mom2nfautism
11-01-2006, 06:26 PM
Hi all;
Here is an article I wrote that is supse to go into a newsletter that 100's of familys of children with disibiies and adults with disibiities get. Its about the ball league the girls were playing in..
My name is Bea and I'm a mom to two daughters ages 10 and 11 who have Neurofibromatosis, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Autism. I would like to tell you about a Non Profit Organization we have in our area. Especially for children with any form of a disability, it is called CHAMPS LEAUGE.
Champs League gives children with any form of a disability a chance to play sports and do sports that other children get to do. Champs League offers our children a chance to play ... Softball, Kickball, Cheerleading, Bowling, Swimming, Dance, Aerobics, yoga.. All sorts of different sports and fun. Every activity is geared to our children’s needs.
We have volunteers who work with our children, we can get out on the fields and help as a volunteer or sit in the stands and just cheer on our kids like other parents get to do.
My two daughters have been involved with Champs League now for two seasons, I am a volunteer and help out, and I am on the board of Champs League. My children never had the opportunity to be involved in sports and being a mom who is disabled and uses a wheelchair I could not get out and do a lot of things with them.
Champs has given them that opportunity to get out and have fun and participate. To see the smile on their faces after they have hit the ball, or kicked the ball and ran to the bases. When they are out on that field with the other children who have disabilities also they don’t' see each others disabilities they see each other as friends and they cheer each other on. and they cheer when one of them hits or kicks the ball, they give high fives, they help each other run the bases. If one is having trouble making it around the bases a team mate with out being asked or told to will go get their hand and run the bases with them. To hear them cheer each other on it is so uplifting.
To see the all the children interacting with one another is just so amazing. There is this one young man who is in 9th grade who my youngest daughter has become friends with, one night at softball/kickball, we were telling her to stay on the ground and not let him pick her up etc. and he said to the volunteers you leave my friend alone she can do what she wants., it was cute because he thought she was being picked on and was taking up for her. It just amazes me at the friendships that form. There is one young lady when she sees my girls her face lights up and she runs to them and hugs them, the mom of this young lady said that she just adores the girls and she enjoys seeing them and playing with them.
In Champs League it does not matter if your child has ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, CP, any form of a disability. It does not matter, if they walk with a walker, use a wheelchair, limp, throw a fit, or play in the dirt etc.. We as parents of our children are use to it and don’t see it and the volunteers who works with our children are there for the love of our children and help our children participate.
The volunteers are amazing! Some of the volunteers are high school students who come out and give of their time after school to help our kids. We have had football players, cheerleaders who give of their time and help out with our kids. I have heard some of these high school students say, they love the opportunity to let our kids be like the other kids, that they had the same right as they do. These kids say they could volunteer anywhere and they chose to spend their time helping out our kids. The have hugs to give, and smiles to give, and even friendship to our kids.
I would like to encourage you if you are a parent or teacher or therapist, or loved one of a child age 5 to 18 in school with a disability of any form, to check out and become a part of champs league. It’s a wonderful thing for our children. We are a 501c3 organization.. We get our funding to run it through donations and the registration we do. Go to www.champsleague.org , to find more information on Champs league.. Our fall season has ended but we will be having a spring season.
Our children with special needs need something that’s just for them.. Most of our children go from therapy to therapy sessions, school then home. There was nothing for them to look forward to and enjoy. There is now!! We now have organized sports / fun for our children! It is called Champs League! Champs League gives our children that opportunity to get out and have fun and participate on a team. We have a champs cheer we do, the children get ribbons after every game. Champs League is a blessing and a wonderful thing that has happened to this area.
It would be awesome when we are playing games at the local ball fields to have our stands full of parents of our children and having our children on the fields playing. And us parents cheering them on. We make a lot of noise in our schools to fight for what our children need! So lets make a lot of noise and get the word out about champs league and get companies willing to sponsor us, and donate to champs league. Lets get word out about champs league so that when someone hears the name champs league they will know who we are and what we are all about.
As a parent of two daughters with disabilities Champs League is the best thing that has ever happened to them. They are excited about the sports they get to play they always ask when is our next season or game. Champs League is something to look into and consider getting your child involved. Its well worth the time to see our children smiles, joy, excitement, and look on their face of I DID IT MOM when they hit the ball or run the bases.
Bea R. mom with a disability and two daughters with NF,ADHD & Autism
Here is a Poem I wrote back in 1997 about my two daughters.
THROUGH THE EYES OF A SPEICAL NEEDS CHILD
S- Spend time getting to know me
P- Please be patient with me; I may not be able to do the things your child can
E- Enjoy learning about what I have and what is wrong with me so you will understand
C- Care about what my parents tell you about how I communicate
I- Imagine if your child had problems then realize what my parents feel
A- Always be kind to people who are disabled. We are just like you, with things that didn't develop right or because of an accident
L- Listen to me, I may be hard to understand but if you take the time you can understand me. Learning is very hard for me; I may not be at my age level
N- Never blame my parents they didn't do anything wrong they didn't cause me to be this way
E- Encourage my parents they need it
E- Entertain me, so my parents can have a night off
D- Distraction is part of my life daily, I'm on the go all the time I never slow down, I get into everything & time out doesn't work with me, because I can't sit still, I try but I can't
S- Screaming is what I do when I can't handle what is going on around me, when I get upset because I want to tell you what is wrong but I can’t.
C- Communication is very hard for me; I may use sign language, gestures, words,communication boards, time line boards
H- Helping me understand input is part of my parent's lives 24 hours a day
I- Imagine not being able to hug your child, even though your child wants to be hugged but your child can't handle it, sometimes hugs hurt, & sometimes they don't
L- Lights sometimes cause me to be act up very badly but once the lights are out I'm able to calm down and I am good, the lights were too much input for my brain to understand it all
D- Disabled means doing something different then someone else, sometimes with aid, sometimes with special equipment, & sometimes with therapy
MOM TO A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD (REN)
WRITTEN BY: BEA R. 11-27-97
:)
Here is an article I wrote that is supse to go into a newsletter that 100's of familys of children with disibiies and adults with disibiities get. Its about the ball league the girls were playing in..
My name is Bea and I'm a mom to two daughters ages 10 and 11 who have Neurofibromatosis, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Autism. I would like to tell you about a Non Profit Organization we have in our area. Especially for children with any form of a disability, it is called CHAMPS LEAUGE.
Champs League gives children with any form of a disability a chance to play sports and do sports that other children get to do. Champs League offers our children a chance to play ... Softball, Kickball, Cheerleading, Bowling, Swimming, Dance, Aerobics, yoga.. All sorts of different sports and fun. Every activity is geared to our children’s needs.
We have volunteers who work with our children, we can get out on the fields and help as a volunteer or sit in the stands and just cheer on our kids like other parents get to do.
My two daughters have been involved with Champs League now for two seasons, I am a volunteer and help out, and I am on the board of Champs League. My children never had the opportunity to be involved in sports and being a mom who is disabled and uses a wheelchair I could not get out and do a lot of things with them.
Champs has given them that opportunity to get out and have fun and participate. To see the smile on their faces after they have hit the ball, or kicked the ball and ran to the bases. When they are out on that field with the other children who have disabilities also they don’t' see each others disabilities they see each other as friends and they cheer each other on. and they cheer when one of them hits or kicks the ball, they give high fives, they help each other run the bases. If one is having trouble making it around the bases a team mate with out being asked or told to will go get their hand and run the bases with them. To hear them cheer each other on it is so uplifting.
To see the all the children interacting with one another is just so amazing. There is this one young man who is in 9th grade who my youngest daughter has become friends with, one night at softball/kickball, we were telling her to stay on the ground and not let him pick her up etc. and he said to the volunteers you leave my friend alone she can do what she wants., it was cute because he thought she was being picked on and was taking up for her. It just amazes me at the friendships that form. There is one young lady when she sees my girls her face lights up and she runs to them and hugs them, the mom of this young lady said that she just adores the girls and she enjoys seeing them and playing with them.
In Champs League it does not matter if your child has ADHD, Autism, Down Syndrome, CP, any form of a disability. It does not matter, if they walk with a walker, use a wheelchair, limp, throw a fit, or play in the dirt etc.. We as parents of our children are use to it and don’t see it and the volunteers who works with our children are there for the love of our children and help our children participate.
The volunteers are amazing! Some of the volunteers are high school students who come out and give of their time after school to help our kids. We have had football players, cheerleaders who give of their time and help out with our kids. I have heard some of these high school students say, they love the opportunity to let our kids be like the other kids, that they had the same right as they do. These kids say they could volunteer anywhere and they chose to spend their time helping out our kids. The have hugs to give, and smiles to give, and even friendship to our kids.
I would like to encourage you if you are a parent or teacher or therapist, or loved one of a child age 5 to 18 in school with a disability of any form, to check out and become a part of champs league. It’s a wonderful thing for our children. We are a 501c3 organization.. We get our funding to run it through donations and the registration we do. Go to www.champsleague.org , to find more information on Champs league.. Our fall season has ended but we will be having a spring season.
Our children with special needs need something that’s just for them.. Most of our children go from therapy to therapy sessions, school then home. There was nothing for them to look forward to and enjoy. There is now!! We now have organized sports / fun for our children! It is called Champs League! Champs League gives our children that opportunity to get out and have fun and participate on a team. We have a champs cheer we do, the children get ribbons after every game. Champs League is a blessing and a wonderful thing that has happened to this area.
It would be awesome when we are playing games at the local ball fields to have our stands full of parents of our children and having our children on the fields playing. And us parents cheering them on. We make a lot of noise in our schools to fight for what our children need! So lets make a lot of noise and get the word out about champs league and get companies willing to sponsor us, and donate to champs league. Lets get word out about champs league so that when someone hears the name champs league they will know who we are and what we are all about.
As a parent of two daughters with disabilities Champs League is the best thing that has ever happened to them. They are excited about the sports they get to play they always ask when is our next season or game. Champs League is something to look into and consider getting your child involved. Its well worth the time to see our children smiles, joy, excitement, and look on their face of I DID IT MOM when they hit the ball or run the bases.
Bea R. mom with a disability and two daughters with NF,ADHD & Autism
Here is a Poem I wrote back in 1997 about my two daughters.
THROUGH THE EYES OF A SPEICAL NEEDS CHILD
S- Spend time getting to know me
P- Please be patient with me; I may not be able to do the things your child can
E- Enjoy learning about what I have and what is wrong with me so you will understand
C- Care about what my parents tell you about how I communicate
I- Imagine if your child had problems then realize what my parents feel
A- Always be kind to people who are disabled. We are just like you, with things that didn't develop right or because of an accident
L- Listen to me, I may be hard to understand but if you take the time you can understand me. Learning is very hard for me; I may not be at my age level
N- Never blame my parents they didn't do anything wrong they didn't cause me to be this way
E- Encourage my parents they need it
E- Entertain me, so my parents can have a night off
D- Distraction is part of my life daily, I'm on the go all the time I never slow down, I get into everything & time out doesn't work with me, because I can't sit still, I try but I can't
S- Screaming is what I do when I can't handle what is going on around me, when I get upset because I want to tell you what is wrong but I can’t.
C- Communication is very hard for me; I may use sign language, gestures, words,communication boards, time line boards
H- Helping me understand input is part of my parent's lives 24 hours a day
I- Imagine not being able to hug your child, even though your child wants to be hugged but your child can't handle it, sometimes hugs hurt, & sometimes they don't
L- Lights sometimes cause me to be act up very badly but once the lights are out I'm able to calm down and I am good, the lights were too much input for my brain to understand it all
D- Disabled means doing something different then someone else, sometimes with aid, sometimes with special equipment, & sometimes with therapy
MOM TO A SPECIAL NEEDS CHILD (REN)
WRITTEN BY: BEA R. 11-27-97
:)