Milwaukee
Family Movie Event We kicked off December with a sensory-friendly, private screening of the newest release of The Grinch! Family! Families got to enjoy the movie with the sound played lower and lights on brighter.
Holiday Party
We had such a great time at the Southeastern WI Holiday Party this month! Santa and his elf made their way down from the North Pole to visit the kiddos! We enjoyed a variety of games, ornament crafts, cookie decorating, food from Pizzeria Scotty, dancing, and contests! This party attracted almost 350 members of the DSAW family!
Relationships Class
We just wrapped up a course on relationships for individuals with special needs. They talked about personal boundaries, dating, self-defense, stranger danger, and safety. We will be hosting another session starting on January 12! Learn more here.
Nutrition & Wellness Class
DSAW and DSAW-Family Services also offered two sessions of a Nutrition and Wellness Class this month. The class met twice a week and participants learned about personal health and well-being, exercise, and healthy cooking.
Young Leaders Bootcamp
This month at Bootcamp we learned about holidays around the world, how are they celebrated, how they are different, and why each one is unique and special!
Cooking with the Kiddos
Cooking with the Kiddos happens every first and third Wednesday at our State office! Don’t worry about dinner plans — we’ll take care of it! Kids 8+ are welcome to join us next month! This month we had breakfast for dinner and made pancakes!
Self-Advocate Packer & Holiday Party Self-advocates joined us for a Packer & Holiday Party at the State office on December 16. We had gifts, a bloody mary bar, and lots of cheering! Thank you to the self-advocates who came out to help us celebrate and cheer on the Packers!
Motor Skills Playgroup
Our Motor Skills Playgroup meets every second and fourth Tuesday morning from 9:30 to 11:30! This group is a fun chance for children to learn occupational therapy skills in a free environment, while parents enjoy coffee and each other's company. We also offer free music therapy in conjunction with playgroup! Sign up to join us!
Young Leaders Academy
Our Young Leaders Academy at our West Allis office meets every second and fourth Thursday of the month. We also have a Young Leaders Class at our Northside location in Fox Point! This location meets the first and second Fridays of the month from 7 - 9 PM! Classes start off with an energetic game and end with an hour of employment-readiness curriculum. Self-Advocates are invited to join our class anytime.
Tween Club
The second Friday night of the month, DSAW transforms into a hoppin' place for tweens to hang out! This month we did holiday activities, made jingle bell necklaces, and had snacks! Next month's Tween Club will be on Friday, January 11th. Drop your 10+ year old off for a night of games, snacks, activities, and more. Sign up!
Parent's Night Out
Each month, DSAW parents, grandparents, and caregivers get together for a night of casual conversation and free appetizers. We meet every second Friday of the month at Cleveland Pub, in conjunction with Tween Club! Come join us for one of our favorite nights of the month on Friday, January 11th!
Central Wisconsin
Holiday Party
We had our Holiday Party at the wonderful Moose Lodge earlier this month. Guests brought yummy potluck dishes and Santa stopped by! We are very thankful for the generous donations made by Texas Roadhouse and the Rib Mountain Dollar Tree! Also, thank you to the awesome UWSP Speech/Communication students for volunteering their time. We hope you all had as much fun as we did!
Mom’s Coffee Date
DSAW women got together for a Mom’s Coffee Date at Vino Latte in Wausau on the second Wednesday of the month. We love this time to talk to other moms and grandmas while enjoying coffee and treats!
La Crosse
Holiday Party
We had such an amazing time at this year’s Holiday Party at the Black River Beach House! We made crafts, played games, and even visited with Santa! Thank you to all of the families who joined us and to everyone who helped plan and execute this event!! Happy Holidays! :)
Parent’s Night Out
Our Parent’s Night Out this month was at TimeOut tavern in La Crescent! Parents, grandparents, caregivers, and adult siblings had a casual evening of conversation and free appetizers!
Green Bay
Holiday Movie Event
Families joined us to watch Smalfoot at the De Pere Cinema on Saturday, December 15! We had a great turnout and enjoyed watching with our DSAW-Green Bay families!
MADSS
Holiday Cookie Decorating Party
We had another busy month in December! We started off the month with a Holiday Cookie Decorating Party. Thank you to the Schuster Family for graciously opening up their home for this celebration of the holiday season!
Family Holiday Movie
This month, we watched The Nutcracker and the Four Realms at the Marcus Palace Cinema in Sun Prairie! It was a great time for all of the families. Santa and his elves were even there to say hello!
Mom’s Take 5
MADSS also has a Mom’s Night Out on the 5th of every month! This month, moms enjoyed cookies that were decorated at the Holiday Cookie Decorating Party!
Fox Cities
Teen FrienDS Club
Our Teen FrienDS Club is held at the DSAW-Fox Cities Office on the second Friday of each month from 6:30-9:30pm during the months of September-May. The club is for teens with Down syndrome ages 13-19. If your teen is interested in joining, please contact Maria SteenPorte at maria@dsawfoxcities.org.
Santa Celebration
DSAW-Fox Cities teamed up with WisconSibs for a Santa Celebration at the Grand Meridian in Appleton. Families visited with Santa, played holiday games, made gifts, decorated cookies, and enjoyed sweet breakfast treats!
Sheboygan
Parent’s Night Out In December, we met at the 8th Street Ale Haus in Sheboygan! Parents, caregivers, and adult siblings joined us for an evening of good food and conversation. We discussed 2019 and had a ton of fun. Thanks to everyone who joined us!
Children’s Museum Night DSAW families joined us for a field trip to Above & Beyond Children's Museum in Sheboygan! Every second Monday of the month from 5-7pm, the children's museum hosts a Special Needs Night. The museum is closed to the general public, sound is turned off on loud exhibits, there is a craft/activity, and a local vendor offers frozen yogurt.
Holiday Party DSAW-Sheboygan families celebrated the holidays together at our Holiday Party! This year’s party took place at the Odyssey Fun Center in Sheboygan Falls. We had pizza, cookie decorating, music and bowling! Santa stopped by to pay us a visit as well!
Chippewa Valley
Holiday Party
We had a great time at our holiday party this month! We had so many generous contributions this year! Thank you to Westgate Sportsman Club for donating their wonderful space, Scheel’s for donating fishing poles for gifts, and Big Stack Meats supplying smoked pulled pork. Also a huge thanks to Santa and Mrs. Clause as well as MMC Eau Claire Hospital for donating gifts! We could not have done all of this without the planning committee members. The kiddos enjoyed crafts, games, and other holiday activities!
