We Care A Lot Foundation

What is a boyfriend or girlfriend?

Becca — Fri, 18 May 2012 06:00:57 +0000

Boyfriends and girlfriends have ROMANTIC feelings for each other. Remember, ROMANTIC feelings are different than friendly feelings.

Boyfriends and girlfriends have known each other for a while, before making a commitment. It may take weeks or even MONTHS of dating to decide if they are the right person to be calling your boyfriend or girlfriend.

Boyfriends and girlfriends BOTH like getting to know more about each other by sharing their personal feelings and experiences.

Boyfriends and girlfriends are committed to each other and have decided if they are dating other people or not.

Boyfriends and girlfriends MAY do things like snuggle, hold hands, kiss, or have sex. But not always, it depends on the couple.

Many couples CONTINUE to go out on dates even AFTER they are committed to each other. This is a great way to keep the spark or excitement going in a relationship!

#4 of “The Ring of Safety” by Dave Hingsburger

Cindi — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:00:23 +0000

The fourth part of the “Ring of Safety” to stop abuse is: to be someone who listens. Let the people you serve TALK TO YOU and TALK TO EACH OTHER. Because many have been abused and they are hurting this talking will help to promote healing. Many people with disabilities remain quiet for many years because they are afraid of being blamed. By blocking it out and not speaking about the abuse they are slowing the healing process. When they are able to talk about their abuse, they are healing and realizing that the abuse was not their fault and that they did what they needed to do, at that time, to survive. Talking helps old wounds to heal, and even though there will be scars, when they are able to tell their story, it will make them stronger and it will
help end the cycle of abuse.

What Is Your Favorite Outdoor Activity?

Jessica — Mon, 14 May 2012 08:00:38 +0000

Summer is most definitely here. The days are continuing to grow longer and longer, so there are more daylight hours for being outside. What do you like to do outside when the weather is nice? I like to garden, and as I turn the dirt and pull weeds, it’s fun to watch the earthworms go back into the dirt while the other critters skitter around. Even though I love to garden, I like going on hikes and nature walks more. Last week, we saw ring-necked pheasants, an American kestrel, canadian geese, sandhill cranes, a badger’s hole plus swamp grasses, cat tails, and many other beauties of nature. It was so fun to find the badger’s hole, freshly dug, and then to find the other end, possibly the exit! Then one pair of canadian geese had their goslings following them through the grasses around the lake, and there were also goldeneye ducks in the water nearby. It was a beautiful walk as the day was cooling off. So, what is your favorite outdoor activity? Let us know!

What is dating?

Becca — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:00:01 +0000

Dating is when two people start spending time together doing activities and getting to know each other.

Dating can help you DECIDE if you want to be a boyfriend or girlfriend to that person. This may take weeks or even months, depending on the couple.

When you have gone on a few dates with someone, you MAY start to have romantic feelings for that person, instead of just friendly feelings. If you do NOT feel this way, perhaps this is NOT the right person to keep dating.

After dating for a while, a couple may decide to commit to each other.

They usually call each other boyfriend or girlfriend when they decide to date only each other.

Over time this might lead to a long-term relationship, marriage or a life-long commitment. Remember, there is no rush to go quickly. It usually takes a LONG time to get to know a person well enough to make such a big commitment to them!

#3 of “The Ring of Safety” by Dave Hingsburger

Cindi — Tue, 08 May 2012 08:00:16 +0000

The third part of the “RING OF SAFETY” is: the ability to non-comply.
In other words, the ability to say NO! This way people with disabilities can better protect themselves. Abusers usually want people with disabilities to do everything that they are told, without saying NO. People need someone they trust. Someone who listens to them so that they can turn to this person when they are being hurt. If you are going to be that person, listen with your eyes and your heart, not just with your ears! Our words are just a small part of what we say. Our body language says so much more than words. Pay attention to changes in behavior. Look for signs of abuse. If you notice a person’s change
in behavior, please try to find out what is really going on instead of assuming that the person is just trying to get attention.

Mother’s Day

Jessica — Mon, 07 May 2012 08:00:38 +0000

Wow! What a busy month! We just enjoyed the 12th annual Region 2 People First Conference this last weekend, and now Mother’s Day is this coming weekend! So why do we celebrate Mother’s Day? How did it all begin?

Mothers have been celebrated as early as the ancient Greeks, and every culture has its own way of honoring motherhood. However, the holiday itself marks its beginning in the United States in 1870 when Julia Ward Howe gave her first Mother’s Day Proclamation as a call for women to come together in support of limiting armed forces. Others also tried to establish a Mother’s Day in the 1880s and 1890s, but did not succeed until the beginning of the 1900s. Anna Jarvis from Grafton, West Virginia set aside a day to honor one’s mother in 1908 because she wanted to accomplish her mother’s dream of making a day to celebrate all mother’s. Then a wealthy Philadelphia merchant, John Wanamaker, came along and helped to promote Anna’s dream until President Woodrow Wilson made it an official national holiday in 1914. How you celebrate your mother on Mother’s Day? My mother’s sister will be visiting for two weeks, so I will be celebrating two mothers this Mother’s Day.

How feeling hurt you

Rebekah — Sun, 06 May 2012 20:38:22 +0000

When kids say or do mean things . It really hurt the heart and make you feel sad . this world need more people that cares for the chilren in the commity. instead of saying nothing or doing nothing is wore. I’m a parent with two kids and it hurt me that the teach do not listen when someone said they called a name .

Sweethearts!

Becca — Fri, 04 May 2012 06:00:49 +0000

We wanted to talk about what a sweetheart REALLY is today. A sweetheart is a type of close and personal relationship, which is the relationship we have with the people we are CLOSEST to.

Sweethearts are a VERY special kind of friend. When we have a relationship with someone that we have ROMANTIC feelings for, they are called a sweetheart. Romantic feelings are SPECIAL, and usually feel DIFFERENT from the feelings we have for our friends, family or staff. Romantic feelings may make us want to hold hands, kiss, snuggle, be close to each other, or even do sexual things like being naked together.

A sweetheart can be someone you have been dating for a little while, and are starting to have romantic feelings for.

A sweetheart can be a girlfriend or boyfriend.

And a sweetheart can be a wife, husband, or partner.

Some sweethearts are a man and a woman.

Some are two men.

And some sweethearts are two women. It all depends on what feels right to those two people.

Part #2 “The Ring of Safety” by Dave Hingsburger

Cindi — Tue, 01 May 2012 08:00:38 +0000

The second part of the “RING OF SAFETY” is: privacy awareness. Privacy is a very important thing to learn, because too many times privacy is violated in the lives of people with disabilities. This happens when staff is allowed to walk into bathrooms and bedrooms without PERMISSION! When people learn that they have the right to
privacy and that their bodies belong to them, they better understand abuse. They also understand that no one can see or touch their bodies without their permission. This is a very important thing for people to learn.

May Day!

Jessica — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:00:23 +0000

“April showers bring May flowers.” May is such a beautiful and colorful month, with the flowers in full bloom reaching towards a bright blue sky. When the days aren’t too hot, outdoor activities can be inviting and fun. What are some things you like doing when the weather is warm and the days are longer?

May also holds the celebration of many holidays like, May Day, Mother’s Day, and Memorial Day. So what is May Day all about? May Day has been a summer holiday in many European cultures for centuries. While February 1 marked the first day of spring, May 1 was the first day of summer, and this is why June 25 (June 21) was Midsummer, the summer solstice. In Catholocism, May was observed as Mary’s month, and they celebrate the virgin Mary on May Day. Up until the mid 1900s, May baskets, small baskets of sweets and/or flowers, were left on neighbors’ doorsteps with no card to say who the baskets were from. May baskets sound beautiful! Do you celebrate May Day?