Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Community Foundation Grant

Community Foundation of Henderson County
Awards $10,000 to St. Gerard House for Autism Awareness Program

HENDERSONVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA, May 25, 2011 – St. Gerard House has been awarded a grant of $10,000 by the Community Foundation of Henderson County.

The grant will be used for a Community Action Awareness Program, which will help provide training for and raise awareness among professionals, parents, and the community.     

“In the 14 months since our launch, St. Gerard House and the Grotto School have served over 100 area families facing autism, through the preschool program, social skills classes for school-aged children, parent support groups, community trainings, and other various programs,” says Caroline Long, Executive Director.  “The grant from the Community Foundation of Henderson County will give us additional resources to reach more families and professionals in our community through trainings, awareness programs, and a regional conference featuring nationally recognized authorities on autism.”

St. Gerard House, founded in March of 2010, serves as a Resource Center for those involved with the treatment and care of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Its Grotto School currently provides one-on-one therapy for children two-and-a-half to six years old who have been diagnosed with autism. Caroline Long, mother of two children with ASD, is founder and Executive Director, and Bob MacDonald serves as President of St. Gerard House’s Board of Directors.

The Community Foundation of Henderson County supports charitable programs in the greater Henderson County area. It was founded in 1983 and administers over 400 funds with assets over $72 million.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Taking Time for Yourself as a Parent

By guest blogger Alicia Ballard-Westbrook


Parenting, in my experience, is a lot like how I would imagine being a CEO of a small company would be. In both positions, there are many demands, a lot of pressure to make the right decisions and really, very little creative control. Parenting a child with autism, I sometimes think, is like being the CEO of a company that is undergoing federal investigations, has unhappy stockholders and unhappy employees.  Oh, and another thing, there’s no salary or cushy office.  In my journey of parenting a child with autism, I’ve felt scrutinized and judged. I’ve felt a lot of doubt (usually when I’m chasing my son down to give him his supplements) that anything we’re trying will ever help him. I’ve also felt that I could not listen to one more Thomas the Tank Engine DVD as I drove him to his doctor’s appointments, therapists’ offices and school. Usually, I end the day feeling mentally and physically exhausted and not looking forward to starting the whole routine again in the morning.

Somehow, though, we all do. We all get up and make sure that our child is getting everything they could need and more. But, do we do that for ourselves? I know, in the first year or so after his diagnosis, that I did not. I threw myself into the work of parenting a child with autism--- finding the perfect therapists,  searching for the right balance of nutrition and education, and figuring out how to pay for it all. I was totally focused on trying to pull my child out of the fog of his autism. And me, you may ask? Well, I completely let myself go. I gained a ton of weight, often felt depressed and was almost too miserable to rejoice in Danny’s small successes.

After the initial panic subsided, (which for me, was almost a year), I began to notice how I looked in the mirror and it wasn’t pretty. I was extremely overweight and usually wearing yoga pants and a t-shirt. I looked tired and sad. I felt like a faded version of Alicia. Before autism, I had always loved fashion and dressing in fun clothes and accessories. I had always kept up with current events and pop cultures. While my weight had fluctuated some, I had never weighed as much as I did a year after his diagnosis. I had been a chatty and social person.  I was happier.

I decided, then, that since the autism wasn’t going to change any time soon that it was going to have to be me that changed. I started carving out time for me. I began to go to the gym regularly. This has not only helped me lose weight but it has done marvels for my mental health. I’ve found that when I’m lifting weights or struggling with the steps in an aerobics class that I’m able to quiet my mind and revel in the physical activity. I’ve also started taking the time to make sure I’m dressed and accessorized each day. If I’m having a bad day, putting on pretty clothes and jewelry, makes me feel happy.  Finally, I’ve made some great friends in this journey and spending time with them, even if it’s just drinking coffee in my kitchen, nourishes my heart. All of these things, an hour here, thirty minutes there, help me to be a better wife, mother, friend, Alicia. The time that I find for myself allows me to be completely present and focused when my children need me. Finally, it allows me to continue my fight for my son while still finding joy in this journey.

So, my question to everyone is: are you taking care of yourself as a parent? How do YOU maintain your sanity and joy in this crazy life?


Join us and other parents at St. Gerard House on Thursday, May 26th at 6pm as we share more ways to take care of ourselves! 

Thursday, May 19, 2011

We've Got Color!

beautiful tile

a two-toned pre-k classroom

pickle green

stack of doors

cabinets!

dramatic floor for dramatic play

our upstairs source of vitamin d

parts of the ceiling are in

more storage space

almost there!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

more building photos!

You've all been waiting for more photos of the building - here they are! These were taken April 19th, when we had some great people from the ABC School in Winston-Salem visit us. Check them out!

outside the pre-k classrooms


building plans


an upstairs classroom

and we are half stuccoed
building the front arch



our friends from ABC school 

floor color samples
the centers room
Drive by any time, and you will notice even more progress has been made. We've chosen floor and wall colors, and we are very excited to move in this summer!