaks to all individuals through what happens to them moment by moment.” -J.P. DeCaussade, and that “We must not wish anything other than what happens from moment to moment, all the while, however, exercising ourselves in goodness” -Saint Catherine of Genoa. Each moment with David teaches me. Sometimes it feels hard. Do I want him to act right and fit in all the time? Yes. Does he? No. Can I see the difference between him and the other kids his age? Of course I can. And I confess, at times it does tug on my heartstrings. He is different. But that is not always bad.

I am seeing something else as well. In High School there are many kids who are different. As we passed in the hall, we saw a young boy who had a Mohawk hair cut dyed bright yellow. Instead of David glancing over and politely walking by, he ran over to him and rubbed his head saying “Baldy Baldy!!” I was almost afraid to see that kid's reaction to my very strange son. Yet when I did he smiled at me.

Then we passed by a troubled looking girl, dressed in 'gothic' style clothing and wearing a red spiked dog collar around her neck. A leash was attached, hanging down the front of her. I wondered why anyone would want to call so much negative attention to herself. Her hair was dyed a strange bright orange and she had other body piercings. As I looked at her, I felt sorry for her wondering what made her dress so weird. David's reaction was different, he simply smiled, nodded his head to her and said, “What's up?” as he passed her by. She walked toward me, nodding her head in David's direction. “Is he your son?” she asked me, I said he was. She smiled a tender smile, “He is so sweet...” Her thoughtful words pierced my heart.

David is mentally disabled. He does not always do what is appropriate and at times I do feel embarrassed. Other times I have felt angry that he acts that way, after all I have tried to do to teach him. Yet I was the one who was judging this girl, not David. So who is the one with the disability?

Does David march to a different drummer? Yes, and how grateful I am for that. I only hope some day I will be able to keep up to his steps.

Love, David's Mom

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Welcome New Babies

Tyler Nichole Ewing 4/13/2000
Parents: Donald and Joann Ewing

Serenity Divine Nixon March/2000
Parents: Reyna Luna & Steven Nixon

Tyler Jacob Mayo 3/24/2000
Parents: Mindy & Mark Mayo

Ryan Jacob Tardibuono 5/24/2000
Parents: Louanne & Charlie Tardibuono

Nora Lopez 6/8/2000
Parents: Rosa Lopez

Lindsey Ann Lehr 6/13/2000
Parents: Sharon Hamilton & Todd Lehr

Michael John Frecking 6/22/2000
Parents: Jennifer & Mike Frecking

John William Rood 6/23/2000
Parents: Wendy & John Rood

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NEW NORTHEAST PARENT GROUP

If you would be interested in helping to organize or participate in a Northeast Valley (Scottsdale, Pinnacle Peak, Cave Creek, Fountain Hills, NE Phoenix) Parent Group, Please contact Jennifer Gage at 480-563-1187 or e-mail: InTheQueue@aol.com. A date and place for our first meeting will be determined at a later date so please include contact information as well as any ideas or thoughts you have.

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FREE
The American Sign Language Dictionary on CD-ROM
For Macintosh
Great tool for people learning sign language. For use on Apple Macintosh computers only. I only have one, call Martha at (602)547-9855.

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All direct contributions to Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona are Tax-Deductible, and can be sent to: Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona! Inc.
c/o Gina Johnson
425 E. Tremaine Ave.
Gilbert, AZ 85234

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Employers Matching Donations

Many corporations have a program called "Charitable Matching". Whatever amount that you donate to your favorite 501(3)(c) charity, (Hopefully "Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona"...) your corporation or company will match, and in some cases, double. If you are unsure about the policies for your company, your Human Resource Department should be able to answer all of your questions. If your Company contributes to the United Way, you can earmark your donation with our name.

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Amazon.com Contributes

We have become involved with the Associate Program of Amazon.com! Through this exciting program anytime you purchase goods from Amazon.com through our SDSA website, we receive 15% (or up to $10 per item) off the money you spend. Great fundraiser for Sharing! So, next time you want music, books, or other items that Amazon.com carries, log in to our website, www.psln.com/~sharing and from there log in to Amazon.com

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Ongoing Garage Sale!

Save items that you would like to donate for our garage sale. We have already had two sales and will be resuming them in the fall (when it cools off). All proceedings from the sale go to Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona. Call Martha at (602)547-9855.

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We are working on several projects that will fulfill our Mission Statement. There will be committees in charge of each project, you can contribute to Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona by volunteering in a committee.

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United Way Contributions to United Way can be earmarked to Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona. United Way will forward your contribution to us.

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FriendlyGifts.com

FriendlyGifts.com, a one-stop source for multiple lines in personal or corporate gift merchandise, has chosen SDSA as recipient of their charitable donation program.

As a part of the donation program, FriendlyGifts.Com will donate 5% of every item purchased through the Company's website directly to Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona.

FriendlyGifts.Com offers an unique and distinctive collection of small gift items such as candles, lanterns, wind chimes, picture frames, plant stakes-wall decorations, candle accessories and other miscellaneous gift items at discount prices.

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Support our Buddy Walk by volunteering, serving in one of the organizing committees, getting sponsors, inviting everyone you know and most important by attending.

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“Heart of a Child”

On February 29, 2000, my wife gave birth to our third child. Unlike the other two, she was born with Down syndrome. Though the doctor had concerns about the baby's size and growth during my wife's pregnancy, the possibility for her to be other than normal seemed unlikely. But as I gazed at her newborn face just seconds after delivery, my heart sank in a manner that I cannot describe to anyone. I knew she was different, I could see it in her eyes.

As I continued to look at her, I started to realize that this was a very, very special little child, and that life's journey was going to take a new and unexpected turn; maybe for the better.

We named her Christina. Through many tears and much emotional trauma we proceeded to tell the news to family and friends. Some people were upbeat, explaining that these kids are really great and quite loving in their character. Others were merely devastated, just as we were. To worsen things, we were later told, that she had two rather large holes in her heart, as well as a problem with the valve. At this point, Christina's diagnosis of Down syndrome was not the difficult issue for us. It was whether or not she would successfully make it through her open heart surgery.

As I have grown more and more to know and dearly love her, I find that Christina's life and beauty have inspired me to be stronger and more loving as an individual.

Her struggle to live and to become the wonderful person she was meant to be, has inspired me to work harder to become the total person and father I was meant to be.

We all have a specific search in life, and her existence has helped to shape and define my own.

For this and countless other reasons I love her beyond measure and will remain eternally grateful to her.

With all of my love, Larry Clapp

Larry Clapp is a professional concert pianist and composer. His newly released CD, "Heart of a Child", which has received a lot of attention in Hollywood and the Walt Disney Studios, is available at http://www.amazon.com and every other major online music store. If you'd like to know more about Larry's musical background, go to his website at: http://larryclapp.com. One Dollar of every CD sold over the internet will be donated to "Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona". An additional Dollar will go to the "National Down Syndrome Society".

Enjoy the Music.

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Buddy Walk of Central Arizona 2000

A very special “Thank-you!” to APS for their generous $500 donation to the 1st Annual Buddy Walk of Central Arizona! The Horizon Insurance Golf Tournament will also be making a donation to "Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona! Inc. - Buddy Walk" on September 7th. Additionally, we have heard from some terrific families who are opening their hearts and pocketbooks to help make this a premier event for all of us! Thank you! There are still a few sponsorship slots available. If you think your company might be interested in sponsoring the Buddy Walk we want to hear from you! Call Tim Marquette at (480) 752-0995.

Registration for the walk will begin at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 28th at ASU in Tempe. The registration area will be set-up in the northeast corner of the Student Intramural Fields just north of the Student Recreation Center at Apache and Normal (Between McAllister and College). You will have already sent in your registration form and your pledges (see below and registration form) so at that time you will be picking up your registration packet which will contain lots of goodies and, if you've raised $50 in pledges, your Official Buddy Walk T-shirt. Back East Bagels has generously agreed to provide bagels for all participants to enjoy during the registration hour.

The walk will include participation in a portion of the ASU Homecoming Parade. At approximately 9:45, we will head over to the staging area for the parade on McAllister Rd. and await the signal from parade organizers for our turn to begin the parade route and thus, the official start of our walk. We will head north on McAllister to University and then turn west on University. The Buddy Walk route leaves the parade route at Palm Walk and heads south, back to the Intramural Fields where the post-walk festivities will occur. We would like to get a group together who would be willing to complete the entire parade route and hand out information about the Walk to the Homecoming Parade crowd. If you are interested in participating in the entire parade, please call Maureen Mills at 480-704-0809.

The post-walk festivities will include live music provided by “Shades of Gray” and a wide variety of fun family entertainment. Sean McLaughlin from Channel 12 has graciously agreed to participate and we are also honored that local author Martha Beck will be signing copies of her book, "Expecting Adam". We are arranging for exhibitors to be on-hand to provide information on pertinent services and products for you and your family.

We are accepting donations for the Silent Auction and have a form letter available for you to present to any businesses that would like to donate.

Registration forms and Pledge forms are included in this issue of "Sharing News". Feel free to make as many copies as you need. Collect pledges from friends, family, and co-workers and when your total reaches $50, you will receive an Official Buddy Walk of Central Arizona T-shirt! Additional T-shirts will be available for a donation at the walk.

This is a pre-paid walk so collect your pledges prior to walk day and forward them by October 18, 2000 along with your registration and pledge forms to: 4025 E. Chandler Blvd. #70-C3, Phoenix, AZ 85048

PLEASE mark your calendars for October 28th. This event will be THE event of the year for people in Arizona with Down syndrome and their buddies! You don't want to miss it! VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

PHOTOGRAPHER: We are in need of a professional photographer to take some shots on the day of the Buddy Walk and perhaps at any photo op's prior to the walk. (check presentations, etc.)

DATA MAINTENANCE PERSON: We are in need of someone to set up and maintain a database using MS Access to keep track of all volunteers, walkers, sponsors, silent auction donors, monetary donors, amounts, etc.

FOOD HANDLING: We are in need of people who have a Maricopa County Foodhandler's card, to serve food at the event.

If you or someone you know would be willing to donate your time and talent for a great cause, please ask them to contact Maureen Mills at (480) 704-0809.

If you would like to be included in the e-mail list contact Maureen Mills: azbuddywalk@yahoo.com

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East Side Playgroup

We are going to meet every Wednesday at 4:00 pm at the Mountain Park Ranch Community Pool. On 40th St. And Ranch Circle South in Ahwahtukee. For more information call Laurie Neville at (480)704-1409.

Spreading the Word Another very important way that you can help our efforts, is by spreading the word about us to families that you meet through therapy, school, doctor's office, etc. Let them know there is an organization that strives to help, tell them about our monthly newsletter and how to contact us.

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West Valley

Thursday September 28th, 7:00pm at City of Peoria Community Service Building, 8401 W Monroe St, Peoria Overview of DDD services.

Contact Martha Vance 602/547-9855.

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Now why is it that I cannot put those important thoughts I feel into words? Some people are fortunate to have this gift as I can only retell them. I was sitting in my son's dentist office recently and I spotted this story in their newsletter. I thought that it was appropriate to pass it along to you.

Path Through Life

WORDS FROM OUR WEBMASTER
By Lori Marquette

Each of us is on a path through life that has many curves, hills, detours, great views, accidents, accomplishments and failures. Life is not about trying to manipulate the Universe into giving you what you believe you want or is in your best interest. It is about learning to flow with what crosses your path whether positive or negative. It is not about giving in but trusting the process of your life and the decisions you make along the way. It is unfortunate that many people want to have their life in nice neat predetermined packages with predictable outcomes. This would be lovely if it were true, or even possible. Life is not about the future or the past. It is about learning to do the best you can where you are, with what you have. This doesn't mean you won't know more next week, have more next month, or be better next year. Life is not about where you end up, but the roads or direction you travel. Some of us have spent a lot of time searching and lost. Some of us have abandoned the search while others don't give a rip about creating a better life through increased wisdom and practical experience. I am a romantic at heart. I believe that if we do our part and trust God and life that we will one day smell the flowers of love, feel the warm caress of success and experience inner joy and peace as we travel into our own personal sunset regardless of what age we might be. So many people live with unfulfilled dreams, broken hearts, loneliness, fear and bitterness. It doesn't have to be that way. To change your future, travel in the right direction today in the areas of your life that are important to you.

Author Unknown

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OUR CAR WASH WAS A SUCCESS!!

Dear SDSA members:
I would like to thank all of those who came to help at the car wash. I know it was crazy hot but people came anyway and helped make it a big success. Our special thanks to Greg Pratt, pastor of the Community Church of God, for hosting our car wash in his parking lot. We raised over $449.00! We started at 8:00 a.m washing a couple of our own cars to make it look like we were getting some business. :) We got half way done with the second car (which was mine) and had to quit because the cars started rolling in! It was crazy! We had cars lined up pulling in one after the other. After the first hour it started really getting hot which called for a little water play. By 11:00, my feet were cracked and bleeding because I wore the wrong shoes. My Mom filled in for me while I ran home to get some tennis shoes. Amanda Garcia was red as a beet but insisted it was just the heat and not a burn and kept going strong. Mark Garcia was uncomfortable in the heat but would not take a break. (He was our detail man) Mark's daughter Ashley and her friend were having a great time rinsing cars. My sister and my Dad just kept going and going. Bill Conati (who I babysit for) was our roof guy; He had one of those water backpacks and had the straw in his mouth the whole time. I still believe he had more than just water in that thing! The pastor, Greg, got a wicked sunburn on his head even though he said he never burns. It is still itching him! Toni and her daughter Hope from church came to help for a few hours. We had a couple from “Sharing" who stop to have their car washed and then stayed to help with the washing. (I am sorry but I did not get their names.) A young girl named Susie who has DS and her mother helped with the washing for quite a while. In addition, we had another couple that we did not even know come in and helped for a while. Long story short we were washing until 4:00 p.m. with only a couple short breaks in traffic and we were more than ready to go home and get off our feet!

With over $200.00 in donations from several different stores, we were able to make it very nice for those having their cars washed. We put up two canopies with tables and chairs for people to sit under. We gave out 144 bottles of water and 127 small grab bags of chips to those having their cars washed. We handed the new “Sharing” brochures for our customers to read while they were waiting for us to finish. My Mom made a great “Sharing" spokesperson! She made sure everyone knew just how special our children are.

We met a lot of nice people throughout the day. Everyone who came in was very interested to hear about DS, and how much we truly love our children. There were several who asked whom they might speak to about volunteer work. (So Gina, you will know when you get the calls...) I really feel that we not only raised a little money doing this but more importantly, we raised community awareness.

Since our location worked out so well, we are planning another car wash at the Community Church of God in Chandler, (Alma School and Galveston) for the first week of November. Once we get the date set, I will post it in the newsletter. Mark your calendars, we could really use the help. It would be great to have more of the “Sharing” group and some older kids with DS out there helping. It will be fun! Thanks again to everyone!

Sincerely, Alice Bayer

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Equestrian Therapy

We are highlighting one group this month. If any of you have had great experiences with other Equestrian therapy organizations, please call or e-mail Lori Marquette.

Horses Help!

Horses Help provide quality therapeutic and recreational horseback riding opportunities to children and adults with special needs.

DESCRIPTION:

Horses Help utilizes specially trained horses, well-qualified instructors that are certified by North American Riding for the Handicapped Assn.(NARHA), physical and occupational therapists, mental health counselors and community volunteers to form exceptional teams to work with the riders. A wide variety of disabilities are represented such as autism, developmental delay, mental retardation, Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, head injury, near drowning, hearing and vision impairment. Our riders range from age 2 through seniors. Riders participate weekly to learn riding skills, receive therapy, and enjoy the freedom of movement on THEIR horse. Leaving wheelchairs and walkers behind, these riders control their horse through obstacles and journey where they couldn't otherwise go by themselves. Volunteers give support and insure each rider's safety.

HISTORY:

Horses Help was formed in 1987 in response to family and agency requests. Originally serving only 15 riders a week in a back yard situation, Horses Help has now grown to over 100 riders per week. In 1989 the program moved to a commercial facility in NE Phoenix, which was better equipped to house our 8 horses and the increasing numbers of riders and volunteers. In 1993 a second location was made available in Chandler at a private residence, then in 1996 expanding that to a larger commercial location. In the spring of 1995, Horses Help was forced to move once again due to development. This move was to a leased property where many special improvements have been made. In 1999, Horses Help purchased and is developing a 5 acre parcel located at 2601 E. Rose Garden Lane - Phoenix, as a permanent home for their expanding programs. The new location will allow for expansion of services, both types of programs and numbers of people served.

AREA AND NUMBER SERVED:

Riders and volunteers come to Horses Help from all over Maricopa County. The 36-week ride year is from mid September through July. During the year over 100 riders will participate weekly with the assistance of 130 +/- volunteers and 5 NARHA certified instructors.

BENEFITS OF THERAPEUTIC RIDING:

The 3-dimensional gait of the horse closely simulates the movement of the human pelvis and is a valuable therapeutic tool. This movement and the warmth of the horse promotes many physical benefits such as increased circulation, relaxation of tight muscles, strengthening of weak muscles, increase in pelvic & trunk mobility, development of balance & coordination, improvement in posture, increase in vocalization and attention span. Areas of evaluation include physical abilities, cognitive, social, behavioral and emotional well being.

Each rider has short and long-term objectives which are evaluated throughout the year to measure how well that person is progressing and to guide further activities. Quality of life experiences are the goals of all of Horses Help riders, volunteers and staff.

Referrals from therapists and doctors from hospitals, schools, agencies and private practice in the Phoenix area are received regularly.

SERVICES PROVIDED

Horses Help provides therapeutic and recreational horseback riding, hippotherapy, and mental health services to a diverse population of people with special needs.

Therapeutic Programs: Therapeutic riding instructors design and implement individualized programs which are determined by each rider's need. All instructors are specially trained and certified through North American Riding for the Handicapped, Assoc. (NARHA). NARHA is a nationally known organization which promotes safe, professional, ethical and therapeutic equine activities through education, communication, standards & research for people with and without disabilities.

Recreational Programs: Riding skills are taught so riders may enjoy horseback riding as a recreation. Through carefully prepared activities riders learn to stop and start, turn or walk over obstacles. They also move through various changes of speed when appropriate. Some riders participate in grooming and tacking their own horse. Activities include games that assist in balance, motor planning, spatial awareness and sensory integration.

Hippotherapy: Horses Help has a physical therapist on staff that has received special training in hippotherapy and works with riders on the horse as well as off. Hippotherapy is a medical treatment and when performed by a licensed therapist, is billable as physical therapy for insurance reimbursement.

Mental Health Programs: Therapeutic riding provides an equine experiential learning opportunity for individuals with mental health challenges to further their own personal and interpersonal growth. Specific goals for therapy may be to promote self-esteem by increasing their sense of control, self-worth, empowerment, trust and overcoming fears as well as skill-building in areas of leadership, decision-making & problem-solving. Another goal would to be to provide socialization by articulating feelings, communicating with the horse, other riders & staff. Lastly, in relation to behavioral to learn to read clues from the environment (i.e. body language of the horse), nurturance skills and identification/expression of feelings.

PROGRAM LOCATION:

2601 E. Rose Garden Lane, Phoenix, AZ 85024
(Between 32nd St. & Cave Creek Rd. )
MAILING ADDRESS: P. O. Box 7735 Cave Creek, AZ 85327-7735
TELEPHONE: 602/659-6056,
FAX: 480/488-8440
Information Hotline 602/658-8247
Cindy Ramsey, Executive Director 480/488-8444
Instructors, Voln Coordinator & Riding Stable 602/569-6056

Cindy Ramsey was very helpful. She said that the cost is $25 per 1/2 hour, or $150 per session. If you prepay for a session, you get a break and it goes down to $120.

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What is going on with SDSA?

We have a lot of different projects going on! We are looking forward to getting the East Valley meetings going for the fall. Thanks to Martha Vance for keeping the West Valley meetings each month through the summer. We also appreciate her commitment to keeping the newsletter out in the mail, on time each month.

Busy, busy with the Buddy Walk of Central Arizona. Things are coming together very nicely. Many thanks to all who are contributing their time and effort to this great community awareness event and fundraising for SDSA!

Our web site has been up now for over six months, and our webmaster Lori Marquette, keeps it updated as things come up, which is a lot of work. Thanks Lori!

We put together a New Parent Packet, this packet has information pertinent to Down syndrome, and is geared to parents of new born babies. We have formed a committee, to keep in contact with the greater Phoenix area birthing hospitals. The committee will be checking in and making sure that all social service/nursing departments know about SDSA and to make sure that they have plenty of New Parent Packets on hand for new parents, both in English and in Spanish. We could use volunteers across the state to look after their own area hospitals. Please call Lori Marquette at 480-752-0995, or email: Lorimarque@aol.com if you are interested in helping with this important project.

We plan on putting another survey form in the October newsletter for the SDSA Parent Directory. For those of you who have already responded, thank you for the valuable, confidential information. From the interest that we have seen so far, we have several parents who are interested in starting up a Teen Group.

We are working on getting information from the large grocery store chains about fundraising. For every $ amount that you spend at a particular store, a small percentage of your total bill, will go back to SDSA. These $ add up for us!

We have created a new color brochure and a b&w flyer announcing the meetings. The flyer will be distributed by Raising Special Kids, and possibly DDD to new parents. We will also be giving Raising Special Kids our color brochures for their parent handouts.

Anyone want to volunteer for getting a mailing list put together for OB's, Ped's and Family Practitioners? Here is an important awareness area that we have yet to tap into. We want to get our name and that new color brochure out to doctors in the greater Phoenix area.

If you meet a family with a child with DS who is not on our newsletter mailing list, please forward their name, address and phone number on to us. We want our mailing list to keep growing! ~ ~ ~

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Inclusion Confusion Questions and Answers

Tuesday evening, Sept. 19, 2000, 6:30-8:30 PM
Speakers: Gina Johnson, along with Blake Miracle, David and Samantha Johnson, and Mikey Bixler, Casey Walker (son of Judy Walker) and Ryan Keating.
St. Benedicts Catholic Church, 6400 W. Del Rio, Tempe, AZ.
(Ray Rd. and McKemy,or Ray Rd. and Kyrene, south to Del Rio and go west to the church).

To register and receive a packet, call Raising Special Kids.

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Please note that our meeting place and time is changing. We are trying to accommodate as many people as possible, so we decided to move to a more “central in the west” area. With our new location we had the opportunity to change the day of the week and time. For most people Thursdays work better than Tuesdays, and we can go back to starting our meetings at 7:00 pm.

A big Thank You to Kim Rispoli from Maricopa Advisory Council on Developmental Disabilities, who came to our last meeting to tell us about her organization.

At our next meeting Michelle Hamilton and Denise Figueroa will talk to us about the services we can get through DDD. There are always new things being introduced. ~ ~

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News from the East Valley

We are looking forward to our first meeting of the fall, and hope everyone had a great summer.

We are starting with a great subject: Sign Language. Our speaker is Candice Bradshaw, daughter of our board member Kay Bradshaw and her husband Mark, and sister to little Parker who has DS. Candice is a sign language interpreter. She is going to teach us some basic signs.

Signing is such a great frustration reliever, not only for our children, but also us as parents. A few parents are concerned that the kids won't try to talk once they learn sign. The truth is that because not everybody they interact with signs they feel the need to talk and will do it eventually (dropping the signs).

In the meantime it is great to be able to communicate with your child and actually know what he or she wants. You will see when the first time your child signs to you and you understand what he is saying, it's like a little hole in the clouds on an overcast day, that lets light shine through.

Some of the frustration that comes between ages 2 and 3 will be relieved, because your child will be able to communicate in more than one way.

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President of SDSA - Gina Johnson (480) 926-6500,
Vice-President - Lori Marquette (480)752-0995,
Secretary - Shelba Burger (480)832-0888,
Treasurer - Kay Bradshaw (480)830-4898,
West Side Meeting Coordinator and Newsletter Editor - Martha Vance (602) 547-9855

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Sharing News is a free newsletter produced by Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona, Inc. monthly.

Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona! Inc. is a non-profit agency. We appreciate your support, donations can be send to: Sharing Down Syndrome Arizona! Inc.
c/o Gina Johnson
425 E. Tremaine Ave.
Gilbert, AZ 85234
(480) 926-6500

You can also contribute through United Way by earmarking your donation with our address and phone # above.