Melting Pot supports Autism Speaks

"You may not have known this, but, National Cheese Fondue Day is Sunday, April 11^th. We asked our Facebook fans to choose the recipient organization of proceeds for the day, and they chose Autism Speaks. So, we will donate $10 for every cheese fondue purchased on April 11^th to the nonprofit dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders, to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism, and to advocating for the needs of affected families. Thank you.

And, coming soon, a Gluten Free Menu!

Survey concerning experiences in worship settings

~~

March 20, 2010

Dear Self Advocate or Parent of an Individual with a Disability:

Greetings! Thank you for having the curiosity to open this e-mail! I hope this message finds you in good spirits, and that you are willing to share a few moments of your time with me.

For the past few years, I have developed a deep interest in the issues surrounding individuals with disabilities and their families as they pursue inclusion within worship congregations in their community. As a person with a disability, but, moreover, the parent of an individual with a disability, I came to a realization that our acceptance within our chosen house of worship was not always the same level of acceptance that individuals or families with typical children received within the congregation. My interest in this issue grew, and, as I had the opportunity, I explored and discussed this question with self advocates and other parents of children with disabilities.

Later, when time allowed, I had the opportunity to pursue studies at Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Shawnee, KS. As I discovered a path within my seminary life, I began to seriously look at the issue of full inclusion, or what I prefer to call “complete embracing” of individuals with disabilities and their families within worship congregations. I have now come to a point near the end of my seminary journey, where my interest in worship congregations and individuals with disabilities/their families is the focus of my thesis.

Below you will find a link, via an online survey service, to a brief, 25 question survey concerning experiences of individuals with disabilities and their families in respect toward their attempts to become involved in the life of worshiping congregations. This survey is anonymous, and your responses to the survey itself will only be viewed in an aggregate/collected manner. There is an opportunity to leave personal comments; however, no specific identification is required for this section of the survey. The personal comments section is there for your use, if there are any additional comments you choose to make.

The whole process of the survey should take approximately 15-20 minutes, and the aggregate survey responses, without the individual comments, will be made available to you for viewing upon request (see e-mail below). A similar survey is being circulated to congregational leaders of various religious groups to solicit their responses to a similar survey concerning their experiences of including individuals with disabilities and their family members in congregational life.

The survey can be found at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TYGRJNV

The survey will be open from March 24, 2010 until April 25, 2010. This will allow me some time to review and analyze the surveys that have been received, and to incorporate the outcome into the body of the thesis work. If you would like to share this survey with another self advocate or family of an individual with a disability, please feel free to do so. If you would like a specific worship leader to receive a copy of the survey for religious leaders, you may, with their consent, send their e-mail address to me at the yahoo account provided below. In turn, I will send them the appropriate survey for completion.

Thank you again for your attention to this survey. I am in your debt for the time you have spent and the effort you have made in completing this survey. If you have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me at: jennyhatfieldcallen@yahoo.com .

Sincerely,

Jenny Hatfield-Callen

Seminary Student, Central Baptist Theological Seminary, Shawnee, KS

Autism Workshop

Interested in learning more about Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)?

TouchPoint Autism Services (formerly Judevine Center for Autism), through a grant from Lutheran Foundation of St. Louis, is offering a

FREE workshop at

First Baptist Church of St. Charles on

April 22, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

All are welcome to attend this informative workshop that will offer valuable insight into Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). This is an ideal opportunity for parents, grandparents, teachers, extended family, Sunday school teachers, and others who interact with children to gain important information about ASD.

If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Jennifer Guyer

FBC Spectrum Support Group at (636)395-0884 or

email at fbcspectrumsupport@gmail.com by April 19, 2010.

Support Group Meeting

Meetings are now held on 4th Wen of the Month.

The next meeting will be held on March 24 @6:30pm.

There will be no regular meeting in April due to the workshop on Thur, April 22.

Support group meeting

Well, just when we decided to establish Crema Cafe as our regular meeting place, they changed their hours! So, please note new location, day and time for meetings.

Spectrum Support Group Meetings
3rd Wednesday of the month
6:30-7:30 pm
First Baptist Church of St. Charles
Room 125

The next meeting will be on Nov 18.

Childcare is provided for children birth-K in the nursery. Children's Choirs for children age 4- grade 5 is also available for older children and there is youth group for middle and high schoolers. (They do require children to be potty trained for choir.) It is our hope that with activities and childcare in place that more people will be able to attend the meetings. If you plan to attend and your children will be in the nursery, please RSVP with the number of children you will be bringing so that we can insure we have enough workers.

An interesting article on Autism and Chess

My son and my autistic daughter are part of the St. Peters Chess club. This month's newsletter included a portion of an article on Chess and Autism. I thought I would share the link to the complete article here.

Chess and Autism

Autism Workshop

An Autism Workshop put on by TouchPoint (formerly Judevine Center for Autism) is in the works for April 2010. Stayed tune for more information!