Re: It was a super Halloween!

November 2, 2004

,

What a GREAT idea you had! Trunk or Treat. Hmmmm.... I LOVE it!

I think you should write this up for the next MAGIC newsletter.

Maybe more people will read about your idea and consider it for next

year. It sounds like it was a lot of fun.

Please consider my idea. I think and Katy would love to

include it.

Jodi Z

November 2, 2004

great idea - you s hould be so proud it went so well!

>

> Howdy Folks!

>

> Kearns here in Virginia. I'm trying not to bite my finger

> nails down to the nub over the presidential elections so I thought

> it best to distract myself with you all.

>

> I just wanted to tell you all about what we did for Halloween. As

> all of you know, until you have a child with special needs, many

> things in life are taken for granted. Since having Connor, my

child

> with RSS, I am now an active member of a local support group/ Early

> Intervention program called Project . Through this program

> Connor gets his Speech Therapy and Physical Therapy. Every fourth

> Friday, parents of children with special needs meet at my church

for

> a support group meeting. We laugh. We cry. We share stratagies

on

> how to get our insurance companies to listen to us, but most of

all,

> I have met some phenomenal parents and children.

>

> Two months ago, I got to thinking about Halloween. What is Connor

> going to be? Do I have enough fake blood because Graham will

always

> be something gross and scarey. Is the vampire costume fixed, etc,

> etc, etc. Then I got to thinking, " Hmmm, will Connor need his

> stroller this year or not. " Then I really got to thinking, " Does

> Connor have the energy to walk it this year? " I know many of you

> who met him at convention would say, " Heck Yeah!, " but remember,

> little feet have to work harder for the same distance as his older

> brothers. Plus, we live in a hilly neighborhood. Needless to say,

> my brain started to go into overdrive. The thought I was chasing

> around was, " How can I make Trick or Treating as easy as possible

> for Connor while still keeping it intact with the Holiday.

> HMMMMMMMMM. " " Come to think of it, how could I make this holiday

> accessible to any child wtih special needs because when I really

> think about it, I've never had a child with special needs come

Trick

> or Treating at my door. "

>

> And then, it hit me. Trunk or Treat! A special needs child can go

> from car to car, on a level parking lot, in the daylight, and get

> candy from people who decorate their car. This was something we

had

> done in the past for our church children, but hadn't done for a

> couple of years. So, I pitched the idea to the church, they

> said, " Go for it...but remember to invite our kids, too! " Then, I

> pitched it to Project families. They said, " Thanks we'll

see

> you there! " So, on Halloween afternoon, in the parking lot of my

> church, 25 families came, dressed up, decorated their cars and

> handed out candy to the children of the church and some special

> guests. 11 families from Project came. All of them had

> special needs of some sort, but the most tender moment came for me

> when Hannah (born at only 21 weeks gestation, who is wheelchair

> bound, on a respirator and g-tube) smiled at me! Folks, Hannah may

> not live to see the age of 10, but she will remember this

> Halloween. Her mom dressed her up as Raggedy Ann - too cute!

> Another family commented that it was so special to come to a place

> and not have people staring at their Down's Syndrome baby. Yet

> another family asked how could they help out next year! I had no

> idea it would hit such a chord in the community and our church

> family. Hey, even the local news showed up and featured us as, " A

> safe alternative when Trick or Treating is just to hard for your

> child. " As the director of Project said, " Children with

> special needs are above all else, children. They need to be able

to

> act like children and do all the things that other children can do

> easily. Today, we provided a small part of that experience. "

>

> Sigh. My heart is beating pitter patter pitter patter with

> contentment.

>

> As many of you suspected, Connor tore up the parking lot, running

> from car to car, jumping and doing his 'roar' voice at the other

> kids. dressed him up as a pirate, but the costume came off

in

> 10 seconds. That's o.k. Connor pretended to be some kind of

monster

> because he kept 'roaring' at people all afternoon. By 5:00 p.m. we

> were closing down. Connor is staggering he is so tired and sugared

> out. We pack up the van, thank all the people involved and head

> home for the neighborhood onslaught of kids. My older boys go out

> with their Dad. Not Connor, with a Pediasure bottle, his Halloween

> bucket full of goodies between his legs, he zonks out in front of

> the t.v. He won't let go of his plastic vampire, but that's o.k.

> It's my hope that this is a Halloween that he won't forget either.

>

> Take Care and God Bless,

>

> Kearns

> Mom to Graham (The Grimm Reaper); Cameron (The Friendly Vampire -

no

> blood wanted) and Connor, the Mightiest Pirate of the Seven Seas.

November 3, 2004

Hi ,

Our church did the trunk or treat this year as well. For the savety

issues. My twins terrors are 2 so I have to keep them buckled into

strollers for my sanity, but it will be a long time before Coby has

the muscles to endure the miles of walking we do with all his

cousins. The stroller makes trick or treating very difficult.

Although, I think that it is inconvienient for everyone. Doesn't

seem that anyone's front door is very accessable for 15 kids to going

running up to at one time..hehehe

We have a local support group here as well. I will pitch them the

idea next year as well. Excellent idea.

Thanks for sharing.

le, mom to:

Shye the rollerskating bridesmaid that was turned into a vampire,

Brock the vampire that bit Shye,

Coby the wizard

Carlee the witch (she went as herself this year) lol

November 3, 2004

Ok if I can keep the tears out of my eyes so that I can type this

message to you it would help!!! What a wonderful wonderful idea. I

know one of the schools my friend's daughter attends did a trunk or

treat for the kids on Friday but you made so many people and kids

happy and gave them such a good memory. No one no matter who they are

or what they have wants to hear an explanation of why they cannot

attend Halloween trick or treating. I know was sick with a

fever and getting upset and thanks to the nice weather I let her do a

some and that made her excited. But to think of those kids who really

know that it is more than a fever preventing them or the mere fact

that parents don't have to feel bad for their child when people are

staring at them - that they had a place to be accepted for them and

have fun. I hope your message is heard by many so that more kids can

enjoy Halloween to the fullest.

B

4 3/4 RSS and Kelli 2 Non RSS

>

> Howdy Folks!

>

> Kearns here in Virginia. I'm trying not to bite my finger

> nails down to the nub over the presidential elections so I thought

> it best to distract myself with you all.

>

> I just wanted to tell you all about what we did for Halloween. As

> all of you know, until you have a child with special needs, many

> things in life are taken for granted. Since having Connor, my child

> with RSS, I am now an active member of a local support group/ Early

> Intervention program called Project . Through this program

> Connor gets his Speech Therapy and Physical Therapy. Every fourth

> Friday, parents of children with special needs meet at my church for

> a support group meeting. We laugh. We cry. We share stratagies on

> how to get our insurance companies to listen to us, but most of all,

> I have met some phenomenal parents and children.

>

> Two months ago, I got to thinking about Halloween. What is Connor

> going to be? Do I have enough fake blood because Graham will always