Brrr … it’s 14 degrees in Erie with a -2 wind chill. Three feet of snow is predicted, but the storm has stayed over the lake. Thanks to the generosity of PNC Grow Up Great, sixty BNI preschoolers have winter coats in the nick of time through Operation Warm. Now in its eighth year of support of Operation Warm, the PNC Foundation is providing over 1,000 coats to children in Northwestern Pennsylvania.
Founded in 1998 by entrepreneur and philanthropist Dick Sanford, Operation Warm has partnered with a wide range of foundations such as PNC Foundation to ensure children in need receive coats each year. This important gift of a new winter coat provides children with the freedom and confidence to play more, learn more, and do more. By the end of 2014, 1.7 million children in nearly every state across the USA will have received the happiness and warmth of a new Operation Warm winter coat.
As the temperatures continue to drop our children will be keeping warm in their new coat, hat and mittens. Thank you, PNC Grow Up Great Foundation and Operation Warm.
Karen Kyler, COTA, followed the laser light, a virtual brush. This extraordinary painting took 12 months to complete. Todd’s painting was also on display at our annual Art Show in April.
I had a great opportunity last week to attend the 
Grow Up Great will fund a project in which partners collaborate to promote families awareness of the importance of talking with their children to build vocabulary and help give them the skills parents need to do this effectively. Engaging older siblings, extended family members, and the community at large this program will assist families to develop positive routines and habits that support children’s development of vocabulary and concepts for the long term.
PNC Grow Up Great was initiated 10 years ago. There is no longer a conversation about why. Instead the conversation centers around access with quality. In 2004 states were spending $2.5 billion on early childhood education. Today they are spending $5.4 billion. The challenge going forward is to make early childhood education funding a priority and break the cycle of incrementalism.
Ryan and I were at the polls by 7:15 a.m. voting for our “favorite” candidates. Since he began voting at 18, I have stressed its importance to him. Typically we discuss the candidates a week prior to Election Day, identifying their position on various issues that we care about. Of course, supporting programs for children and adults with disabilities is right on the top of our list.
your vote.
One of the guiding principles throughout our history has been the desire to share our knowledge with others for the improvement of quality of life for children and adults with disabilities. That’s why we are very excited to work with Tobii DynaVox. Tobii is well known for their alternative access method devices like the eye-gaze access to computerized communication devices. DynaVox offers a portfolio of communication and education solutions for individuals with significant speech, language and learning difficulties. They have also played a significant role in moving the augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) industry forward since the early 1990s.
on and compatibility with the Android tablet.
saw the headline that the chemical sulforaphane found in broccoli, cauliflower and other cruciferous veggies may reduce the symptoms of ASD, I was somewhat incredulous. When I read the study, my initial reaction was “I need to go out and buy sulforaphane supplements.” However, I wanted to 
study that indicated when children with ASD had a fever their social interaction became enhanced. Dr. Andrew Zimmerman (part of the 2007 study and the current study’s author) said there were several chemicals that stimulated changes in children with autism’s behavior during fever.
All About Autism 