The Countdown Begins: 50 Days

50 Days Until Amazing Race

As many of you have read, Ryan and I will be contestants in our local version of Amazing Race on Saturday, March 12, 2011. The county parks and recreation department is organizing this event to raise money for the scholarship fund for Therapeutic Recreation camps offered during the summer for people with special needs. To catch up read here.

We still need your support!

1. Donate $10 and receive a Ben Bookmark. Proceeds will be sent to the scholarship fund. Send me a private email at vanessainfanzon@gmail.com.

2. We need a team name. We have two suggestions for team names: eSpecially Ben and Bentastic. We want a few more so everyone can vote for their favorite. Get your creative juices flowing and send us your suggestions in the comment section below. There will be a prize for the person whose team name is chosen.

Prize categories for Amazing Race were announced this week: Team Spirit, Most Funds Raised and Grand Prize - a Charter Dive or Charter Fishing tour off Topsail Island. Help us win!

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Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities

"Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities" is a series on eSpeciallyBen. As Ben approached 18, it was clear our role changed as parents. We needed to help Ben transition into adulthood. These stories are meant to assist other families who face, or will face, some of the same challenges. Talking About the Future Guest Post - Matt Wilson Legal Guardianship, Medicaid and SSI Researching Group Homes Questions to Ask at a Group Home Visit Referral Packet for Group Homes Getting Assistance from a Care Manager From Group Home Placement to Discharge Reaching for Independence

Parenting an Adult Child with Disabilities: From Group Home Placement to Discharge

Last August, we moved Ben into an alternative family living (AFL) placement, about 90 minutes from our home in Charlotte. It was a three-bedroom house and Ben was given the largest bedroom with its own bathroom. A typical AFL in North Carolina operates like this: a person with disabilities, the client, moves in with another family, couple or an individual. The client lives in the family’s home and the family receives payment in return for housing, feeding and caring for the client. Ben’s AFL was unusual: A couple with extensive caregiving experience wanted to run a three-bed group home but needed to apply for the license through the state. They were willing to take Ben as the first resident in a house, separate from the one they lived in. The plan, according to the couple, was to get approval for the group home within a couple of months. We ordered Ben a double bed, headboard, 54-inch television, new sheets, towels and blankets. Friends helped us move him in....

Ben is thriving in his group home in Charlotte. I wrote about what he's been up to in this story in Southpark Magazine: Givers: All together Happy Holidays! Photo Credit Grant Baldwin Photography

eSpecially Ben

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