Welcome fall

It seems like fall is in the air - kids are back at school, the oppressive heat and humidity has decreased, and football talk is all around us! Dreams Unlimited families had a very busy and successful summer. Bowling days each month were well attended and lots of fun. Our thanks to Sun Valley Lanes for making these days possible. Two rafting trips at the National Sports Center for the Disabled went very well. All of the families reported great times and unforgettable memories.

Now we switch gears for fall and winter. We will be planning our ski trip, more swimming days at Larsen Lifestyle Center, and more. Watch the web site, or call me anytime if you would like more information.

Dreams Unlimited is also looking for more volunteers, for events and activities, and/or to serve on committees that plan our activities. If you would like to know more, give me a call.

age and the nscd, chapter 2

I wrote awhile back that the minimum age for participation at the NSCD activities is 5 years old. We were surprised to find out this month that this has now changed to 6 years old. We weren't notified of the change, and unfortunately, one family had to cancel their trip plans because of the new age minimum. We will try to check on age requirements for all the activities from now on, so that this doesn't happen again.

Colorado fun

Today our second group of rafters sets out for their overnight trip. The first group went last week, for the one day trip. Sounds like everyone had a great time, and took advantage of all the fun, family things Colorado has to offer while they were there. We heard about adapted hiking/wheelchair trails in Rocky Mountain National Park, adapted fishing trips, as well as all the activities at the base of the Winter Park resort. The alpine slide continues to be a favorite. Once again, all reports were that the staff at the National Sports Center for the Disabled are an awesome group to do things with. Thanks NSCD!

Wow, where has the summer gone? Since I last wrote, we have had a great bike camp, been to a baseball game, bowling and on one of the 2 raft trips! We had 9 campers at bike camp this year, and ALL of them learned to ride their bikes. It was a fun and busy 2 weeks. We had many more people asking about camp than we had room for, prompting us to think maybe we need 2 camps/summer. The issues with that are staffing and space for the camp. But, we are working with the Down Syndrome Association for Families about the possibility of an additional camp with more space and staff. Stay tuned for details!

Jen Meints was the Dreams Unlimited representative for the one day rafting trip lasts Friday. Her family also took a vacation in Colorado afterwards. When she gets back I'll write some about that trip, and also about the over night trip, which is this week. Larry Svec is our board member attending that one.

We were sad to say good bye this month to Amie Hanson, Dreams Unlimited board member and physical therapist. Amie was very involved in all of our activities and we will miss her. She has moved to Des Moines, where most of her family is, in order to be closer to them. We wish her well.
Amie leaving has left an opening on our board. If you are interested in what that might entail, please give me a call and I call tell you what we are looking for.

Finally, I want to acknowledge our great photographer for our recent Dreams Unlimited events, Nick Boney. If anyone is ever interested in contacting him to take some photos, let me know and I will tell you how to get in touch with him.

baseball

We still have lots of tickets for the Salt Dog Baseball game, on Thursday June 24, at 7 p.m. We have both reserved and general admission tickets. For people who use wheelchairs, the general admission tickets are probably your best bet. With these, you can sit on the grassy berm, spread out and sit in the wheelchair or on the grass. The reserved tickets are for individual seats in the stadium. Both offer great views of the game.
If you would like tickets, call 420 2099 and ask for Mary Ebers or Mary Hagood, and we will get you signed up.

bowling days full

We have had a great response, and as of this morning, all of our spots for the bowling days at Sun Valley Lanes are full. The first bowling day is this Saturday, June 12. Watch the web site for more.

Foster Care Closet

There are over 6500 children in Nebraska who are "Wards of the State". The Foster CARE Closet provides clothing and other items to help families who care for these children. If you are a foster parent and would like more information, contact Leigh Esau at 402-617-0667. If you would like to help out, the Closet needs volunteers and also donated items, as well as financial assistance.

web site difficulties

We are still working out a few bugs in our web site. It appears that sometimes when people click to send an email or ask for more information, that isn't happening. If you do either of those and DON'T hear back from one of us within about 3 days, please let me know via a separate email to dreamsunlimited@neb.rr.com. Also, if you have participated in any Dreams Unlimited activities, your name will be going on a mailing list/data base, to be used to tell people about our activities. Again, if you would rather not be on this list, please email me.

zoo picnic

The zoo trip and picnic went very well on Sunday. I was unable to attend, but Shannon reports that there were lots of families there and it was a fun day. Larry Svec and Rich Butalla grilled, and families enjoyed meeting each other and hearing more about Dreams Unlimited. Everyone enjoyed a stroll through the zoo after that. A big thanks to Jen Meints and Shannon Butalla for coordinating the event.

Looks like summer has finally arrived this week. Up next for our local activities - bowling days and tickets to Salt Dog games. Watch for details

another raft trip update

Things are finally coming together for the raft trip. First we had minimal interest and delayed responses from Winter Park. NOW, we have so much interest we've had to start a waiting list, and I am sending out all the needed forms Monday. Thanks to Cathy Martinez for including an item about us in the Autism Family network newsletter. All good news. Not much more to do for the raft trip, as soon as I get everyone's paperwork back, we'll plan a meeting for all the families.

raft trip update

We've had a flurry of interest in the rafting trips this week. I thought we would need to cancel the one-day trip due to lack of interest, but in the last few days we have had 4 more families sign up. That's good news. This is the first year we have done 2 trips, one overnight - our usual plan- and also a one day, for those families who aren't really attracted to the idea of camping out. Roger will be our guide for both. He has been with our group about every year since we started doing the raft trips. He is great with the kids, and a lot of fun to be around.

kids bowl free

After the huge success of our March Bowl-A-Thon, we are happy to work once again with John Losito, from Sun Valley Lanes. They will be sponsoring a "Kids Bowl Free" summer program, where parents sign up kids for free, and pay a reduced price for bowling for themselves. The bowling alley is fully accessible, including ramps for wheelchair bowling, and automatic bumpers.
We are also looking in to sponsoring "Dreams Unlimited Bowling Afternoons" this summer. They will probably be held on Saturday afternoons, and will be free for families, with pre-registration. Great for a rainy day, or to get in our of the hot summer sun!

age and the nscd

We've had a few people ask about the age limits at the National Sports Center for the Disabled. They do require that any child participating be at least 5 years old. We have tried to fudge that a little in the past, with some "almost 5" year olds, but they are pretty strict. It's a good policy and we understand that it's just about safety. But it IS hard to wait with some kids who we just know will love the rafting or skiing trips!

The raft trip plans continue... I will have to get a deposit to the NSCD by May 1st, so I encourage any interested people who have not already contacted me to do so asap!

salt dogs baseball

Be on the lookout for information about our annual free tickets to a Salt Dogs baseball game. On June 24th, we have tickets for families, both in reserved seating, and on the berm. Families who have gone in the past tell us that the berm is a great place to sit with wheelchairs - plenty of room and a good view of the action. We will have a sign up sheet at Handprints and will also have sign up available through the web site.

zoo picnic

Plans are underway for our 2nd annual picnic and trip to the Lincoln Children's zoo. On May 23rd, we will meet at Antelope Park, enjoy food from the Texas Roadhouse and The Cookie Company, followed by a visit to the zoo. The event is free, but pre-regiatration is required. For this event, contact Jennifer Meints, at meintsfamily@hotmail.com.

Raising Cane Fund Raiser

On Thursday, April 22, from 5:00 -8:00 p.m, Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers (403 N 48th St) is holding a Dreams Unlimited Fundraiser. Stop by for dinner, mention Dreams Unlimited, and they will donate $1.00 to our organization. Thanks in advance for your support!

raft trip

As of this morning, we have 23 people signed up for the overnight raft trip, and 4 for the one day raft trip. Maximum for each is 30 people, so if you are thinking about joining us - especially for the overnight - let me know as soon as you can.
If you haven't already, check out the National Sports Center for the Disabled web site, www.nscd.org for info on rafting and all of their other summer activities. Can't make our group rafting trip, but would like to go to the NSCD this summer? They have numerous other activities for families, and Dreams Unlimited has some scholarships for these as well.

comments

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ski clothing exchange

Now that it's spring cleaning time, we thought we would start a long planned for clothing drive. Many of our families who go on the ski trip have never been before, so outfitting the kids for the mountain can be daunting. If you have ski pants, jackets, hats, etc.. that your child has outgrown or no longer uses, please consider donating them to a family for our next Dreams Unlimited ski trip. You can drop them by Handprints and Footsteps, or call me at 420-2099 to arrange for pick up. Next fall, as we plan the ski trip, we will have the donated items available  on a first come first serve basis. Thanks in advance for your generosity.
Mary

raft trip and other summer activities

We are starting to sign people up for the raft trip. For anyone who didn't get a mailing, we are doing 2 trips this year, instead of one. One will be an all day trip, one an overnight. The trips are with the NSCD, and are along the Colorado river, about an hour from Winter Park. We have a limit of 30 people for each one.
Also be on the lookout for info about tickets to Salt Dogs Baseball, and a picnic/trip to the zoo.

Looks to be a busy summer!

Swim day! On April 18th, we will be hosting our 2nd family swim day. This is a Sunday afternoon, at Larson Lifestyle Center (at 50th and Bancroft - Union College). The pool is big and very warm. We have rented it for the afternoon, so there's lots of room for families. There's a hot tub and 2 diving boards, as well as shower/changing facilities. Life guards are on duty as well. It's a fun way to spend the afternoon. We do have a limited number of spaces, so call to sign up at Handprints and Footsteps - 420 -2099.

get moving

Our group of therapists is trying to follow some AAP and APTA guidelines and get involved in activities for counteracting childhood obesity. Since Dreams Unlimited's mission is to provide recreational activities for kids with disabilities, this is right up our alley! It is sometimes difficult for kids with mobility limitations to be as active as some of their peers, so we are always looking for creative ways to get kids moving, have fun and make exercise a lifelong habit. We are also on the lookout for healthy, kid-friendly treats. If you have ideas for either, we'd love to hear them.
I love the pool as a way for almost everyone to be more active. There are also lots of adapted bicycles out there, and miles of great bike paths in Lincoln. Also, there are adapted recreation organized teams, like the Red Dawgs wheelchair basketball, or Challenger baseball.
And, as you probably know, the National Special Olympics Games are coming to Lincoln this summer. What a great way to get kids involved, active and having fun.

In sympathy

Our Dreams Unlimited family is deeply saddened by the loss of our friend, Peyton Hoffman, on Friday morning. Our sympathies go out to Julie, Chad, Parker, Paige, and their extended family. He will be missed! For information on services, or to leave a message for his family, go to www.metzmortuary.com.
~Mary~

bowl-a-thon success

While I was on vacation for a week, Jen (Meints) and Shannon (Butalla)'s Dream Team hosted the first ever bowl-a-thon fundraiser at Sun Valley Lanes. All reports are that it was a great success! Seventy-seven teams bowled, ate and had a great afternoon of family fun. A big thank you to Hanger Orthotics  for making adapted ramps for the bowlers, and Sun Valley lanes for making the bowl-a-thon happen. All of the proceeds will go towards funding Dreams Unlimited family activities.

In other news, watch the web site this week for information about upcoming activities. In the planning stages right now are the annual river rafting trip to The National Sports Center for the Disabled in Colorado, and a family swim afternoon at Larson Lifestyle Center.
We are also starting a data base of all of the families who have participated in our activities, so we can communicate what's happening more easily. Look for info on these things by the end of the week.
~ Mary~

Welcome to our blog

3/13/10 Welcome to the Dreams Unlimited blog! We hope to use the blog as another way for families to find our organization and participate in our activities. To find out about what we do, check out our website, www.dreamsunlimitedlincoln.org

Tomorrow, March 14, is our first ever bowl-a-thon fundraiser. It looks like we will have a great turn out. Our super-fund-raisers, Shannon, Jen, Larry, Amie and Kristen, have been working non-stop to make sure it will be a great success.

Mary