News and Tips from Family Connection

LOOK! 2019 Exhibit

Family Connection of South Carolina would like to thank everyone who helped make the opening night of LOOK! 2019 a huge success! Thank you to everyone who was able to attend and support the exhibit and the amazing children featured this year.


Each year during the opening night of the LOOK! event, members of our community who have contributed to the lives of children in South Carolina and the LOOK! event are recognized with an award. This year, three awards were presented.


Groucho’s Deli was awarded the Life Changer Award for their contribution of $5,000 or more to Family Connection in a single year. Their company and its owners have a long history of giving back to their community with a heart for giving to programs that help create a more hopeful world for children.


LaKeisha Stevens was awarded the Support Parent of the Year award, in recognition of her involvement in the The Support Parent Program. Ms. Stevens has guided countless through difficult processes and provides families a shoulder to lean on and encouragement in difficult times.


Amanda Hess was recognized with the third award for the night, the Pat Head Advocate of the Year Award. Ms. Hess was recognized for her work as an attorney at Protection and Advocacy for People with Disabilities, protecting the rights of our children and as a “responsive resource” for education staff at Family Connection.


If you were unable to attend opening night, the photography exhibit is currently displayed at EdVenture Children's Museum in Columbia and will remain open throughout the summer. LOOK! books from this year's exhibit, featuring the participant's photograph and their story, are available for purchase. For more information on this, please contact Jazmyn Corley.


For more information on the exhibit, click here.

Partners in Policymaking

Applications are now open for Class 22 for Partners in Policymaking!
 
Partners in Policymaking®, a program of the South Carolina Development Disabilities Council, is an innovative leadership program created specifically to teach people with disabilities and the parents of young children with disabilities to:


• Become agents of long-term change;
• Be active partners with the policymakers whose decisions will shape their future; and
• Dream about a future with possibilities.


Applications will close on July 31, 2019. For more information and to apply, click here.

Exceptional SC Scholarship Deadline

Exceptional South Carolina (SC) has closed the first round of applications for their scholarships, however, the application portal re-opened for the second round of applications June 1, 2019.


The eligibility requirements for the application have now been changed as well! Parents now only need to submit one of the two forms – the Medical Professional Form and the Educator Eligibility form – for their application.


Parents will be notified on their child's award amounts before the start of the school year.


Please note that attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as stand-alone diagnoses do not qualify. Please visit their website and read this article for more information.


For more information on the scholarships, please click here.

Participants Needed for Research Study

The University of South Carolina - School of Medicine is currently conducting a study for parents or caregivers of children, aged 0-21, diagnosed with hearing loss in South Carolina.
 
This study is to asses the needs and supports of parents and caregivers of children diagnosed with hearing loss. Participants will be asked to complete a demographic form and two surveys. The two surveys can be taken either online or through the phone and should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.


Participation in the study is confidential. To take the study online, please email SCDHHstudy@gmail.com; if you wish to take the survey over the phone, call 803-915-4064. For any questions regarding the study or your participation, contact David Leach at the above email.

SCDHHS and SCDDSN Need Your Feedback!
 

The South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) and the South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs (SCDDSN) are seeking feedback like your's through an upcoming webinar.
 
This webinar will present the state’s draft Home and Community-Based (HCB) Settings Quality Review Process. The HCB Settings Quality Review Process is to gather information to determine if a setting can overcome its “presumed institutional nature” through programming, operation and/or reasonable environmental modifications.

This process is for SCDDSN-contracted settings (such as a residential facility) that have been identified as potentially eligible for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) heightened scrutiny process.
 
SCDHHS and SCDDSN would like your feedback on this before finalizing and submitting it to CMS in the South Carolina HCB Statewide Transition Plan.


There are two opportunities to view the webinar; both dates will provide the same information to all attendees.

The goal is to gather this targeted stakeholder feedback to better inform the process before implementation. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

To register for one of the webinars, please click below.

 

Wednesday, June 5, 2019 Start time: 3 p.m.
Register!

Friday, June 7, 2019
Start time: 10 a.m.
Register!

The Brain Injury Association of South Carolina

The Brain Injury Association of South Carolina (BIASC) helps youth learn about brain injury, access needed services, and supports their rights in South Carolina.

 

BIASC is currently offering an advocacy training for youth, ages 13-21, who attend public, private, magnet schools, home schooled, or who are home-bound.

 

The purpose on this training program is to help students develop knowledge of self, knowledge of rights and responsibilities, communication skills, leadership skills, and more. To view the flyer on this training, click here. To download the referral form for the training, click here.

 

Additionally, the Brain Injury Association of South Carolina will be hosting "Advocacy Skills Training for Youth with Brain Injury" in conjunction with their "Life with Brain Injury" Annual Conference! This training will be available for youth, ages 15-21, for no additional cost. For more information, click here.

 

For more information on either training, please contact Freda King or call, 803-731-9823.

Lowcountry Mental Health Conference

The Lowcountry Mental Health Conference will be on August 1-2, in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. The conference will offer 10 talks and two musical performances, giving attendees the opportunity to earn up to 14.25 contact hours!

 

Talks and Performances delivered by world-class experts include:

• DAVID A. JOBES, Ph.D., (Professor of Psychology, Author and Internationally Recognized Suicidologist)

• REV. JACQUI LEWIS, Ph.D., (Activist, Author and Senior Minister at Middle Collegiate Church in New York City)

• JOHN & JAMIE FORSYTH, Ph.D., (Psychologists, Educators and Critically Acclaimed ACT Clinicians)

• And more!

To view the full schedule for the Lowcountry Mental Health Conference, click here.

Register Here! 

Lake Carolina Development Donates $31,000

to Local Children’s Charities

"Lake Carolina Properties presented a check for $31,000 to five local charities through its beneficiary, Children’s Charities of the Midlands.

This gift was made possible through various community events and fundraisers at Lake Carolina, like the Polar Bear Plunge in January, Oyster Roast in March, and the Wine & Food Festival in October.

The biggest fundraising event of the year at Lake Carolina was the Polar Bear Plunge, held on the second Saturday of each January."

Among these organizations was Family Connection of South Carolina! To read more about Lake Carolina Development's donations, click here.