Autism support – Page 2 – Autism Connection of Pennsylvania

Aktion Club: Where Development has No Disability

Volunteering provides opportunities to give back to our communities, and it helps us to feel involved with those in our communities. However, how do you know which volunteer opportunities work best for you? This question can pose significant difficulty for some individuals with disabilities as organizations may not feel equipped to work with people with special needs in a volunteer capacity. However, Aktion Club creates a safe space with opportunities for service where people with disabilities make the decisions and lead the club.

Three women posing for the camera. Two are kneeling beside a woman in a wheelchair

Taking leadership roles, making decisions, building autonomy

Three Rivers Community Care has been working with the Kiwanis Club of Sheraden to start an Aktion Club for anyone who is interested. This blog post will provide some answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about the club and we also hope that you’ll join us for an information session about Aktion Club on August 22 at 7 pm at the 3RCC Community Center in Carnegie.

What is Aktion Club?

Aktion Club is a service leadership program through Kiwanis International. It is the ONLY service organization of its kind in the world. Our club will be sponsored/supported by the Kiwanis Club of Sheraden. Aktion Club provides adults with disabilities the opportunity to participate in and choose service projects/volunteer projects with their peers/other group members.

Who runs Aktion Club?

Aktion Club will be supported by a member of the Kiwanis Club of Sheraden and a staff member of 3RCC. However, members will make up the leadership roles including president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, etc. of the club. Members will also make all decisions regarding club projects and activities.

Do members have to have a support person attend meetings with them?

This depends on the individual, requirements of their Individual Service Plan (ISP), and their comfort level in community situations. While a site facilitator and Kiwanis representative will always be present, each member and their caregivers should consider what is best for them.

When/how often/where will meetings be held?

Meetings are held monthly and will take place at the 3RCC Community Center in Carnegie, PA. Dates and times will be determined once we have enough members for the charter and will be based completely around their availability. We hope to have our first meeting in September/October.

Three photos of people doing different interactive activities

Connecting with others through shared interests

What kind of service projects/volunteer projects will members participate in?

Members will decide what service projects and volunteer activities they wish to participate in. They can range from making cards for veterans at the VA hospital, to food drives, to volunteering time at the Salvation Army or cleaning up litter in our communities. The possibilities are endless and the site facilitator and Kiwanis representative will work to ensure that all members interested in participating have the opportunity.

Is there a cost to participate?

There is no fee unless the members decide to charge a membership dues that would be used to help cover costs for materials or for fun activities for the club such as a summer ice cream party or a holiday party in December.

What are the benefits of Aktion Club membership?

Aktion Club members achieve a wealth of benefits including leadership and decision making opportunities. Members run the club and vote for president, vice president, and other leadership roles among their peers. Through service projects, volunteer projects, and club meetings members gain valuable social and community interactions to help increase their feelings of confidence in the community and feelings of self worth.

We hope this answers some of your questions about Aktion Club and that you consider joining us on August 22 at 7 pm to learn even more.

If you want to join Aktion Club you can email your information to Molly. You can learn more about Aktion Club here .

–Molly Crawford

Interim Outreach Director

Three Rivers Community Care

two empty coffee cups on a red background

Bereft of Coffee

While waiting for the coffee to finish brewing in the office kitchenette, my eyes fixated on the stream of coffee entering the carafe and the tranquil sounds it made in anticipation of the final surge of steam as the brewing finished. This concentrated focus drowned out a number of elements that flooded the surroundings, flickering lights, multiple distant voices, phones ringing, and the general energy of movement within the maze of cubicles.

During the reverie, I saw a peripheral figure approaching to my left, and a soft, clear voice flowed into my ears, “Good morning! How are you?” and at that moment, I straightened and turned my entire torso toward the person asking the question, stopping like a machine that produced speech. I heard my own voice say, “I am bereft of coffee.” And all memory of the moments following would never gel in my mind because I could only fixate on my social ineptitude.

Bereft of coffee. Who says that? Did you even make eye contact?

Bereft

Bereft is not a word used often in everyday conversation. It’s a complex, haunting word that comes from bereave, a term of loss and mourning that communicates that something is lacking.

Yes. I looked up the use of the word “bereft” over time. It really took a dip in the 1940s and I’ll probably try to find out why.

In the morning kitchenette interaction, the thing that was lacking was coffee, and the choice of the word bereft in this specific case seems a bit dramatic. The word may also communicate on some level that I really want to interact on your terms, but I just don’t know how. It takes a great deal of concentration and sometimes the words just pour out and I wish I could collect them and rearrange them into something, well, “normal.”

The coworker who kindly asked the question was likely to think, “Well, that was an unusual response,” and the moment would vanish along with the multiple mundane things that occur in a nondescript workday. But for me, this common office interaction became a source of shame that lingered for months. This wave of embarrassment was probably unnecessary but it is something that people on the autism spectrum face when they are aware of basic communication differences that can sometimes lead to misunderstanding.

Full Cup

When we have people who truly understand communication differences, we find that they often see these types of interactions insightful, and sometimes endearing. While lamenting to a trusted coworker about my perceived social awkwardness, she said how lovely it was that I was able to express such a deep love for coffee, and in turn, a deep appreciation for words. Bereft is a beautiful word that can express longing for acceptance, and even longing for something comforting, like a cup of coffee.

Connecting the Dots Virtual Autism Parent Support Group

Register Here!

no one is more cherished in this world than someone who lightens the burden of another. Thank you volunteers

Volunteer Appreciation Week 2023

Volunteers! Where would we be without you?

Your contributions of time, energy, and expertise have helped us in so many ways. From organizing events, providing support to families, raising awareness, and fundraising, you have been there for us every step of the way. Your hard work and dedication have enabled us to reach out to more people and provide them with the resources and support they need.

Photos of volunteers at events, fundraisers, and sensory friendly performances.

Your generosity and kindness have touched the hearts of many families in our community. Your willingness to lend a helping hand and be a source of comfort and support to those in need is truly remarkable. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed, and we are forever grateful for everything that you do.

Image of a head silhouette with colorful crumbled papers raising above it

You Can’t Accomplish Just Anything You Want

Thanks to our great support network we were able to do a quick turnaround and prevent the likely loss of a career for someone who recently reached out to us for help. We were so grateful for all the forces that combined and allowed us to be our mission of “a lifeline of support.”

M. had been “in love” with a young person they met over ten years ago. While they never had an in-person dating relationship, a heart was captured and imagination took over. Sending poems, emails, texts, flowers, candy, and more, can be lovely gestures when welcomed, but wound up being scary and threatening to the love interest who did not welcome them. Finally, a protective order was filed in an out of state court. The first order covered 24 hours, the second, two weeks, and three business days following our first call with the accused, the court would hear and see evidence to produce a two-year Protective Order which would have cost our new client their job.

Hearing someone so distraught, tearful, hopeless, and being baffled by this turn of events kicked us into high gear. This college educated professional was stuck in emotions and had no idea what to do, nor if they needed to appear in court despite simple court paperwork clearly stating they needed to attend in person. There was no plan, no lawyer, no defense strategy, and only three days plus a weekend to work with. Fortunately, this person immediately reached out to and signed up with both referrals we provided, one being a defense attorney licensed in the state of the proceedings, and the other, a therapist who provides services for those in the justice system. We owe a debt of gratitude to board trustee Tiffany Sizemore who provided the out of state referral, and to Shawn McGill who immediately took the call and offered his professional help.

The judge heard both sides of the case in great detail on the day of proceedings, taking autism into consideration but not focusing on it. And much to the surprise of most involved, including the defendant’s attorney, the judge did not place our client under a Protective Order because he did not hear criminal intent nor malice, and believed the testimony that they were moving on permanently and would never contact the plaintiff again.

We talked that night after it was all over, and I asked a question I have often thought about. “What rules did you follow that you learned growing up as a kid that may have led to trouble in this situation?” And right off the bat the answer was “Follow your heart. And if you work hard enough, you can achieve anything!”

Now, that last one is not true for any one of us! And while we routinely use phrases like these, they can lead some to overly apply them very literally and not know when to change course. Positivity is sometimes helpful but it can become toxic. So please consider the individual when you use encouraging words. We were lucky in timing and that we know the best network of helpers, but this was such a close brush with disaster that the client wanted us to teach with this story. In their own words spoken the night after things cleared up, “I just want to give presents to everybody who helped me. And I am a first grader in terms of dating – I was in love with a mirage! I ‘m definitely going to do the counseling too. But overall I want to tell this story and help make sure this never happens to anyone else, ever again!”

A Magical Connection Fundraiser for Autism Connection of PA

Join 13th Hour Entertainment and Autism Connection of PA for a casual night out at Tonidale Pub in Robinson Township. Our friends at A Magical Fundraiser are hosting “A Magical Connection”, benefitting the region’s autism community, and you can get involved in some very important ways!

Contributions raised will fund: help for families seeking resources, development of inclusive, sensory friendly areas across Pennsylvania, first responder training, virtual and in-person workshops, school homeroom and assembly talks about hidden differences, educator and administrative training, justice system reform, and so much more.

Dinner
Mindwarp Show featuring Mentalist/Magician Steve Haberman with the vocal talents of Tracy Lynn
Disc Jockey and Dancing by Nite Life DJz
Basket Raffle and 50/50 drawing

If you have questions about this event, feel free to call Tracy Lynn at 13th Hour Entertainment, (412) 926-3472 or email her at [email protected].

Visit A Magical Connection Fundraiser for ticket and sponsorship information.

A Magical Connection Fundraiser for Autism Connection of Pa Saturday April 29th at the Tonidale

Empowered Voices Leadership Meeting Series

The Empowered Voices Leadership Group is comprised of self advocates
who are interested in meeting new people, sharing their
stories, and developing self-advocacy and leadership skills. Members of
the group plan the meeting agendas, speakers, and outreach activities.
The group meets on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month via
Google Meets from 6pm to 8pm ET. Topics include Person-Centered
Planning, Self-Advocacy Skills, and Public Speaking.

This week’s topic is Healthy Eating.

Google Meets Joining Information:
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/iuu-miaf-wio
Or dial: (US) +1 304-908-9025 PIN: 199 210 961 #
For more information contact Melissa Skiffen at [email protected]
or visit www.achieva.info