Take 2: Teaching Children w/ Autism Washington, DC

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

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!

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.

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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:

• You can read the entire transcript of the show here
• You can read about the Pulling for the Underdog Fund here
• And of course we hope you'll visit Take 2's Global Giving site h

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 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