Happy Back-to-school month everyone! As many of us get back to school let us also also take a look at how last month went for WeEMBRACE.
Recap
As the summer break started winding up, WeEMBRACE Adaptive summer basketball sessions were a big hit with our participants! They all had a great time interacting with volunteers while learning and practicing dribbling skills. Can’t wait for the adaptive soccer sessions (August - September) to bring the same energy and excitement !
Our once a month activities- Bowling and Open Gymnastics gym are keeping our participants fit and engaging through the summer!
Also our weekly Drums, Dance classes not only keeps everyone entertained but also gives parents their much needed social hangout time.
Finally our AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) summer social hangout concluded impressively! In these sessions, our participants had an excellent time using all kinds of communication methods and parents had plenty of opportunities to model with their devices.
For more info please visit www.weembracefamilies.org/programs
Volunteer of the Month
The Journey of Making New Friends: Volunteer Aarna Prasad
Most people enjoy meeting new people and making new friends. For Aarna, that was the driving reason behind why she joined WeEMBRACE. Her friend, Sri, told her about the volunteering opportunities at WeEMBRACE, and Aarna really liked the initiative, so she didn’t hesitate to join.
She attends all the events hosted by WeEMBRACE and also manages our YouTube page by uploading the video recordings of all the Zoom virtual classes. Aarna’s favorite experience so far at WeEMBRACE is "Dance with Frank," where she met many new people. She also enjoys the Arts and Crafts class, where she has made numerous connections, something she truly enjoys doing.
Since Aarna is already involved in the Arts and Crafts classes at WeEMBRACE, she also wants to try new classes like piano and sports in the future.
She believes that you don’t often get the opportunities you get at WeEMBRACE at other nonprofits.
“WeEMBRACE is actually like a huge community. And I feel like as a volunteer, you get to meet a lot of different people. And you get to gain your awareness, but you also gain like a second family.”
Family of the Month
Twelve years ago, Ranjitha’s family welcomed their son, Ishan into their world with so much joy. She found no limit to her happiness at that time and envisioned a life where everything was falling into place. But as her career and Ishan’s school life began, she noticed that her son was not meeting certain milestones according to his age.
Soon after his diagnosis, she felt that her world was turned upside down. Yet, through the struggles she faced, she realized that her despair wouldn’t bring any changes in her or Ishan’s life. Ranjitha decided to embrace her son’s uniqueness and focus on his education and future.
In search of a supportive community, her family moved from Fremont to Folsom one year ago. They joined WeEMBRACE primarily to find social activities for Ishan. WeEMBRACE provided a welcoming environment where Ishan could participate in social activities tailored to neurodivergent children. Ishan enjoyed the group activities and outings. The family found solace in connecting with other parents facing similar challenges, sharing experiences, and learning from one another.
Ranjitha’s experience in WeEMBRACE has been overwhelmingly positive. She felt that Ishan was able to connect with other kids in a safe and comfortable environment. As for her, she enjoyed the Mom’s Night outs and found a lot of comfort in being with friends and just relaxing.
In the future, Ranjitha wants to support other families, especially those with young children. Ranjitha's journey with Ishan has been one of love, acceptance, and growth. While the path has been challenging, the support from WeEMBRACE and the strength she has found within herself have made all the difference. She also wants to thank volunteers for their consistent effort and guidance. On top of that she suggests volunteers to allow the children to respond and continue being patient with them.
Upcoming Events
Showing up matters! When you care about your community, you want to share and engage in the events organized by these amazing, passionate volunteers! WeEMBRACE’s Inclusive 5K walk/Run promotes inclusiveness in the community and the funds raised in this event helps WeEMBRACE to continue to provide programs & causes.
You can join in person to support or virtually by donating!
Thank you everyone and happy August!
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