Milwaukee
Halloween Party
This month we got to celebrate Halloween!! We had a spook-tacular Halloween Dance at our state office, complete with a pasta bar, costume contests, games, crafts, sno cones, and of course, awesome dance moves! It was so much fun to see all of our friends dressed up in costume. We saw Jafar, Elvis, Snow White, some cats, and more :)
Sibling Event with Gnat & Corky
We continued our sibling program this month with an event for kids ages 5-9 who have a sibling with Down syndrome! Gnat and Corky, author and illustrator of Addison the Light Catcher (a book about a sibling!), came to read their book, lead a discussion, and host a related craft. We all had such a great time meeting each other and learning new things. Stay tuned for our next sibling event!
Relationships Class
We offer a course on relationships for individuals with special needs. They talk about personal boundaries, dating, self-defense, stranger danger, and safety. There are classes on Monday nights and Saturday mornings, and it runs until December 19!
Nutrition & Wellness Class
DSAW and DSAW-Family Services also offered two sessions of a Nutrition and Wellness Class this month. The class meets twice a week and learns about personal health and well-being, exercise, and healthy cooking.
Young Leaders Bootcamp
This month at Bootcamp we talked about worry and anxiety. We learned strategies to cope with them, and we made some awesome worry dolls! At the end of the month, we got in the spirit of Halloween with related crafts and activities.
Bootcamp meets on Tuesday nights at 6pm. Join us in November to focus on creating friendships!
Family Movie Night
Every month on the fourth Friday, we bring our blankets, sleeping bags, pillows and teddy bears and get comfy for a Movie Night at our West Allis office! This month we celebrated Halloween and Dia de Muertos by watching Coco! Join us next month!
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! This month at cooking, we made mini chicken pot pie muffins. They were delicious!
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. In October we started up our free music therapy program 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. On November 8, students in the Thursday program will be going to the Medical College of Wisconsin to learn about advocating for themselves and the doctor’s office. To prepare for this field trip, medical students came to Young Leaders in October and helped teach us about what to expect.
Tween Club
The second Friday night of the month, DSAW transforms into a hoppin' place for tweens to hang out! This month we had a Halloween-themed party just for tweens! Next month's Tween Club will be on Friday, November 9. We’ll be preparing for Thanksgiving by making apple pie, doing holiday themed crafts, playing games, and more! 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, November 9!
Fox Cities
9th Annual Down Syndrome Awareness Walk
DSAW-Fox Cities hosted their annual Awareness Walk on Saturday, October 6 in Neenah! It was an awesome day with raffles, trampoline bungee jumping, food, a miniature train, and raising awareness of our friends with Down syndrome!! Fox Cities CRUSHED their fundraising goal! Thank you to everyone who supported this Walk with their time, talent, and treasure. We appreciate you! Check out the news coverage here.
Teen FrienDS Club
DSAW-Fox Cities also continued their monthly Teen FrienDS club for teens with Down syndrome. Every month during the school year they get together for movies, snacks, music, games, and more!
Sheboygan
9th Annual Down Syndrome Awareness Walk
Our Sheboygan chapter closed out Awareness Walk season with their Walk on October 13 at Kiwanis Park. We had a brisk sunny day to welcome DSAW friends for inflatables, crafts, music, a Texas Roadhouse lunch, community resources, and raffles. We had a lovely 21 Showcase and introduced all of our friends with Down syndrome! It was so much fun to see the community come together and raise awareness of our friends. Thank you to all volunteers, donors, sponsors, families, friends, and to our incredible Walk committee! That’s a wrap!
Green Bay
Monthly Playgroup
In October we met at the new Titletown District Playground at Lambeau Field!! It was awesome! We had a fun time on the playground and playing out on the field. Although playgroup usually meets the first Saturday of every month, we are going to suspend it during the winter months so people can stay warm and cozy :)
Self Advocate Corn Maze Event
DSAW self advocates ages 15+ got together at Polly’s Pumpkin Patch to do some corn mazes!! We had an awesome time on a hayride and exploring the corn maze.
Parent’s Night Out
This month we invited ALL parents, grandparents, caregivers, and adult siblings to join us for a well-deserved night out! We met up at Joe Rouer’s in Luxemburg for a night of casual conversation and appetizers. Come join us for Mom’s Night Out or Dad’s Night Out next month!
Central WI
Family Fall Festival
After our Walk at the end of September, we took a little bit of a rest! We did host a Family Fall Festival on October 14 at Wilke’s! We took wagon rides, picked pumpkins, had lunch, and enjoyed a day together at the dairy farm!
Mom’s Coffee Date
We also got together for a Mom’s Coffee date at Vino Latte in October on the second Wednesday! Come join us in November!
MADSS
Fall Family Event
DSAW helped our friends at MADSS host a Family Farm Event on Saturday, October 27! We went to Schuster’s Farm in Deerfield and took a hayride, got pumpkins, did corn mazes, and had some delicious sweet treats!
Dad’s Night Out
MADSS dads got together at Graze in mid-October for a night out together. We welcomed a good group of guys and had a lot of fun!
Mom’s Take 5
MADSS also has a Mom’s Night Out on the 5th of every month! October was no different! We always love getting together with these incredible women.
La Crosse
Parent’s Night Out
In October, DSAW adults met up at Elmaro Vineyard for a great evening of wine, apps, and conversation. The location was beautiful, and we had a great time!
Chippewa Valley
Fall Family Event
We got to celebrate Fall at the end of October with a trip to Schultz’s Country Barn in Eleva! We had a hot dog dinner, took train rides, made s’mores, and painted pumpkins! It was fun to see all of our new DSAW friends from the Awareness Walk last month :)
