Rural FASD Support Network updates

It has been a while since our last blog primarily because of our vlogs.  However, we have had some new developments since our last blog that we wanted to update you on.
If you have not seen our new Youtube channel, please subscribe.  We are now posting our monthly speakers there and you might find their presentations to be useful.  Last week, we heard Mallory and Megan, our local FASD workers, share what they have learned this past year working with us and this community.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsxuzut4gdM
We also had Michael Jiggins, Executive Assistant to Minister Steve Clark, in attendance and share Minister Clark's perspective as well.  We certainly appreciated the fact that he picked up on the challenges we face, the lack of diagnostic capacity particularly around sensory profiling, the importance of funding support groups and their commitment to continue working with us.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV81H2NyjAg.
At the end, we celebrated our first anniversary with greetings from Premier Ford and cake.  Hard to believe it was only ten months ago the six of us were sitting around our kitchen table figuring out how to proceed.
We are also thrilled to announce that our attorney has submitted the paperwork for our non-profit designation and our constitution is finished and ready for our AGM in September.  This non-profit designation will enable us to receive funding from private foundations, United Way and municipalities.  We know our most effective advocacy route is to physically show up at Queen's Park and speak directly to MPP's and Ministers.  We also know several of our individuals don't have the private funding necessary.  When you look at our financial report, we don't have any money going to admin costs or facility cost.  100% of the money goes to those with FASD.
Beckwith Township and Barker Funeral Home are hosting a charity ball tournament for us in August.  Our children will be running the canteen and we will be passing out material to everyone who comes.  https://drive.google.com/open?id=1r6GOq6V5AQnY0g4pVD9K8s_DZa4k8NX4f6BSUlyzZws
Camp Connections is bringing us in to train their staff on FASD and Providence Point is hosting their camp in July and hosting us in August.  Following this training, they will be accepting applications for our children to attend camp this summer and all the following years.
FASD Ontario went through some transition but has now really ramped it up.  Check out the discussion forum and they are now providing French and Indigenous resources.
CanFASD is busy organizing the next international conference in April.  Focus will be on adults and caregivers.  https://interprofessional.ubc.ca/initiatives/fasd2019/
Derek and I also had the opportunity to share our stories with Minister Fullerton which was appreciated.  We don't normally meet people who are as informed about FASD as Minister Fullerton.  She was actually able to pick out which of my children have the sentinel features.
I recently did a presentation on Personal Wellness.  You may not be aware but in Canada, elementary teachers are the fourth most likely occupation to witness violence behind military, police and firefighters, teachers have the highest alcohol consumption per occupation and administrators tend to have a high divorce rate.  Personal Wellness is something educators struggle with.  As we know 75% of caregivers with complex needs children will experience a mental health breakdown at some point in their lifetime , I see a lot of parallels between being an educator and a caregiver in terms of stress and mental health challenges.
Thank you to all that have been reaching out.  It really does mean a lot to know we are doing this journey together.  We are humbled by the amount of people who have viewing the video Vanessa and the National Post did last month.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zpx4LfRyhxg&t=7s