Fun with the Summit Civitans.......

Hey there everyone, it's Michael here.  I hope everyone has been enjoying their Holiday this week.  As I posted before I have been hanging out with Mrs. Jane the last couple of weeks.  Last week I got to go the a meeting of the Summit Civitan Club of Salisbury.  It was lots of fun.  Mrs. Jane sent Mr. Rob some pictures and I finally got him to post them for me.  (He does all the computer stuff that's fun, I just get to use the computer for homework...ugh!)

In the pictures above, I am beside the Summit Civitan Club banners.  They were neat to look at.  But then, I got to help bring the meeting to order.......



Look at the neat little hammer.  I learned it is called a "gavel" and  you get to bang the bell with it to bring the meeting to order.  I wanted to play with the gavel some, but those ladies wouldn't let me for some reason.            

Soon it was time to eat.  I got a plate full of yummy Spaghetti.  It was good, but the best part was to come.  It was you guessed.....cookies!!!   YAY!!!!.................

........................................I love cookies.  And while I got to eat some, I didn't get to take the whole plate home.  I had to share them with all the Civitan members that were there.  But I did have a really good time. 

I also got to go see the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but Mr. Rob said the pictures Mrs. Jane took didn't come out at all.  I went with the Brain Injury Support Group, and got to ride in the van.  I was raining really hard that night, and I got wet.  UGH!  I still had a great time though.  I'll be posting more later so be sure to check back.  -- Micheal--

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Mr. Rob here -- To learn more about the Summit Civitan Club and the work they do, you can contact Jane Jackman at The Arc of Rowan County's offices.  Use the following link to go to their website for contact information:  http://www.thearcofrowan.org/

Thanks, Mr. Rob



Holiday Wishes........

Hey there everyone, Michael here.  I've just got to tell you that Mr. Rob and Mrs. Trisha came home from work yesterday and said it was the first day of the holiday break for them.  I don't think I've ever seen adults that happy about anything.  It was kinda funny.  I just wanted to make a short post this morning to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday season, and to thank everyone who takes time from their busy day to read my blog. 

Mr. Rob wanted me to make sure to tell everyone to be safe if you are travelling during the Holidays.  He really wanted me to make sure I told you to be sure NOT to text and drive.  He found this cartoon online that shows even Santa can't text and drive.  I will be posting more next week.  So everyone take care, have fun, and stay safe.  --Michael--

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Mr. Rob here -- On behalf of the Board of Directors and Staff of The Arc of Rowan County, I want to wish everyone a very Happy Holiday.  Please stay safe. 

Be sure to check out our Agency's website at:  http://www.thearcofrowan.org/ 

Another Christmas Party.....

Hey everyone it's Michael here. 

This week I got to go with Mrs. Jane to a Christmas party with some of her friends who are members of The Rowan County Brain Injury Support Group.  It was a blast! Below are some pictures.  Mr. Rob will tell you more about this great group of people and what they do below.

One of the first things I noticed when I got there was the yummy goodies.  I couldn't wait to get me some cookies.  You know how much I love cookies.

Well I did find me some cookies.  I found a whole pack of Chocolate Chip cookies that I thought could just be all mine!!  Well, I was told I had to share them.  Now for those of you who do not know what share means, it means you have to give away your Chocolate Chip cookies and be happy about it!!

At least there were some fun games to play. 

We all played a game call "Dirty Santa."  I am not exactly sure what the rules were, but it was fun.  I got to check out the presents and even open one!

There was lots of food, presents, and fun at this party.  I sure did enjoy myself, and I was sure to tell the great people there a "Thank-you" for inviting me.  If fact, The Rowan Brain Injury Support Group has invited me to go in the van to see Christmas Lights.  I am so excited!  I will be sure to post and tell everyone all about it.  Have a great week! 

---Michael---

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Mr. Rob here with some information about the Rowan County Brain Injury Support Group.  They meet the fourth Thursday of each month.  If the meeting date is near a holiday, the group meets a week earlier.

                        Location:  Easter Seal Office, 620 W. Innes St., Salisbury, NC. 

                       Contact:  Nadine Cherry, 680-622-7732, email: NCherry@ctc.net

                       Mailing address:  410 W. Garden Street, Landis, NC  28088

Here is the web address for the Brain Injury Association of North Carolina: www.bianc.net

Thanks!

Mr. Rob

Operation Santa

Happy Saturday everybody!

It's Michael here, and boy have I've been busy this week.  It has been a blast hanging with Mrs. Jane this week.  I have been helping to wrap gifts for Operation Santa.  No, that's not some secret Army exercise to try and find Santa's house, but something The Arc of Rowan County does to help spread Christmas cheer to people with developmental disabilities.  Mr. Rob will tell you more at the end of my post.



One of the ladies who works in the Arc's Offices, Mrs. Dee did most of the shopping for presents.  (Mr. Rob says that Mrs. Dee LOVES to shop!)  But what good is a present if you don't wrap it.  That's where I got to help.  We had a big gift wrapping party this week and boy it was fun.  It was a lot of work too, but fun.  Mrs. Dee had bought some really, really cool gifts.  Here are a few.

Here I am after I have been wrapping gifts quite awhile.  Everyone was laughing at me for some reason, but I was working real hard.  See all the gifts I have wrapped?  Boy, this was fun!

Then we took some of the gifts to the Fulton Street Apartments for some of the residents there.  Here I am with some of the gifts, didn't I do a great job wrapping them???

The pictures below are me hanging out with some of the people at the apartments.  The doggie's name is Lilly, you guessed it, more doggie slobber in the face.  YUCK! 

Check back tomorrow for another post, I went to a Christmas Party with the Brain Injury Support Group of Rowan County.  I had a blast.  I will post a few pictures and tell everyone all about it in my next post.

--Michael--

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This is Mr. Rob here---Each year The Arc of Rowan County sponsors the Operation Santa Claus Campaign to help provide Christmas gifts requested by individuals with Developmental Disabilites here in Rowan County and residents from Rowan County who are at the O'Berry and J. Iverson Riddle Development Centers.  The gifts that these individuals receive from your donation are generally the only Christmas gifts that they will receive. 

You can help in many ways. A cash donation, or if you or you organization would be willing to be a sponsor would be wonderful.  You can contact The Arc of Rowan's Offices at:                                          

                                                     1918 W. Innes Street

                                                     Salisbury, NC  28144

                                                     http://www.thearcofrowan.org/

Thanks!!  Mr. Rob

                                    



Booooorrrrrrrring................

This is Micheal, and happy Monday to everyone.  I was wondering earlier this afternoon how may ways you can say boring????? 

You may remember that Mr. Rob said I would be going with him to an important meeting.  Well, I did.  It was Mr. Rob and several more grown-ups.  I didn't have any crayons, markers, or paper to draw on.  I just had to sit in this hard chair and listen.  You talk about boring, all  the adults talked about was by-laws, committees, sub-committees, Board of Directors, officers, planning, more meetings, and well you get the idea.  At the end of this meeting they were very happy and said they got a lot done.  I didn't see them do anything but talk and move a bunch of papers around.  Oh well. 

I did stay with with Mrs. Jane this evening, she said we would be going on a few adventures this weekend.  I'll be post more about them later.  Have a great week!  -- Micheal

I Got to See Santa Claus!

I got to see Santa, I got to see Santa! 

Hello everyone, it's Michael.  I got to go the The Arc of Rowan County's Christmas Party/Dance tonight.  I got to stay up past my bedtime, and best of all NO HOMEWORK! 

I went with Mr. Rob and Mrs. Trisha, I met lots of nice people, like Ms. Renita in the picture above.  Then I saw the Christmas tree with all the presents underneath it.  WOW!  There were a lot of presents underneath that tree.  Everyone ate supper, danced, and then got to see Santa and get a Christmas Present.  I was so excited!



While I was waiting for the line to see Santa to get shorter, I got to go spin some tunes with Mr. and Mrs. DJ!  That was a BLAST!

Then I got to visit with Dr. Lyn, she's the President of The Arc of Rowan County.  Mr. Rob says she is the best president ever.  I don't know exactly what a president is, but I think she is a very nice lady anyways.



Then I got to meet Mr. Rob and Mrs. Trisha's friend Mr. Andrew.  

But enough of this hanging and having fun, I'm ready to see the big guy!  I want to tell him everything I have on my Christmas List.  You see I haven't been doing homework the whole time I was supposed to, I have been surfing on the computer and working on my list for Santa.

Finally, I got to sit on Santa's Lap.  I was so nervous.  In fact, I was so nervous, I just couldn't say anything at all.  Not a peep.  Darn it, I missed my chance.  Now I will just have to make sure I leave my list where Mr. Rob and Mrs. Trish can see it.  Boy I hope they can read!

Well it's way past my bedtime now, so good night.  Mr. Rob says I am going to attend an important meeting on Monday afternoon, so be sure to check back and I'll tell you all about it!

--Micheal--

Homework (and more homework)

Homework, homework, and even more homework.....

What's a guy to do?



Mrs. Jane must have forgot to tell me when I came to stay with Mr. Rob and Mrs. Trisha, that Mrs. Trisha is a SCHOOL TEACHER!!!  Yuck!!!  Even worse, Mr. Rob is a Teacher Assistant for Exceptional Children.  You know what that means?  Homework, and off too bed early on school nights!  What's a guy to do? 

Mrs. Jane, why didn't you tell me about this?  I think I've done more homework this week than I've done in a loooong time.  Please if your reading this Mrs. Jane, call Mr. Rob and Mrs. Trisha and please tell them

one hour of  homework each night is just plain hard!!

Really, what's a guy to do?

 

Last night, Mr. Rob and I were looking at their Christmas Tree.  It sure is pretty.  I asked Mr. Rob why there were no Christmas presents underneath it, and he said he was sure Mrs. Trisha was going to take care of that soon! (He said something about a Visa card, but I don't know what that is?)  I hope so, because Christmas is almost here!  I did hear them talking about going Christmas Shopping for me, but Mr. Rob was talking about new clothes.  New clothes?  Yuck!! I want an X-Box and a bicycle!!

Mrs. Jane you've got to call them.....

Well I am sorry for the short post tonight, but Mr. Rob says I have to get back to my homework, so I'll be posting more later.  Have a good week everyone.  Michael.

Preview Party Fun

Hi there everyone.  Tonight I got to go to The Arc of Rowan County's Preview Party for their Festival of Trees.  I went with Mr. Rob, Mrs. Trisha and Mrs. Von (Mr. Rob's mom.)  We had a great time.  The picture above is a view of the some of the trees I got to see. 

There was are really great tree there I called the Cheerwine tree.  I think this was Mrs. Trisha's favorite tree.  She really, really loves Cheerwine. 

My favorite tree was the Kids on the Block tree.  Some of my friends from The Arc of Rowan County's Kids on the Block were hanging out on a tree at the Festival of Trees.  If you look closely, you can see my twin brother Mark (he has on the crash helmet.)  If fact, that is his wheelchair sitting on the top of the tree. 

Here are two more great trees.  On the left is the Carson Tree that I help decorate last night.  On the right is the Big Bird Tree.  It looks really cool.

I hung out for awhile with Ms. Wanda and Mrs. Von, while Mr. Rob and Mrs. Trisha talked and visited with their friends. 

Finally, I found the cookies (you know I love cookies) and I got me one.  It was yummie.  I wish I had pockets because I would have taken some more home with me.  Y'all be sure to come to the Festival of Trees this weekend.  Check out this website:  http://www.thearcofrowan.org/   for more info about the Festival of Trees.

Going to Decorate Trees

Hi there everyone.  It's Michael again.  This afternoon when Mr. Rob got home from work, he loaded me into his truck and we went to the F&M Trolly barn to help decorate the trees for The Arc of Rowan County's Festival of Trees.  Mr. Rob said it all started tomorrow evening around 7:00 pm.  Everyone be sure to come and visit.

When I got  there, I got to help Mrs. Charlotte and Mrs. Patrica decorate a very special tree.  First of all it is white, while all the other trees are green.  This is because Mrs. Charlotte is donating this tree to The Arc of Rowan County to be raffled off during the Festival of Trees.

Then I got to help the students and teacher from Carson High School decorate the Carson OCS Class's tree.  They had made almost all of the ornaments for this tree, and they really looked good!

This is my friend Derius, and he let me help him put some decorations on the tree.

Then I found the Grinch Tree.  Enough said about that!!!

Finally, I saw my good friend Mrs. Jane.  Check out that crazy hat she is was wearing.  Well that's all for now.  Mr. Rob says it's my bedtime, and I have a big evening tomorrow when the Festival of Trees starts.  I hope to see you there!

Festival of Trees -- Set up on Wednesday Evening.

It wasn't long until my first adventure.  I got in the backseat of Mrs. Trisha's Car and we went to the F&M Trolly Barn to help set-up for the Festival of Trees.  Mr. Rob and Mrs. Trisha were all excited about this.  They said this Festival was the signature fundraising event for The Arc of Rowan County.  I like The Arc because they help people like Mark my twin brother.

 Just as soon as I got there, I had to help set up a tree.  Everyone was busy running around doing something.  There are 50 trees sponsored this year, and they will all be decorated by different people or organizations.  This was a lot of fun.

It wasn't too long until I found myself on the back of the truck, I had this funny feeling I would be unloading boxes next.  Hmm......

Told ya, they had me loading empty boxes onto that big truck.  Whew, that was a lot of work!!!

Then Mr. Rob took me around to the front of the truck to let me look inside, he also took my picture.  Wow what a GREAT Truck. 

Then I found the cookies and they were yummy!!

Then I found a cooler and drinks.  Just the thing to wash down all those cookies.

Then I tried out being a tree topper.  That wasn't any fun at all.  I am glad I didn't have to stay up on top of that tree very long.

And before I knew it, it was time to leave.  As we were all leaving, Dr. Lyn drove up in her Smart Car.  She let me sit in it, doesn't it match my hair really good.  For some reason, she wouldn't let me have the keys, and Mr. Rob said a very stern NO also! Well maybe in a few years I can learn how to drive a car.  

Michael Comes to visit.

Hi there everyone.  My name is Michael R.  I'm one
of the Kids on the Block who live with The Arc of Rowan County in Salisbury, NC.  I am eleven years old, and have a twin brother named Mark.  He has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair.  He is a trip, and a lot of fun to have as a brother.  I'll be telling you more about him later. 


Mrs. Jane of The Arc of Rowan County asked me if I would like to go visit some good friends of hers, Mr. Rob and Mrs. Trisha.  I said it sounded like fun, and this is a blog of my adventures.  In this picture, I am in Mr. Rob's car getting ready to go to his home.

Here I am sitting on the couch after my trip to Mr. Rob and Mrs.Trisha's house.  It didn't take very long and I think Mr. Rob is a pretty good driver because he didn't honk his horn at anyone or get stopped by a policeman.

This is Jackson, Mr. Rob and Mrs. Trisha's puppy dog.  He is a lot of fun.  He wanted to lick me all over my face.  Yuck, puppy slobber.