What is Seedling Encore?  Seedling Encore, an extension of Seedling Theatre, is a troupe of adult actors with disabilities who participate in an eight week session to develop, rehearse and perform a theatrical showcase. Showcases are shorter than traditional full length productions (30-60 min.) so that rehearsal time can be used to focus on and fine tune acting skills as well as prepare a polished program for public performance.

Who can participate? Seedling Encore is for adults with disabilities ages 18 and up. Participation may be limited based on number of applications received and available staff.  If this is the case, participation will be determined by dates applications are received (first come, first served.)

When Will Seedling Encore Meet?  Wednesdays, March 3-April 27,  3:00-5:00 PM (We will not meet 3/23); Showcase performance is Friday, April 29, 6:00 PM

Where Will Seedling Encore Meet? First Christian Church, 401 W. Jefferson, Bloomington, IL

Session Fee: $50.00 (Scholarships Available: contact Diane Walker 309-824-7921 or email: [email protected]).

How Can I Sign UP?!!! Email Diane Walker at [email protected] to get on her mailing list.  Registration information for each session will be sent via email.  Also, watch for notices in community news outlets, Facebook pages, etc.

*Diane Walker, Seedling Encore Artistic Director
2841 County Rd. 600 N
El Paso, IL  61738

(309) 824-7921

[email protected]

*Diane Walker, Artistic Director of Seedling Encore has over 30 years’ experience performing, teaching and directing theatre in education and community settings.  Her passion for people with disabilities and the performing arts stem from parenting her own actor, James, who has Down syndrome.

50/50 raffle, silent auction, food and drinks available for purchase. Kids are welcome!

The Bloomington-Normal Young Professional Kiwanis Club (BNYP), will be hosting their 7th annual Garage Sale Fundraiser for Autism Camp on Saturday, April 16th, 2016.

All proceeds from the garage sale will be given to Autism McLean for Autism Camp.

Here are the details:

• The garage sale will be on Saturday, April 16th, 2016 from 7:00 AM to 1:00 PM @ the Crossroads Center, 310 Wylie Drive, Suite 450, Normal, IL (near Farm & Fleet and next to Wehrenberg Theaters)
• The garage sale itself will be a “name your own price” garage sale – no listed prices. The goal is to sell each and every item.
• All unsold donated items will be given to Mission Mart and Habitat for Humanity's ReStore.

Here’s how you can help:

• Donate items for the garage sale. If you’re interested in donating in advance of the garage sale please contact Craig Luchtefeld, at [email protected] or 309-319-6006.
• We will have early drop-off on the following dates/times at the garage sale location:
  • Monday, April 11th from 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
  • Wednesday, April 13th from 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
  • Friday, April 15th from 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
  • We’ll have volunteers to help unload and sort your items.
• If you have items you’d like to donate but cannot make one of the early drop-off dates, please contact Craig Luchtefeld at [email protected] or 309-319-6006 and we’ll work out a time to retrieve your items.
• If you’d like to volunteer to help unload or sort items at any one of the early drop-off times, the help would be very much appreciated! You can register to volunteer here: http://bit.ly/1Thwkub.
• If you’d like to make a monetary donation in lieu of donating garage sale items, we’d welcome the donation!

So, please, help us get the word out for this fundraising event and do some garage sale-ing!

Eastview Care Groups are campus-based, supportive small groups that are designed to provide emotional and spiritual growth to individuals who are walking through a variety of life circumstances. The Autism Parent Care Group will be specifically for parents for children on the autism spectrum.

On Feb 16, the Autism Parent Group is excited to have Dayna Abraham, Owner of "Lemon Lime Adventures" and author of "Sensory Processing 101." She will be coming to the Autism Parent Care Group to share her insights as a Parent of a child with SPD. Check out her website at http://lemonlimeadventures.com.

Childcare will be provided. For more information or to register your child(ren), contact Tara Horn at [email protected].

SSID is having a Valentine's Day Party for Autism McLean. There will be snacks, games, and fun Valentine's Day related activities for the kids.

Questions? Please contact Jami Kunde at [email protected]

SSID is a student organization at ISU that focuses on providing volunteer opportunities for students to work with individuals with disabilities.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness in McLean County (NAMI Livingston McLean) and the Neighbors Association of Normal (NAN) will host the Closing the Gap Project:

When: Sat, Feb 6, 2016 @ 10:00 AM

Where: Town of Normal Community Activity Center, 1110 Douglas Street, Normal, IL, 61761

This forum will include representatives from the judicial system, politicians, law enforcement officers, the medical community, and local tax payers. We will join together to discuss the needs of people with mental heath concerns. How their unique needs are being met in our community will be addressed with the intention of bringing everyone to the table to acknowledge what is working and pinpoint things that can be improved for the benefit of those with mental illness as well as the entire community.

This discussion will focusing on three important topics:

1. What support and educational programs are available locally for the mentally ill and their families?
2. How can the needs of the mentally ill be met more humanely when they encounter the legal and judicial system?
3. What are good strategies for advocating for better mental health care and services?

In addition to Judge Yoder, Jason Chambers, and Capt. Ken Hall, IL State Police (Ret), Ed Quijano, the Asst. Vice President, of Enterprise Change Management, at State Farm, will be the facilitator of the discussion.

Contact Larry Shapiro at [email protected] or 309-454-7077 for more information. 

Dodgeball Tournament

• March 5th from 3-6 PM @ Heartland Fitness and Recreation Center (FRC). Sign in and t-shirt pick will start at 1:30 PM with the tournament starting at 3:00 PM.
• 8-Person Teams - Age 13+ (Waiver must be signed by a parent/guardian)
• $200 per team ($25 per person with a no-cost substitute).
• Payments are due in full by Feb 20th to be guaranteed a t-shirt. Payments must be made by Feb 27th to be guaranteed a slot in the tournament.
• Payments can be made via PayPal/credit card or check.
• The payment screen will appear after submitting this form.
• Each team member must sign a waiver! Please download and sign the attached waiver and bring it to the tournament.

If you want to sign-up but do not yet know all of the team members, submit the form with as much of the information that you have. You may work with Jacquie Mace to update the missing information once you have it.

Want to play but know that you won't be able to put together a team of 8? Sign-up on as an individual, and, as soon as we have enough for a team of 8, we'll let you know! Register here.

For more information, contact: Jacquie Mace at 309.661.9440 or [email protected].

What:

A cheer camp hosted by the Illinois State Cheerleaders in which participants will learn new cheer material and perform what they have learned at the game later that day! (Pizza provided before the game) 

Who are the Participants:

Individuals with disabilities, ages 13 to 21 

Where: 

Cheer camp will be held in Horton Fieldhouse at Illinois State University and later in Redbird Arena for the performance.  

When: 

The cheer camp will be held on January 3, 2016.  We will meet in Horton Fieldhouse at 12 pm to begin working/learning the cheer material and having some fun! The performance will be during the halftime of the Women’s Basketball game on January 3, 2016 at 2:00 pm. (game begins at 2) 

Additional Information:

Cheer Camp and admission is free for the participant as well as his/her personal care provider. Family and friends will need to purchase tickets but can purchase them at a reduced cost! 

***Individuals interested in signing up can contact me at 1(815) 990-9867! I will add the participant and participant’s number and email to the list and answer any further questions 

We can’t wait to see you there!!!