Update

There will not be any meetings for the months of December, 2011 and January, 2012. The space is reserved and anyone is welcome to hold a meeting if they would like, I do not have to be present. Should anyone decide to hold a meeting either of those months, just let me know and I can send out emails for you.

The next scheduled meeting is for February 15th, 2012 from 6-8 at the BHK Houghton Center in the first floor conference room. I will be sending out fliers with details in February.

Please have safe and Happy Holidays until then!

Upcoming Presentations

The Michigan Alliance for Families is hosting two presentations the first week of November. On 11/1 in Houghton they will have a presentation called Getting and Keeping the First Job. The second is on 11/2 and it will be held in Baraga and the topic is, Skills for Effective Parent Advocacy.

Getting And Keeping the First Job

Topics will include:

• Straight talk about employment
• What you need to know about employment
• Accommodations, disclosure, and interviewing
• The employer's perspective
• Self employment
• Building your resume

When: 11/1/11 - Tuesday from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Where: BHK Houghton, 700 Park Avenue

AND
Skills for Effective Parent Advocacy

Topics will include:

• Understanding your child's disability
• Knowing who's who and what role they play
• Knowing your rights and responsibilities
• Getting organized
• Using clear and effective communication
• Knowing how to resolve disagreements

When: 11/2/11 - Wednesday from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

Where: Best Western, Baraga

Advance registration is required. To RSVP contact Lisa Kahnke at: lisa@michiganallianceforfamilies.org or you can also call at (906) 483-0442 to reserve your place. Due to the travel involved for the guest speakers, MAF needs a minimum number to register in advance in order to hold each event. Please register by 10/30. Pizza and beverages will be served.

October 19, 2011 Meeting Wrap-Up

We had a small crowd at the meeting but it was extremely productive and informative. For anyone that is looking to homeschool and you'd like to explore options, I highly recommend contacting John and Julie (they requested that I leave their last name off of this post) via email at: parent49@yahoo.com

Another great resource that was brought to the table during the meeting is Copper Country Home Educators (cchomeeducators.com). Jennifer Olson (crazyjolson@gmail.com), is on the board for this volunteer organization and she would be happy to assist parents with any questions.

A huge thank you goes out to Alissa Erickson, for her assistance with the childcare. The kids had a great time playing in the gym.

Our next meeting is scheduled for November 16, 2011 at the BHK Houghton Center from 6-8 p.m. A flyer will be following in the next few weeks.

Cheers!

October 19, 2011 Meeting

Our meeting this month will be held at the BHK Houghton Center, in the first floor conference room from 6-8pm. This is an open meeting for parents, professionals, and community members.

The topic of the meeting will be homeschooling options and networking with other families who homeschool. Our speakers are John and Julie, two of our active group parents (they have asked that their last name be left out of this post). They are well versed in homeschooling and have been providing high quality education to their children in the home for several years. Please join us in giving John and Julie a warm welcome.

Childcare is being provided but is limited. Please be sure to RSVP for care and include the number of children needing care.

For more information or to RSVP contact: Heather at 906-482-4216

Cheers!

September 21st Meeting

Our first meeting after the summer recess is a collaboration with Michigan Alliance for Families. Lisa Kahnke (Regional Parent Mentor for MAF) along with Sara Menzel of UCP of Michigan are putting on a workshop titled: Understanding Assisted Technology Services.

The workshop will be held on Wednesday, September 21st, from 5:30-8:30 at the BHK Houghton Center in Houghton in the first floor conference room. Pizza and beverages will be provided. Registration is required. To register please contact Lisa Kahnke via email at: lisa@michiganallianceforfamilies.org or by phone: 906-483-0442.

Spread the Word!

We are now on Facebook!! To find us, just search for Copper Country Autism Understanding, Support and Education (CCAUSE).

For those of you not on Facebook, I will still continue to post blogs here so that you can follow what's going on.

Watch for upcoming posts here and on Facebook in the next few weeks. Emails will also be sent out with fliers attached for presentations that are starting in September.

Cheers!

Upcoming Developments

As you can see, we have changed the name of the support group. We are no longer calling ourselves the Parent-to-Parent Support Group. A few parents and myself felt that it would better promote the group and help to bring more awareness if we changed the title to be a bit more specific and descriptive. After mulling over a few choices, we came up with the name, Copper Country Autism Understanding, Support and Education (CCAUSE). Please excuse the inconsistency with the old label still being on the flier that is posted on this blog. That will be remedied as soon as possible.

I'm also excited to announce that we will have a Facebook page within the week. The goal is to hopefully spread awareness more effectively. So keep your eyes peeled for that new development. I will still maintain this blog for those of you who are not on Facebook so that you can still follow events.

There are several exciting presentations coming up in the next few months. Emails will be sent out as soon as details are worked out and we will be posting the information here as always.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the summer. It is going far too fast.

Cheers!!