eSpecially Ben

Our grassroots effort to raise awareness and attendance at the Special Olympics Opening Ceremonies is paying off. One of Ben's community workers, Joey, forwarded the information about Operation: Fill The Stands to his church. It was in the church bulletin yesterday, read by one of the members who happens to be a reporter, Sharon Smith. She contacted Joey and the story was born. And with a little competition between news stations, the story got picked up by another local channel. The actual event will be covered by TV stations as well, an unusual occurrence, I am told. Watch them here: WBTV  - Sunday, April 20, 2014 WBTV  - Monday, April 21, 2014 Fox News  - Monday, April 21, 2014 WBT Radio  - go to 6:53 for the start of interview - Monday, April 21 Fox News  - Tuesday, April 22, 2014 Charlotte Observer  - Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Our church decorates the cross each Easter morning before the service. Members bring clippings from their gardens and everyone participates in the Flowering of the Cross. A great way to begin the day.

Since Ben was first diagnosed with delayed development at six months old, he has seen over 20 occupational, speech and physical therapists, and that does not include the ones at school. Most of these therapists provide in-home services so we do get to know them well. When it is not a good fit, they leave after a few weeks or months. Others stay with us for a few years building a strong bond with Ben and our family. Sarah R. was Ben's OT for over two years. She was one of those therapists who built a strong relationship with us. She involved Logan and Sean in sessions when they showed interest. When Ben started using the NOVA Chat, Sarah embraced it and incorporated its use in all of Ben's sessions. She helped develop ways for us to use it in everyday tasks. Sarah has been with us over this remarkable time of Ben's development, and she stepped up her game to challenge him. Throughout her time with Ben, Sarah made sure he was getting what he needed. She was instrumental

2013 Opening Ceremonies for Special Olympics 1100 athletes  will march into the Bojangles Coliseum. Last year, there were  20  spectators. Wouldn't it be great to have a large crowd cheering them on? Let's fill those stands and show our support.   Special Olympics Opening Ceremony for  Mecklenburg County, NC Tuesday, April 22, 2014 10am-Noon Bojangles Coliseum Independence Blvd. If you live in another state or county, find out when your local Special Olympics have their Opening Ceremony and go out and support the athletes.

Each month, Ben's lovely principal gives out an award based on a character trait. Two students from each grade level, and two from the special education classes are chosen to receive the awards based on their behavior and actions the month prior. The students are honored in a short presentation.  The principal gives each child a certificate, gets a photo taken with them and then the child chooses a special snack. The photos are placed on a board for the entire month. My mom and I were picking up Ben and inadvertently stumbled upon the presentation. It was our lucky day! 

One cold day this winter, instead of swimming at the YMCA, Gale suggested they play in the gymnastics room and make an obstacle course for Ben to do.  Take a look at what Ben got to do in this physical therapy session.  It is hard to see Ben smiling in this video because the view is from the side, but he is smiling wide. Thank you to Joey for taking the photos and video.

Everyone has their reasons to complain. I do it also. I complain about people, programs and events. However, I have made it a personal policy to thank and praise  publicly . Here is a letter I wrote about the school psychologist who recently coordinated a re-evaluation for Ben: Recently, our fourth grader, Ben McCall, underwent a re-evaluation for services. Sarah C. was the school psychologist coordinating the evaluation. I had never met Sarah before my first appointment with her to go over the process. Our last meeting was this past Friday and after almost three months of information swapping, meetings and email conversation, I feel that she is an ally for our son and most definitely a prized employee to the school system. Right from the beginning Sarah was interested in hearing about Ben – at home, in school and out in the community. Although she gave us many forms to complete, she allowed me to share stories that demonstrated Ben’s abilities. She read my blog to find out mo