This black-tie optional affair hosted at the Overbrook Country Club will feature an open bar, delicious appetizers, local celebrities, Texas hold’em games, a high end raffle, and more!! The cost of tickets is $75.00 per person. All proceeds raised from this evening will benefit the Delco DSIG group (a nonprofit 501c3 organization) and its families through education initiatives, training, social outreach. Join us February 4th, 2012 at 7PM.

Download the Press release for Queen of Hearts night for more information and “like” us on Facebook at Delco DSIG Queen of Hearts Casino Night. Or contact Katrina Stafford at katrina.stafford@delcodsig.org.

As many of you may know, Lauren White was one of the fortunate young people to attend the Lose The Training Wheels Bike Camp at St. Joseph’s University from August 9-13, 2010. That week has forever changed her life and the life of our family because Lauren is now able to ride her 2 wheel bike independently. It has allowed us to ride as Mother and Daughter many times since then on the Ocean City, NJ Boardwalk, something that until this year, always had to be done on a tandem bike. It has allowed Lauren the freedom to ride very far ahead of her mother thus increasing her independence, increasing her self-esteem, and is a great form of fun exercise! We even took a long bike ride through the town of Ocean City, NJ with Lauren’s friend Danny Lynch and his family over the Columbus Day weekend.

The camp is a 5 day commitment, Monday-Friday, for a 75 minute session each day, so you need to be able to make that time commitment when you register for the camp. In the beginning, each rider learns how to balance on an adaptive bike which has a roller in place of the back wheel (see photo below). They are constantly riding the entire session so that they get the feeling of riding, pedaling, steering and balancing the bike. There is very little verbal instruction in the beginning and the rollers are changed out as seen fit by the floor supervisors to create a feeling of natural instability. Each rider has a spotter to provide physical support and encouragement. Lauren’s spotter was Greg, a very handsome Junior from St. Joe’s, one of Lauren’s motivating factors for the week! In the beginning, Lauren took it easy on Greg, but then by Day #3, he was sprinting to keep up with her! There was an award ceremony on the last day where each rider was presented a medal and certificate of achievement from their spotter. It was the perfect end to the perfect week! (see photo see photo below)

There are certain requirements to be chosen as a bike camp participant by the LTTW program.

Requirements for participation:

To ensure the safety of our participants and the best use of our limited resources we have established certain criteria that all participants must meet to be eligible to attend a camp. These criteria are:

1. Participant is at least 8 years of age
2. Participant has a disability
3. Participant can walk without an assistive device such as a walker or cane
4. Participant is able to side step quickly to both sides
5. Participant is able and willing to wear a properly fitted bike helmet at all times when on a bicycle.
6. Participant has a minimum inseam measurement of 20” when measured from the floor, not the pant leg.
7. Participant does not weigh more than 220 lbs.

It is important to consider behavioral issues as you evaluate your child’s suitability for this program. A participant may be physically able to ride a bike, but if their behavior is such that they cannot be persuaded to get on the bike and follow instructions, then it is likely this program will not be beneficial. Individuals with severe behavioral issues may be removed from the program if their actions are detrimental to the overall function of the camp or potentially harmful to themselves or others.

Indicators of Success:

The abilities listed below indicate the likelihood of any given participant’s success in learning to ride a two wheel bicycle at a Lose The Training Wheels camp:

1. Participant is able to keep feet on pedals
2. Participant is able to keep hands on handlebar
3. Participant is able to keep head up and look forward
4. Participant has adequate strength to maintain riding speed
5. Participant has adequate stamina to ride 75 minutes per day for 5 consecutive days
6. Participant is able to follow basic instructions in a group setting
7. Participant is motivated, or able to be motivated, to learn to ride a bike
8. Participant has an opportunity to practice skills immediately following camp

After the camp, you must practice on a daily basis to maintain the skills that were learned at the camp. This is a very important point if your rider is going to be successful! Practice makes perfect! Lauren practiced every day behind Springfield High School in their parking lot and in the neighborhood behind the school, which was perfect for practicing stop signs, navigating traffic and parked cars, etc.

For more information on the Lose The Training Wheels Bike Camp program, please visit their website, www.losethetrainingwheels.org. There are many resources on their website for proper helmet fitting, how to chose a bike, etc., so check it out!

Lauren White and her spotter during the LTTW Camp 2010.

Lauren White sporting her medal and certificate from the LTTW camp 2010.

Jack Malone has graciously reserved and paid for 185 tickets for the Phillies vs Reds on Monday May 23rd to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Night at the Phillies. We will be joining other Down Syndrome Groups that night. Everyone will receive a tee-shirt at the game and it's also "DOLLAR DOG NIGHT"!!. Unlike last year when we were in the nose bleed sections, this year's seats are in sections 206 & 207. The cost is $36.00 per ticket and Jack has reserved 5 wheelchair and 5 companion seats behind section 206. Please let Jack know if you will need these special seats. When ordering your tickets we will need to know how many adults and how many children for t-shirt ordering. We can't guarantee the sizes, but everyone will get a shirt. Also, if you would like to enter your child into a drawing to possibly throw out the first pitch, please provide Jack with their first and last name. They are stipulating that the child must be over 7 years old and have Down Syndrome. Sorry no siblings. Please email Jack at malone83@comcast.net or call Jack at 610-842-4482 to order your tickets. Jack will need your payment as soon as possible and checks may be made payable to Jack Malone. Please mail your check directly to Jack at 4913 Jackson Drive Brookhaven, Pa 19015. The sooner we place the orders the sooner you will receive the tickets. Make sure you include a phone number when ordering. We are expecting a great deal of interest, so please don't hesitate in deciding.

On June 10th at our annual Ice Cream Social, we awarded two deserving individuals our Professional of the Year award and our Outstanding Professional award. From a list of submissions forwarded by our members we selected Meredith Adams as our Professional of the Year and Karen Pisani as our Outstanding Professional. Both women are teachers in Delaware County, Meredith as a Special Education teacher at Strath Haven Middle School and Karen as a Regular Education teacher at Grace Park Elementary school.

What we admired most about these women was their tireless commitment and enthusiasm for their profession. From Meredith's nomination letter we see a person dedicated and compassionate towards her work: "Meredith exemplifies what it means to be a truly gifted teacher.  She challenges the children academically, utilizes creative and intuitive strategies and is always positive and encouraging,  She is a tireless advocate for our children, networking and reaching out to their typical peers and other teachers in ways that enhance their school experience.  Meredith has developed special curriculum to assist teachers of regular education who work with her students and has also formed an inclusive after-school club in which may typical students join our kids weekly to participate in games, activities, sports, dance and service projects."

From Karen's nomination letter we see an equally dedicated professional, and one who has personally grown as a result of the day to day challenges she faces. "She has gone above and beyond to include him (our son) in class this year. She has gotten him a computer for his classroom and used free sites to adapt the curriculum. He is finely receiving science and social study instruction with his peers. She told me at the parent teacher conference that she is a better teacher because of Nicholas. She also said 'I am the teacher that I always knew I could be'. She spends extra hours in her week and weekend preparing for him. She was instrumental in getting the next year’s teacher to the IEP this year. She has offered to help her prepare for Nicholas next year. She is an asset to her profession and has been wonderful to my son."

As a result of their nominations both teachers received a certificate as well as a cash award, and a letter of recognition sent to their respective school principles. Join us in congratulating these two deserving individuals and consider for a moment the difference these women have made not only in the lives of the children they inspire but to the community as a whole.

Professional of the Year, Meredith Adams, with some of her students.

Outstanding Professional, Karen Pisani, with Darlene and Katrina.