Monday, November 29, 2021

Happy #GivingTuesday Everyone!



 It's November and that means, three things turkey, gratitude, and #GivingTuesday

And while the turkey has been eaten, and the gratitude always abounds...one thing remains to check off my list... tomorrow is #GivingTuesday

Each year after Thanksgiving, we begin Christmas shopping on Black Friday and continue on Cyber Monday. After those two days, we have #GivingTuesday, a day to support our favorite nonprofits. A day where YOU can help US.

You can contribute in a number of ways. Share an #unselfie telling us why you love CCA so much. Add the hashtags #GivingTuesday

You can start a Facebook fundraiser. Every fundraiser that raises $750 or more will also receive a Lasting Smiles lip care kit and limited edition sticker!
Another way to give is through our website. If you donate $100 or more, you will receive a Lasting Smiles lip care kit and a fun, brand-new sticker.

Thank you for being part of our community! As I said, the gratitude abounds with every day thanks to you.

Thursday, November 11, 2021

Virtual Training Program For Transition To Adulthood


Our friends at Georgia State University are offering a free, virtual training program for parents and family members of individuals with disabilities ages 12-22 on Thursday, December 9, 2021 from 6:00PM - 8:15PM. This single session training program has been developed in collaboration with GSU's Center for Leadership in Disability to increase knowledge and access to transition-related resources and services in Georgia. 


As you may know, individuals with disabilities often experience service delivery gaps upon transition to adulthood. Family members and individual advocates have reported a need for additional avenues for accessing information about adult disability services in the state of Georgia. To address this need, we have partnered with the Georgia State University’s Center for Leadership in Disability to conduct a research study on parent training programs for increasing knowledge of transition-related resources and services for individuals with disabilities. As part of this study, we will host a free, virtual training in collaboration with different agencies and service providers from across the state. This training is open to all parents and family members, regardless of participation in the research study. Training participants will be entered into a drawing to win a $20 Amazon gift card. Ten participants will be randomly selected to receive the gift card.  You do not have to participate in this study to be eligible to participate in this drawing or lottery. Anyone may enter the raffle by clicking on the link below. 

 

The parent training program will take place virtually on Thursday, December 9, 2021, from 6:00 - 8:15 p.m. In this training, live content experts will present on different services and resources available to individuals with intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, and autism spectrum disorder between the ages of 12 and 22.   

 

Topics covered in this training: 

  • Inclusive Postsecondary Education Programs 
  • Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment 
  • Independent Living 
  • Navigating State & Federal Funding Streams 
  • Experiences from parents and individual advocates 

 

Parents and family members interested in participating in this research study and/or training can click the link below. Questions concerning this study should be directed to Jessica Watson at [email protected]. Thank you for joining us in our efforts to support individuals with disabilities as they transition to adulthood. 



 Click Here To Register for November 9th at Take 

the Survey

Monday, November 1, 2021

Grateful For Gratitude: Tips For A Lifetime of Gratitude


Editor's Note: Let's kick of this month of thanksgiving with a post about gratitude. We are endlessly grateful for our interns, and the author of this piece is one of them. You can read more about Dhisha and her passion for positivity at the bottom of this post. For now, let's take a look at the impact a daily gratitude practice can have on all aspects of your life.

By Dhisha Kukalakuntla

It’s a known fact that showing gratitude creates a positive environment, whether it’s at home, school, work, or any random place. But studies have shown that being grateful can have many personal benefits on our body, brain, and mental health as well. 

There's a difference between showing gratitude and being grateful. When we show gratitude, we are letting others know that we are grateful for something. In general, we’re more used to hearing this because showing gratitude is linked to creating a positive external environment. 
Being grateful, on the other hand, has to do with personal fulfillment. Being grateful, in general, may have more effects on personal health and development. 

Regardless of whether or not we keep our gratitude to ourselves, thankfulness has been linked to better overall physical health. This doesn’t mean that saying “thank you” once a day will automatically mean we’ll have a healthier body. The correlation is indirect, but it makes sense; people who regularly practice gratitude tend to also show self-gratitude for their body and, therefore, feel the responsibility to take good care of it. 

Grateful people not only take better care of their bodies, but they have healthier minds too. Gratitude is shown to make emotions less toxic and more manageable. To put this into context, let’s say you’re stressed. The stress is overpowering and toxic, but when you take a moment to recall the positives of that day (i.e., talking to friends, having dinner with family, watching a funny video of a favorite actor, etc) and feel thankful for that, our mind regains the ability to manage those toxic emotions. It creates a sense of balance to help us take control of our own thoughts and feelings. 

Our self-esteem is also greatly impacted by gratitude. When we take the time to appreciate positive aspects of the world around us, we’ll be more likely to be thankful for aspects of ourselves. 

Thankfulness is also shown to help ameliorate psychiatric disorders like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Studies by UC Davis are looking into whether gratitude could combat neurodegenerative diseases (which include Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease) as well. 

Many of us would say we are grateful people because we say “thank you” whenever someone does something in our favor, but how many of us are consciously grateful? While verbally expressing appreciation is important, the key to the physical and mental health benefits of gratitude is in the deliberate expression of thanks. When we mean every “thank you”, take the time to explain why we are thanking someone, start a gratitude jar/journal, or write an elaborate appreciation letter, we are consciously showing thanks. Being purposeful with our gratitude will ultimately help us have more positive minds and healthier bodies. 

About the Author:

Dhisha Kukalakuntla is a junior at Talented and Gifted Magnet in Dallas. She’s an avid writer and  mental health advocate. Other than leading her school’s Journalism UIL club and Positivity club,  she founded Positivity 101 (positivity101.org) to promote mental health awareness and  mindfulness among the youth. 

Dhisha spent this past summer (2021) as an intern for CCA’s Outreach Director, Khadija Moten. We are so fortunate to the Dallas Mayor's Education Initiatives at The Dallas Foundation to have sponsored us for the third year in a row with a summer intern. She  spent the summer writing proclamations to various state governors and reaching out to schools  across America about CCA. Dhisha continues to advocate for children with craniofacial  differences and looks forward to further association with CCA in the future.