Virginia has a new Republican governor. That may turn out to be fine…. or not. In the past 60 years that I have been a Virginia resident, I have been: a student, a homeowner, a parent of a son in K-12 and then GMU, a writer, an editor, a business owner, a community volunteer, a substitute teacher and an advocate for people with disabilities, including for my brother who was born in 1958 with profound cerebral palsy. My overall feelings are that, while there was always room for improvement, Virginia… Read more And Just Like That… →
Voting every year in Virginia is…. exhausting; emails, voicemails, texts, ads on your phone scroll and of course, TV ads. It never seems to stop. And this from a person (me!) who participates in every election as a volunteer of some sort and fervently believes that staying engaged in our civic life is essential.To this end, for the past few years, I’ve featured voting information prominently in this newsletter. You may notice that it looks similar to information and articles that you’ve seen in the past. I work hard to… Read more Early Voting Begins on September 17 →
Maybe not exactly today . . . But I’ll never forget the day in early 2001 that the Editor of New Town Publication’s Virginia Parent News (VPN), walked into my office – I was the sales manager and a writer for VPN – and told me about a woman who had contacted her with an intriguing idea for an add-on publication to VPN. The woman was Fran Nickey, a writer/editor from Maryland who had been instrumental in creating A Special Edition, a publication of Baltimore’s Child and funded by the… Read more It was 20 years ago today . . . →
Looking back…. Normally, at this time of year, this newsletter and the Celebrating All Abilities Facebook page would be filled with fun holiday activities, and trainings and seminars of every type stretching out into the spring. As we know, all that came to a screeching halt on Friday, March 13, 2020, when Governor Northam ordered the temporary closure of schools which turned into the rest of the school year. I believe that the Governor and the school districts across Virgina did the best they could under the unprecedented conditions, and… Read more Looking Back ~ Looking Ahead ~ and Heroes along the Way →
Updated July 14, 2020I have started my annual update of Community Resources~ I am noticing that nearly every site has important COVID information. Please feel free to send me your information to celebratingallabilities@gmail.com If it’s appropriate, I’ll be happy to include. Please be advised that I usually give preference to national and Virginia-based organizations.
A normal spring issue of this newsletter would include information about playgrounds and camps and all kinds of spring and summer events and activities. But we all know that this isn’t a normal spring and summer. It felt a little daunting to put out this little informational newsletter at a time when we are all inundated with big and scary waves of facts, figures and speculation; and perhaps also, panic and grief.But some of the information included here is quite timely and I hope it will be helpful. There are… Read more Peeking out from behind the curtains! →
The Impeachment Trial of President Trump has been on the TV/radio/social media for the past week; I have been watching and listening as I work on this newsletter. I’ll spare you my personal opinion of the proceedings except to say that whatever the outcome of the trial, I believe that this is a critically important year to make sure that everyone who is eligible to vote….does just that – Vote!To that end, I’ll be including in every issue this year reminders of how to make sure that your name is… Read more Beginning an Important Year →
A year ago, I finished the paperwork to shut down Celebrating Special Children, including the website. After 17 years of being in business, including 15 years as a non-profit, it was very ….. disheartening. But things happen for a reason, right? I’ve spent the past year working here in Virginia Beach at my regular job as a substitute teacher. I’ve gotten involved in local politics; mostly as an canvassing driver, envelope stuffer and poll worker. I’m particularly interested in voter registration and voter suppression issues. Additionally, I joined the Mayor’s… Read more Here I Go Again! →
Celebrating All Abilities 