P2P Get Out The Vote!
P2P Get Out The Vote!
Parent to Parent of Colorado supports the right of ALL citizens to vote! Find your local polling location or ballot drop off location here.
Parent to Parent of Colorado supports the right of ALL citizens to vote! Find your local polling location or ballot drop off location here.
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“The strongest oak tree of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It’s the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.” – Napoleon Hill, author
Although it’s a cool analogy, I propose that for parents of children with disabilities, a Willow is a better tree. A Willow’s roots go deep, but they also spread out, searching for a little water to nourish them. They thrive best by a stream that will refresh them, but can go years without water, living with only the tiniest bit of moisture to sustain them.
When a strong wind comes, a mighty oak, standing alone, can be knocked to the ground. It’s a target for lightning- tearing a limb, leaving a wound vulnerable to infestation by bugs that can weaken it. It can catch on fire after a dry season or two.
Bend or Break?
A Willow bends in the wind, it twists, it may warp…but it will still stand. If struck by lightning, its moisture will sustain it and withstand fire. If it loses a limb, it produces sap to heal that spot. It will warp, it will be scarred, but it will live! The warps and twists make it interesting and lovely to look at.
When the sun shines on a Willow, yes, it grows higher, storing energy to sustain it in the hard times. But it also spreads out, sending out shoots to bring the next generation of Willows to life. The Willow weeps, yes, but under its graceful arms, many other life forms find shelter and it is in the twists of the limbs, in the flow and the grace of the weeping that we see the beauty of the tree.
So be encouraged! You may be battered, and feel like the trials you have gone through warp and twist you, but you are beautiful, like the willow. Full of grace – you will survive the storms.
Let’s continue the conversation! What is your reaction to the Oak versus Willow analogy? As a parent, what makes you feel more like a Willow or an Oak? We’d love to hear your thoughts and reactions on our Online Parent Support Group for Parent to Parent members. Email your ideas to: P2P-CO@yahoogroups.com
Not a member? It’s free and easy to join! Become A P2P Member
A Big Thank You to our Friends at Premier Healthcare Services for providing refreshments at our Metro Area “Getting to Know Your P2P Neighbor” gatherings! Thanks also to El Groupo Vida for refreshments provided in Glenwood Springs! And thank you to Ability Connection Colorado for the great eats at our Fort Collins meetings! Our P2P Advisory Members and Staff team enjoyed the opportunity to get to know you! Watch for announcements about our South/Southwest gatherings in Spring 2017!
P2P Members are invited to join us at 4 Regional gatherings in September to “Get to Know Your P2P Neighbor”. We’ll be meeting in Fort Collins, Glenwood Springs, Castle Rock and Jeffco/Denver West. Check our Online Parent Support Group for all the details! You can register at: http://tinyurl.com/P2PGet2KnowU
Your child is special and unique, and we want to nurture every bit of their unlimited potential in a safe, nurturing environment.
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At Ability Connection Colorado (ACCO), we are so fortunate to have an incredible community of support – both internally and externally – including amazingly dedicated employees, volunteers, corporations, and foundations who care deeply and commit themselves to the mission of ACCO. On March 18, 2016, we held our bi-annual Citywide Meeting, where employees and community members gather to celebrate individual and organizational achievements, and recognize the many who make this work possible. We wanted to share these great recognitions with our larger community, since not everyone could attend due to the incredible snowfall on this day. (more…)
In 1947, the Kiwanis Club of Denver gifted $750.00 to Cerebral Palsy of Colorado (now Ability Connection Colorado) to establish a loan library to “aid parents in their search for more knowledge concerning Cerebral Palsy.” Seven decades later, this tradition continues with the South Denver Kiwanis Club. (more…)
Appears this month Business Den
With its waiting list of about 800 would-be students, Ability Connection Colorado needs more space.
The nonprofit is breaking ground on a fifth early childhood education center in Aurora next month. The waiting list for classroom seats is hovering at around 800 potential students, and Tiffani Lennon, VP of strategic development, said the expansion will allow Ability Connection to increase enrollment by 20 percent. (more…)