GlobalGiving.org: Take 2: Teaching Children w/ Autism Washington, DC

Take 2 Needs Your Help on Wednesday

Lynn Cannon, Monica Adler Werner & Lisa Greenman — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:33:52 GMT

Practicing friendship skills at Take 2

Dear Friends of Take 2,

Please consider a gift to Take 2 on Wednesday, October 19 as early in the day as possible. GlobalGiving, our fundraising and communication partner, will match at 30 percent all gifts made on that day, beginning just after midnight Eastern Daylight Time the night before. If you were thinking of an end-of-year gift, please consider making it a bit early to take advantage of this one-day match. If you’ve never given to Take 2 before, we hope this incentive will appeal to you. Gifts of up to $1,000 will be matched at the 30 percent level until GlobalGiving has exhausted $100,000. We participated in this fundraiser last year and it gave us a very helpful boost. Particularly since Global Giving partners with projects in different time zones around the world, it’s important to make your online gift early on Tuesday the 19^th. And if you can go one step further and post this fundraiser to your Facebook or Twitter account, that would be wonderful and very much appreciated.

While GlobalGiving has a big-sounding name and collaborates with large corporations to attract donations from their employees to projects like ours (employers like Gap distribute $10 or $20 gift cards to employees who use them then give to to the charity of their choice), we think you’ll be interested to know that Take 2’s relationship to GlobalGiving is very personal and accessible. We learned of GlobalGiving from a neighbor who worked there. GlobalGiving's creative and enthusiastic staff have helped us in a variety of ways that have benefitted our shoestring operation. They boosted Take 2 in a local radio show earlier this year and obtained newspaper coverage of our camp the year before. They have connected us with numerous small donors we would not have reached otherwise and provide us a platform for communicating with our supporters. We're proud that GlobalGiving thinks of us as one of their success stories and we hope you'll feel good about giving to us through such a terrific organization.

Here’s a link to our Project Page on Global Giving, where you can make your donation on a one-time basis or as a monthly recurring contribution. http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/teaching-children-with-autism/.

In addition, here’s a link to a really terrific story that ran on the front page of the Sunday New York Times a few weeks ago, describing the challenges that face individuals with autism spectrum disorders as they transition to adulthood. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/us/autistic-and-seeking-a-place-in-an-adult-world.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=autism&st=cse (Autistic and Seeking a Place in an Adult World)

At Take 2 we know it takes more than strong cognitive ability and verbal skills to succeed at work and in the community. Take 2 helps children in their quest to obtain the keys to the social kingdom we all live in. Please give as generously as you can as early as possible on Wednesday, October 19^th. We thank you very much.

Warmly and gratefully,

Lynn Cannon, Monica Adler Werner & Lisa Greenman

Take 2 Camp Director Lynn Cannon

Links:

End of Summer Letter from Lynn

Lynn Cannon — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 01:44:33 GMT

Lynn Cannon, Director of Take 2 Summer Camp

Dear Friends of Take 2,

We just wrapped up another wonderful summer at Take2. The campers and staff have much to be proud of: they worked hard, learned a lot and, most importantly, had a lot of fun along the way. Each camper celebrated so many successes, whether it was….

finding that there really is someone who loves dinosaurs as much as I do and while we might disagree about which dinosaur is the fiercest, we can still be friends
realizing that if I lose a game of chess gracefully there will be opportunities for games in the future because people will want to play with me again
discovering that when I cheer for others, they are more likely to cheer for me and that feels great
overcoming a fear of heights, taking a plunge and riding the zip-line at Calleva camp…or
figuring out that there is always a Plan B…..

This summer’s curriculum focused on:

- Week 1: “Thinking about Me” Labeling my own emotional experience and what strategies I can use to regulate myself when my feelings start to get out of control.

- Week 2: “Thinking about You”- How do I use the your “clues”… body language, tone of voice and facial expression to figure out what you are thinking and feeling?

- Week 3: “Thinking about Us”- How do my thoughts differ from yours? How does my behavior impact the thoughts you are having and how can we create good thoughts in one another so that you want to be with me and I want to be with you?

- Week 4: “Bringing it all Together”- The strategies and skills the campers acquired over the 3 weeks were put into action as we took several field trips and made gifts for one another.

Please enjoy these photos for a glimpse of some of the wonderful moments we had this year at camp. As always, we are so grateful for your support.

Fondly,

Lynn

Lynn Cannon To Lead Take 2 Summer Camp!

Lisa Greenman & Monica Adler Werner — Fri, 27 May 2011 16:24:31 GMT

Lynn Cannon is the new Director of Take 2

We couldn’t be luckier. Master special education teacher and administrator Lynn Cannon has been a vital part of Take 2 since it was merely a concept and a twinkle in the eye. Until recently, Lynn was Education Coordinator for the Ivymount School Model Asperger Program. Now, on a more flexible schedule now to accommodate motherhood, Lynn has shifted to a consulting role with Ivymount and is taking on the position of Director of Take 2.

Nothing could be better for Take 2 than having Lynn bring her years of experience back to us. Not only was Lynn a vital member of the small group that in 2004 conceived of and developed the program, but even before that she was a big part of the inspiration for the camp. Lynn’s classroom had attracted the notice of Autism experts and parents who were collaborating to meet the need for a full-time social skills intervention. One of the earliest actions of the planning team was to draft Lynn for a leadership role. She took charge of developing the camp curriculum and served as Take 2’s lead teacher for four years, until responsibilities at Ivymount took over her summers.

Returning now as director, Lynn has wonderful innovations planned and we are thrilled to have her back. This year’s campers are going to have an extraordinary experience. Look for our next Project Report (in July, after camp begins) to come directly from Lynn. Until then, please have a look at our Project Page on Global Giving and, if you feel so moved, make a contribution to Take 2 in honor of our fantastic new Director!

Take 2 Featured on the Radio

Monica Adler Werner & Lisa Greenman — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 00:50:42 GMT

When someone called saying they’d just heard great things about Take 2 on our local NPR station, we thought they were confused. We knew nothing about it.

It turned out, though, that Global Giving gave Take 2 a huge plug during an interview on WAMU’s Metro Connection. Global Giving was highlighting its “Pulling for the Underdog Fund," and used Take 2 as an example of a deserving local project.

Below we've pasted the transcript of that portion of the show, in which WAMU's Rebecca Sheir interviewed Global Giving's Chief Giving Officer, Donna Callejon.

SHEIR

13:29:41

What are some local underdog projects that are involved with GlobalGiving and the, "Pulling for the Underdog," fund?

CALLEJON

13:29:47

Yeah, one person who is just really amazing here is Lisa Greenman who runs an organization called, "Take 2." She's a lawyer so it's completely in her spare time. She and another person started up this organization. And it's very much focused on children with mild cases and forms of autism, like Aspergers Syndrome. There are thousands of kids in the D.C. Metro area who are suffering from these kind of mild versions of autism and so she and her partner created this camp here in D.C. for kids.

CALLEJON

13:30:20

And it's really looking at taking, you know, studies from N.I.H. and a lot of the other medical research groups and applying the latest in the technologies for socialization for kids. She's basically a start-up little, you know, organization. And so she found us and was able to raise $20,000, I think, for her camp through GlobalGiving.

*******************************************************************************************************************************

So now we have yet another reason to thank Global Giving, which has brought us to the attention of so many people we otherwise could not have reached.

We thank Global Giving and all of you for your support as we prepare for our EIGHTH summer serving DC area children and families!

Sincerely,

Monica & Lisa

Links:

Happy Holidays from Take 2

Lisa Greenman & Monica Adler Werner — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 14:30:52 GMT

Pink Panther: solving the mystery of friendship.

Dear Take 2 Supporter,

Each year, Take 2 serves children whose social challenges prevent them from participating in virtually any other camp. The program offers the fun every child looks for in a summer experience, and also something more: a rigorous, carefully structured curriculum that teaches social skills, self-regulation, executive function and self-advocacy to children with autism spectrum disorders and strong verbal skills. Those are big concepts for children who are just 8, 9 and 10 years old but, as their parents can tell you, they represent the keys to the social kingdom. For Take 2 campers, it is this set of issues more than any other that will determine their futures. They have wonderful talents and abilities, great stores of knowledge and terrific senses of humor, but in order to share these gifts with the rest of the world, they need very intensive instruction and support.

Thank you for your help in bringing the resources of Take 2 to families who would not otherwise be able to afford them. We’re so grateful for your support. We know that many of you have given recently and generously. Thank you! We love how Global Giving allows us to stay in touch with donors and provides access to so many smaller ($10, $25, $50) contributions that, when added together, keep us financially healthy. If you haven’t yet made an end of year gift to Take 2, we hope you’ll consider one now. You can use this Global Giving link: http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/teaching-children-with-autism/

From all of us to all of you: warm wishes for a happy and health 2011. Enjoy your holidays!

Gratefully,

Lisa Greenman & Monica Adler Werner

P.S. If you're new to Take 2, you may be curious about the Pink Panther logo above. The Pink Panther has been a Take 2 mascot each year, and the design above was this summer's T-shirt. We love the Pink Panther for many reasons, including the fact that he’s silent. During camp, we watch clips from the Pink Panther cartoons (not the Peter Sellers movies, which feature real actors) and talk about how amazing it is that you can tell what people are thinking if you carefully observe their expressions and their body language, even if they say no words at all. The exaggeration and humor of the Pink Panther make this work memorable and fun.

Throughout the summer, the Pink Panther helps campers become “Friendship Detectives,” solving the mystery of friendship. For children with autism spectrum disorders, social interaction is mysterious and confusing. Often it is also frustrating or even frightening. After repeated experiences of failure, many children stop trying, and isolate themselves in order to feel safe and less uncomfortable. Take 2 is a refuge for these kids, but it provides so much more than respite. Thank you again for your support!

Please give to Take 2 today!

Lisa, Monica, Janet & Lynn — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 02:52:11 GMT

Pink Panther: solving the mystery of friendship.

Please give to Take 2 today if you can!

We're writing to tell you about a very important fundraiser for Take 2 and a really great opportunity to get more bang for any contribution you make right now.

Global Giving, the organization that provides us a web platform and other technical assistance for our fundraising, is having a “Give More, Get More” campaign. Beginning today, Tuesday, October 12^th, Take 2 will receive a match for all donations we receive through Global Giving. Donations of $10 and up will be matched until GG’s $100,000 matching funds run out, which probably won’t take more than a few days at most. Contributions of $10 to $499 will be matched at 30 percent; $500 to $999 at 40 percent; and $1,000 to $2,500 at 50 percent. Although it’s a web based organization, which sounds like it would be impersonal, GG is based here in Washington and we have developed a lovely relationship with the folks who work there. They’ve been very helpful to us for over a year now, which has been increasingly important as we’ve grown to serve a larger number of children and families.

As you know, Take 2 is able to offer an intensively staffed program with need-blind admissions and generous scholarships thanks to the financial support we receive primarily from the friends, family and colleagues of our board, staff and campers, along with an increasing number of supporters who simply discover us from the project page on GG. We hope you will continue to help us via the web link below and that perhaps you might help to expand our group of supporters. Please think about whether you might forward this email with a note of your own inviting family, friends and colleagues to support Take 2.

Here is a link to our website on Global Giving. http://www.globalgiving.org/projects/teaching-children-with-autism/ It’s easy to make a donation of any amount, and honestly we get excited each time we receive $10, so please don’t think any amount is too small! While we love to receive large contributions, the reality is that Take 2 flourishes because we receive many, many smaller gifts.

If you can, please spend some time on our GG website and look at the reports and other things we’ve posted there, including the article from the NW Current, which does a nice job of describing the program. There are also a few photos.

Thank you so much, everyone, for helping Take 2.

Sincerely,

Lisa Greenman, Monica Adler Werner, Janet Prost & Lynn Cannon

Take 2: Learning What It Takes To Be A Team Player

Lisa Greenman & Monica Adler Werner — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 05:46:33 GMT

Language that guides Take 2

It’s August. The campers have left and Take 2 is winding down after its seventh summer season. A Project Update on this year’s achievements will be posted in September. For now, as we pack up, we thought we’d share this photo reflecting some of the core concepts Take 2 builds upon each day.

Though intellectually very capable or even outstandingly talented, Take 2 campers struggle with the give and take required to be “team players.” Skills that are intuitive or easily acquired by typically-developing children can be mystifying and pose enormous obstacles for those with autism spectrum disorders. As a result they are excluded from activities of childhood that others take for granted.

The Take 2 curriculum teaches strategies to compensate for weaknesses in social understanding. The first step in this process is establishing a common vocabulary. The language on the “Team Player Board” you see here helps campers better understand both themselves and the world’s expectations. With this knowledge, and with lots of practice in a supportive environment, Take 2 campers learn they can use their cognitive abilities to navigate difficult and uncomfortable situations. For example, instead of getting upset and having a meltdown when something unexpected happens, campers learn they can always come up with a “Plan B.”

The end of summer also marks one year since Take 2 joined the Global Giving community. We are enormously grateful for the support we’ve received here. Some of you came because you knew us, and others first discovered Take 2 here on this website. Your support allows us to offer need-blind admissions and generous financial aid to families throughout the Washington, DC area. We are able to continue our affirmative outreach to communities in need because of your generosity. Thank you, all of you. And if you can, please consider dropping us a note. We really do love to hear from you!

Sincerely, Lisa Greenman & Monica Adler Werner LGreenman@rcn.com M.Adler.Werner@gmail.com

Summer is coming!

Lisa Greenman — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:57:22 GMT

In Washington the cherry trees are in full bloom and so are the daffodils. Here at Take 2 we’re getting ready for Summer 2010, our seventh year serving children who have autism spectrum disorders and strong verbal and cognitive abilities.

In addition to the support Take 2 provides for children and their families, we are also proud of the role we play in training teachers on “best practices” in this field and of our collaboration with researchers at the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Children’s National Medical Center. Just a few weeks ago, the researchers at Children’s received a prestigious R-34 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health to extend work that they first piloted at Take 2. We’re very excited about that. We also continue our close relationship with the Model Asperger Program at the Ivymount School. Ivymount is known nationally for its innovative programs for students on the autism spectrum and staff at Take 2 and Ivymount benefit from a lot of cross-pollination.

Intake for Summer 2010 campers is almost complete, and as always, we’ve found a new idea to try out. This summer, Take 2 will pilot a program for older campers that will take them out into the community on adventures they will plan and undertake with typically developing peer mentors. This allows us to serve children who have attended but outgrown the camp program and help them take the next step toward enriching friendships and fuller inclusion in the community. We’re excited about extending our reach to older children and involving “neurotypical” teens in this work.

Please look for our updates as the planning progresses!

Links:

Attachments:

Take 2 in local paper (PDF)

Take 2 Staff Alum is Honored

Lisa Greenman — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:16:04 GMT

Take 2 staff alumn wins leadership award

You may be familiar with Posse, a wonderful college access program for talented public high school students. Two summers ago, Take 2 hired a Posse intern, Marquis Clements, who demonstrated a real gift for working with children on the autism spectrum. Hoping to encourage Marquis's work in this field, Take 2 recommended him for a position at the Ivymount School's Model Asperger Program for the summer of 2009. Staff at both Take 2 and Ivymount were thrilled but not surprised when Marquis's talents were recognized with Posse DC's award for outstanding commitment and leadership.

The Posse Foundation's press release says:

"The evening's highlight was a surprise presentation of the Inavale Award, given to a Scholar who has demonstrated outstanding commitment and leadership in the nonprofit or public service sector. This year, the winner was Lafayette College senior Marquis Clements, for his incredible work with the Model Asperger Program at The Ivymount School. Ivymount is a world leader in special education that delivers innovative programming to enable students to achieve their highest level of development. "I am astounded by the high level of professionalism and wisdom this young man possesses," says Monica Adler Werner, director of the Model Asperger Program at Ivymount. "He is a true leader who has taken initiative on multiple projects this summer." Monica continued by saying that Marquis has a gift for working with children with special needs, and that she is already considering him for a permanent full-time position upon graduation. Congratulations Marquis!"

We hope everyone's making a happy transition into Fall. If you haven't yet had a chance to read the NW Current article about Take 2, it's available below. You can also read our previous updates about Summer 2009. We love feedback, so please write us if you have the time! As always, we are grateful for your support.

Attachments:

Newspaper article about Take 2 (PDF)

REFLECTIONS ON THE LAST DAY OF CAMP

Monica Adler Werner — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:09:20 GMT

It’s a bittersweet time for me. Bitter, because I’m always a bit sad and lonely when camp is over for another summer; and sweet because I can take a moment to savor how Take 2, now in its sixth year, has enjoyed so many wonderful successes.

As always, the most important successes are evident in very ordinary-seeming moments. On the last day of camp, for example, staff watched proudly as campers signed each other’s yearbooks, happily exchanging phone numbers, coordinating schedules and greeting their parents at pick up with news of future play-dates. One child had even arranged a pool party for everyone in August. "It will make going back to school easier if I see my Take 2 friends," he announced. Another camper, with characteristic precision, offered reassurance to his counselor as he said goodbye: "Don't worry, I'll be back--it's only 330 days until next July!"

For children with social learning disabilities, this is what we’re aiming for: a community within which they feel comfortable and appreciated; a group they want to be and can be a part of. Although camp is only a month long, Take 2 campers will carry with them the knowledge that they can have friends and feel acceptance as they face the enormous challenges of the typical school year.

I’d like to fill you in on just a few of this summer’s milestones at Take 2: • Two of our junior staff members (high school seniors) were siblings of former campers. These two big sisters brought with them the wisdom and experience they have developed at home, and learned new concepts and strategies that will serve them and their families as their brothers grow up. Most importantly they were great counselors! • We served 17 children this summer, four of whom were returning for a third year. As a result we developed a "spiraling curriculum" that allows returning campers to expand their skills while reinforcing previous summer teachings. • In the fall we will launch two bi-monthly social skills groups for nine Take2 campers. Students will participate in a curriculum (developed by our close cousin, the Model Asperger Program at Ivymount School and colleagues at the Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders at Children’s National Medical Center) designed to promote flexibility and problem solving skills. • We continued our collaborative study with CNMC (above), and now have enough data to assess the impact Take 2 is having on our campers. We look forward to submitting the findings to a peer reviewed journal specializing in autism. • Take 2 was the subject of a very thoughtful article in our community newspaper, the Northwest Current. The article is posted on the Global Giving site, and you can read it below.

I hope everyone is enjoying August. Thank you again for your support of Take 2.

Attachments:

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE ABOUT TAKE 2 (PDF)

THANK YOU!!! FANTASTIC OUTCOME!

Lisa Greenman — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:08:32 GMT

What a huge success! Thanks to your generous contributions, Take 2 exceeded its goal by a huge margin, earning a permanent spot with Global Giving. With your help, Take 2 has raised over $15,000 in less than a month! And, equally exciting, those donations came from over 200 individuals, most of them (most of you) first-time contributors. This is enormously significant for Take 2's future, and we are so very grateful for your support. Thank you a thousand times. Take 2 will soon receive a complete list of donors from Global Giving, and we look forward to thanking each of you individually. In the meantime, please accept this enormous Group Thank You, to all 200 plus of you.

The funds you provided are especially important right now because Take 2 has expanded this year. We're serving 17 families this summer, many of whom are attending thanks to the financial aid made possible by your contributions. And Take 2 is also now expanding beyond summer and into the school year: beginning in September, Take 2 will provide campers with a school year extension program.

Today, Monday, July 6, marked the first day of camp. "This is the best camp ever!" exclaimed one new camper at the end of the day. His endorsement thrilled the staff, since this child had begun the morning feeling particularly anxious and had experienced a couple of truly difficult moments. By the end of the day, though, he was happy and comfortable, pleased with his achievements, and excited about the new friends he was making. (He also really liked the Lego toys.) This is only the beginning.

Success – real success based on specific and meaningful accomplishments -- is the rule at Take 2, and today things got off to a great start. This is possible thanks to our wonderful staff, who spent the last two weeks training and preparing intently for the children's arrival; thanks to the very hard work of the children themselves, whose willingness to work on things that are so very challenging for them inspires us every day; and thanks to you, Take 2's supporters, who provide the means for this very special program to exist.

At the end of the week we'll send more news and post some photographs. We thank you again for the incredible outpouring of support. We know you'll be excited to see how things develop. It's going to be a great summer!

Please feel free to contact me at LGreenman@starpower.net about anything at all.

P.S. Take 2 came in Fourth in overall funds raised in the American Open Challenge, and third in total number of donors. The organizations that ranked higher were far bigger than Take 2. While it would have been nice to win, we're absolutely thrilled with how we did. It truly marks the beginning of a new era for Take 2.