~To empower, educate and connect those living without both arms or more |
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{ May/June 2022 Newsletter } |
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Executive Director's Message
Happy Summer to our Northern Hemisphere friends and a Happy Winter to our friends in the Southern Hemisphere!
I have so much that I am thrilled to share with you today.
First, please welcome Karen Fetter to the Enhancing Skills for Life team as our Administrator and Marketer. After competing her paralegal career, she moved to the mountains of North Carolina and began her work in the nonprofit community. She is delighted to be able to use her administrative, marketing, and legal background to support ESFL and its mission, and we are thrilled to have her expand and advance what we offer to all of you.
Second, mark your calendar for our Annual ESFL Board of Directors Meeting on July 27, 2022 at 3:00pm central. The Zoom link will be provided in the July newsletter. Come learn about our 2022 successes and our exciting plans for the future.
Finally, the upcoming Skills for Life Workshop #6 is just 4 months away and information on program, speakers, and resources for scholarships and offsetting travel expenses can be found below. Enhancing Skills for Life provides up to $1,000 of financial assistance to attend the workshop. We hope to reduce any barriers that may keep people who are missing both arms from attending this life-changing workshop.
Please subscribe, follow, and share the information to help us reach everyone who could benefit from our programs.
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ESFL & Ukraine Limb Loss Outreach |
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Enhancing Skills for Life, 501c3, was connected with Ukrainian medical professionals in late April 2022 via Jon Batzdorff, CP and Executive Director of ProsthetiKa. Since then ESFL has been involved in providing input and education on upper limb loss rehabilitation to assist the medical professionals working with individuals who have recently sustained traumatic upper limb loss during the war on Ukraine. In late April, US based healthcare providers met with Ukrainian prosthetists to discuss a few upper limb case studies presented by the Ukrainian team members. In early May, a peer meeting between a Ukrainian soldier who lost both arms above the elbow and Ronnie Hindsman was facilitated by ESFL. Another meeting was held between US based therapists and prosthetists and Ukrainian therapists late May to discuss therapeutic intervention prior to receiving a prosthesis.
All meetings have been translated by Antonina Kumka who along with Jon founded the Ukraine Prosthetic Assistance Project. Upon completion of the peer meeting in early May, Antonina mentioned how useful the connection was to the soldier. He had previously been downhearted, but now had better understanding of the long journey ahead and was more hopeful than he had been before the meeting. She also mentioned the Ukrainian therapists found the pre-prosthetic therapy techniques and suggestions from the therapy meeting very helpful.
Antonina has since has put together a website for both Ukrainian patients and specialists that has a list of possible manufacturers and prosthetic facilities in Ukraine, resources for Ukrainian specialists to consider as well as links to join the meetings. www.protezinua.com
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Peer Zoom with Ukrainian soldier |
Website for Ukrainian healthcare providers and patients
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Latest Program Information
The Skills for Life Workshops are unique events dedicated to people who are living without both hands/arms or more. The program is devoted specifically to issues faced by these individuals. We look forward to having you join us in Houston, TX October 5-9, 2022 for our 20th Anniversary of this life changing event!! It only happens every 3 years so this would be a wonderful opportunity to meet up to 70 other individuals from all over the world who also have personal experiences with bilateral upper limb loss. Remember we offer scholarships!
TIPS & TRICKS PRESENTERS
We will have a dedicated block of time for Bathing, Toileting, Grooming, Dressing, Meal Preparation and Eating! THANK YOU to the below individuals who have agreed to share their tips for increased independence!
Elizabeth Zweigel, Karen Crespo, Christine Lentz, Erica Tambrini, Mike St Onge, Wayne Moorehead, Annae Jones, Ania Marecka, Ronnie Hindsman, Eric Nelson, Jason Koger, others TBD.
Do you have a tip or trick you want to share? Contact Us and we will let you know the next steps.
SHOW & TELL
If it fits in your luggage, bring your own adaptive equipment from home for show & tell. We will also have some popular items out for everyone to take a look at, observe how it works/what it is used for, ask questions, etc.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
*subject to change
Wednesday: 12-8pm (Opening Day, Happy Hour)
Thursday: 8am-8pm (ADL's/Tips & Tricks, Golf Clinic)
Friday: 8am-6pm (Quad Boot Camp, Adapted Vehicles)
Saturday: 8am-10pm (Activity Day and Closing Dinner/Dance)
Sunday: Depart
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Help our Haiti Friends Return to SFL 6
We would love to be able to bring our friends from Haiti back to Houston for the Skills for Life 6 Workshop! We are currently short of our goal by about $4,000. Click the button in this section to donate today. PayPal allows you to either donate through your own PayPal account or by credit card. Once you have entered your donation amount, click on "add special instructions to seller" and be sure to note that the donation is for our Haiti Fundraising. Please help us reach our goal, so that we are able to book everything for Ivens, Cedieu, Jolissaint and Emmanuel.
The donate link can also be used to make general donations to go towards scholarships or the general mission of ESFL.
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SFL 6 Hotel & Registration Information
The below information along with all the latest information can also be found on our Skills for Life 6 website.
JW MARRIOTT RESERVATIONS
Our Skills for Life 6 Workshop will be held at the JW Marriott Houston by the Galleria, 5150 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77056
If you have any troubles with making reservations online, please call the central reservations team at 1-800-228-9290 and make sure to mention you are with the Skills for Life Workshop to receive the $150/night rate. Our JW Marriott Galleria rooming coordinator is Me'Orie Dixon and she can be reached by email if problems continue to persist when making reservations.
*Cutoff reservation date is September 14, 2022
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!!
All attendees will use Eventbrite to guarantee their spot at Skills for Life. If you are a limb loss/limb different individual, remember your registration is FREE, but you will still need to complete the online registration process. All other registrations range from $150-$650.
Click the Eventbrite logo in this section or HERE to register.
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Financial Assistance
If you are thinking of attending the workshop in October, please consider starting your application today...please don't wait until the last minute. Limb loss/limb different individuals may apply for financial assistance to help offset their travel and lodging expenses (up to $1,000 USD) in order to attend the Skills for Life 6 Workshop. Applications will be processed in the order they were received. Recipients will be notified with plenty of time to make travel arrangements. Travel will be reimbursed after receiving paid receipt and lodging will be paid directly to the hotel.
PLEASE NOTE: You will still need to register for the conference through Eventbrite. Click here or the button in this section to start your scholarship application. Please contact us with any questions.
Houston, we have a... solution!
Have you heard of Angel Flight? We recently learned of an amazing organization from our SFL family member, Karen Crespo, so we wanted to share this resource with everyone!
Angel Flight is a group of regional nonprofits helping fly people in need. If you are looking to travel somewhere for your medical care, they cover your flight with their volunteer pilots or through their partnerships with commercial airlines (ie Alaska Airlines, Southwest or JetBlue). You must contact them to make sure you qualify and each region may have different guidelines. Please use Air Charity Network to find the regional Angel Flight group who serves your state to request a free flight.
For Skills for Life 6, regional chapter, Angel Flight West (pink shaded area on the map) has offered to look at applications for flights to Houston for the SFL workshop on a base by case basis. If you live in their region, consider submitting an application. Contact is being attempted with other regional chapters to see if they would also consider reviewing applications on a case by case basis.
*Pro Tip: For great deals on commercial airfare, you can set alerts (HOU or IAH) on Skyscanner OR check out Escape Houston (website or FB) for your October travel dates to Houston.
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Become a Skills for Life 6 Sponsor/Exhibitor Today!
Please send a big THANK YOU to TIRR Memorial Hermann (Platinum), Fillauer (Gold), Hanger (Silver), Holmes Prosthetic Center (Silver), Ossur (Bronze), Ottobock (Bronze), Aether Biomedical (Bronze), Point Designs (Copper), Coapt Engineering (Iron), Infinite Biomedical Technologies (Iron), Unlimited Tomorrow (Iron), Strowmatt Rehabilitation Services (Iron) Handspring (Iron) and USISPO (Global Outreach) for their support of the upcoming SFL 6 Workshop! Our amazing sponsors can also be found at the end of this newsletter. We would love to add your company name to our growing list of sponsors!
The Skills for Life workshop is only possible because of our generous sponsors, donors and exhibitors! We have many levels of sponsorship available so click on the application link or buttons in this section to learn more on how to get involved. Please consider becoming a sponsor or exhibitor at SFL 6 and contact us with any questions.
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Shawn Swanson Johnson, OT (co-chair)
Kristi Turner, OT (co-chair)
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Diane Atkins, OT
Nathalie Atkins
John Dombo
Zach Harvey, CP
Wendy Hill, OT
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Scott Hosie, CP
Danielle Melton, MD
Wayne Moorehead
Eric Nelson
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Levin Sliker, PhD
Fanny Schultea, CP
Kim Steele
Mike St Onge
Patricia Tully, OT
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Mike St Onge, Chair
Jeff Mulvogue, Treasurer
Annae Jones, Secretary
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John Dombo
Harold Sears, PhD
Gerry Stark, CP
Karen Fetter, Admin
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Steve Kaestle
Karen Lundquist
Mara Herschbach
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Thank you Skills for Life 6 Sponsors! |
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Gold Sponsor & Repair Booth |
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Silver Sponsor & Repair Booth |
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Help us continue to provide meaningful connections! |
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Skills for Life 6 HERO Sponsors |
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Sponsor a Limb Loss Individual to attend the Skills for Life 6 Workshop today and your
name/company logo will be placed here and in our official program
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Scholarships
Limb loss individuals may apply for scholarships to attend Skills for Life workshops or other events where there are opportunities for face to face interaction with individuals missing at least both arms or all four limbs (Amputee Coalition National Conference, Quad Squad Muster, Camp No Limits, etc). Financial assistance requests need to be completed and submitted online. Please be as thorough as possible in your applications and provide good contact information as follow up emails or phone calls may be necessary. Please contact Kristi Turner with any questions.
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Change a Life, Donate Today
The Skills for Life workshop was developed 20 years ago with a specific focus on people missing both arms or all four limbs and the unique set of circumstances they face on a daily basis. Please consider donating so everyone who wants to has a chance to attend this life changing international event! To donate, please click either button in this section. If you make a donation of $1000 or higher, you will be recognized as a HERO Sponsor at Skills for Life 6. Feel free to leave a note with your donation if sponsoring a particular individual or multiple individuals.
Any and all donations, large or small, are greatly appreciated! To show our appreciation, your name will be listed on our Skills for Life 6 website and in our Skills for Life Program!
Enhancing Skills for Life, 501c3 Tax ID: 81-2619137.
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ESFL is an AmazonSmile Charity
Consider choosing Enhancing Skills for Life as your 501c3 charity on AmazonSmile! When customers shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to Enhancing Skills for Life. When first visiting AmazonSmile, you will be prompted to select a charitable organization. Why not choose Enhancing Skills for Life? Click HERE to change your current AmazonSmile charity to ESFL today!
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Contact Us | 713-240-8336 | Email
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