Every parent who isn’t aware of what our children are hearing and seeing on their technology devices should take the time to be at Thomas Jefferson Middle School cafeteria at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
St. Joseph County Sheriff’s officer Eric Tamashasky, will be sharing “Prevent Child Abuse – Protecting our Kids from Cybercrimes.” How much do you know about cyberbulling, sexting, password protection, and more?
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The more you know, the safer your children can be. There is no charge, but what you learn may be priceless.
On Saturday, April 25, gather with hundreds of others on the Porter County courthouse lawn in downtown Valparaiso and join in the Prevent Child Abuse Awareness Walk-a-thon. The walk will begin at the courthouse, and end at the fairgrounds with a short presentation reminding us what to be aware of.
Then, it’s back down Morgan Boulevard to the courthouse where refreshments will be available.
Both these very important events are free, and no pledges are necessary to be part of the walk. There will be Pinwheels for Prevention and T-shirts for sale.
For more information, call 531-9012. It is not necessary to register for either event.
This weekend is one of my favorite Special Olympics weekends (well, at least for April).
The Athlete Leadership Program conference and classes take place and gives our very capable athletes an opportunity to take classes, followed by at least 10 hours of practicum in their major to become coaches, speakers, fund-raisers, board members, technology “geeks” and more.
Porter and Lake county athletes involved in the program have made us proud, and realize how very much young people with special needs have to give and help us learn. Our ALPs leaders are so very understanding and gentle with their peers who haven’t got the abilities they have, and can often “break through” where we fail.
Their commitment to our program, and their reliability often exceeds what is asked of them. One of our athletes, Brent Bowgren, was the first Porter County ALPs leader 14 years ago, and coaches basketball, bowling and bocce, as well as taking the Special Olympics message to various clubs and organizations. He has served on the state board for six years, been a valuable part of the international meetings in Vancouver, Canada, San Francisco, and Columbia. He works full-time at Stracks and Van Til, is very involved in his church, where he has instigated a class for children with special needs, as well.
He is also the coordinator of the ALPs Input Council in our area. Brent puts most of us to shame with his willingness to give of himself and share his abilities. He is one of 22 athletes from Porter County who are super leaders. Is it any wonder it’s one of my favorite weekends? If you would ever want one of our athletes to talk at your meeting, please email me at [email protected].
Wasn’t the past weekend glorious? It was so wonderful to be outside in the sunshine, and enjoy God’s beauty. We just have to keep hoping that we’ll see more of that kind of weather, so keep your fingers crossed, and a smile on your face. Then I hope you have a great day because you deserve it. Thanks for reading. Fly your flag.