Ever since joining this
wonderful organization, I have been continually struck by the community
that is Parent to Parent of Vermont. Whenever families gather, they
naturally reach out to each other to make connections, offer support,
and compare community resources. That same sense of warmth and
community is felt among the staff here and extends to the parents,
partners and friends with whom we work.The one element of sadness I feel is that, for many of the children of our families, community is a hollow word. Repeatedly, parents tell me that their child doesn’t have friends, isn’t invited to sleepovers like other children, or faces an uncertain future in a community that is not prepared for young adults with disabilities. Because of this, we’ve chosen to focus on issues related to friendship and belonging in this edition of The Heart of It.
Our article on childcare highlights some of the early challenges our families face finding places where our children can have opportunities for friendship and socialization. One of our newest staff members, Edward Burke, speaks tellingly of his experiences as a young adult trying to make new friends and find a place for himself in our community. And “Popcorn & Skittles” movingly highlights how some programs and educators can make a world of difference.
Also in this issue, we are thrilled to focus on some recent accomplishments: our First Annual Walk-a-Thon, organized by Saint Michael’s College and University of Vermont students; some national presentations about our groundbreaking Family Faculty program; and a conference jointly presented by Parent to Parent of Vermont and the Vermont Parent Information Center (VPIC) in the Northeast Kingdom (click).
On a final note, I am thrilled to announce two exciting upcoming events. First, in June, The Board of Directors of Parent to Parent and VPIC will be meeting to vote on the proposed merger (see results) of the two organizations. Secondly, after a two year absence, our Partners in Care Conference is back and stronger than ever as we are collaborating with VPIC to offer this year’s conference. Mark your calendars! December 6th at the Sheraton Hotel in Burlington! We have missed gathering with you all to learn, network and celebrate, and we are looking forward to an opportunity to come together again.
We hope you enjoy this edition of The Heart of It; we’d love to hear feedback. As always, let us know how we are doing and how we can improve. (We also revamped our design on the paper-version of this newsletter; we'd like to hear your feedback on that, too. Please update your address with us if you do not receive this in the mail.)
Our door and our hearts are open to you. Call, visit, email anytime! Please know we value our connections with each of you. ©
Warmly,
Julie
Julie
