~To empower, educate and connect those living without both arms or all four limbs. |
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{ Skills for Life 5 1/2 Updates }
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Executive Director's Message
We are ONE MONTH away from Skills for Life 5 1/2! Make sure you register for the virtual event & create your Whova account soon. Registration will close a week prior to the event. More information can be found in the below section regarding the Whova platform we will be using for this virtual workshop. Please follow all the steps listed below or on our registration website to ensure you are able to attend and access the workshop on October 15-16, 2021.
We are excited to connect with everyone virtually THIS year and look forward to seeing everyone in person NEXT year in 2022! Mark those calendars for SFL 6 in Houston, TX October 5-9, 2022.
Thanks to all who attended our ESFL Annual Meeting in August. For those unable to attend, please see our 2021 Annual Report.
Keep reading for more information on Skills for Life workshops, Ronnie's bowling tournament, Combined Federal Campaign, Sepsis Awareness Month and our makerspace opportunity!
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Skills for Life 5 1/2 Virtual Bilateral Upper Limb Loss Workshop will take place online October 15-16, 2021. Click here to register or the above button. The program will be updated and modified regularly to reflect current status.
All information about the virtual event such as registration, agenda, speakers and exhibitors are available on our event page at: https://whova.com/web/skill_202102/. Please don't forget to create your Whova account. You won't be able to join without doing this step. See more information in the below section.
We are still welcoming exhibitors, click here to showcase your company at Skills for Life 5 1/2! Contact Shawn if you have any questions.
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WHOVA & Virtual SFL 5 1/2
Important Steps to Follow
Step 1: Register. See SFL 5 1/2 section above or click here.
Step 2: Create a Whova Account. You will need to enter your name, and then enter the same email address you used to register. You will also be prompted to enter and confirm a password for your account.
Step 3: Setup your Whova Profile. Once you are logged into your account, please take the time to fill out your profile which includes your work affiliation & job title (if any), upload a fun photo, and provide a brief bio. This will help everyone learn more about their fellow attendees!!
Step 4: Download the Whova App if you will be attending the event via your phone or tablet. It is not necessary to download the app if you will attend on your computer.
Please make sure to do the above steps at least one week prior to the event so you can get familiar with the platform ahead of time.
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Mark Your Calendars!! Skills for Life 6 will take place in Houston, TX October 5-9, 2022. The in person workshops only happen every 3 years. It is such an amazing reunion when we get together after so much time apart! If you learned a new trick or gained new insight from a SFL workshop in the past, please consider PAYING IT FORWARD by attending SFL 6 in person in 2022. By sharing your experiences and knowledge, you will be helping someone who may just be getting started on their limb loss journey and allowing them see that they are not alone. There are many new individuals who join our SFL community between workshops and they will greatly benefit from your knowledge and experience. More information on hotel, program, activity day, and other aspects of the workshop will be coming after the conclusion of SFL 5 1/2.
We know companies are planning their 2022 budget around this time so make sure to Click Here to learn more!
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Combined Federal Campaign
We are excited to be able to share with a larger audience about how amazing Enhancing Skills for Life is! We can now get the word out to all Federal Employees through our participation in CFC. If you are interested in seeing what our ESFL campaign looks like online, you can view them by clicking "watch charity videos" and "read charity stories". Thank you Billy P for allowing us to share your story!
If you are a Federal employee (contractors and retirees too) and interested in workplace giving? Consider choosing Enhancing Skills for Life as one of the charities you support. The CFC giving campaign opened on September 1, 2021. You can search for us by entering Enhancing Skills for Life as the name, filter by cause (Health Care) or by entering our CFC#: 60813.
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Ronnie's 4th Annual Bowling Tournament
Ronnie is hosting his 4th Annual Bowling Tournament in Livingston, TX February 12-13, 2021. Mark your calendars and start looking up airfare now for a weekend of fun and fellowship. You don't have to know how to bowl (or even like bowling) to come join in the fun. There is always a good life hack tip to be shared too! You might find a new and easier way to open a coke (or beer) bottle?? It is for a great cause and it is incredibly awesome to watch those with bilateral upper limb loss bowl those strikes!
As many of you know, we offer scholarships to attend the Skills for Life events, but did you know we also offer financial assistance to attend Ronnie's bowling tournament??? Click here to fill out your application today. We are excited to watch this event grow every year and would love to have you come join the fun in 2022!
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Makerspace: Submit a Problem &
We Will Try Our Best to Solve It!
Is there something you want to do on your own, but just can’t? Let us help you figure out a different way! Maybe a solution already exists that we can share with you? But, if not, here are some neat opportunities to come up with a solution. Share your challenges with us between now and virtual SFL 5.5 in October 2021. You will then be assigned to work with a team over the next few months. At SFL 6, October 2022 (in person), solutions to projects from SFL 5.5 will be presented/delivered. Limb loss individuals will also have the opportunity to share additional or new problems at SFL 6. If you are interested in submitting a project idea or participating as a maker (prizes!), contact Levin Sliker at levin@pointdesignsllc.com.
We have our first few applications rolling in, so submit your challenges and let's see if we can help find a solution.
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September is Sepsis Awareness Month
Sepsis is the body’s life-threatening response to infection that affects 1.7 million people and takes 270,000 lives in the U.S. every year. Many in our Skills for Life community have lost limbs due to sepsis.
In 2011, Sepsis Alliance designated September as Sepsis Awareness Month. Every September since, they’ve invited individuals, healthcare professionals in every area of medicine, and organizations big and small to help save lives by raising awareness of the leading cause of deaths in U.S. hospitals – SEPSIS.
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Shawn Swanson Johnson, OT (co-chair)
Kristi Turner, OT (co-chair)
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Diane Atkins, OTR
John Dombo
Wendy Hill, OT
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Scott Hosie, CP
Danielle Melton, MD
Eric Nelson
Levin Sliker, PhD
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Fanny Schultea, CP
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
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Steve Kaestle
Karen Lundquist
Mara Herschbach
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Thank you SFL 5 1/2 Sponsors!
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Help us continue to provide meaningful connections! |
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Financial Assistance
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 aid requests need to be completed and submitted online by clicking HERE. COVID-19 financial aid is also still available for those in need. Please be as thorough as possible in your applications and provide good contact information as follow up emails or phone calls may be necessary.
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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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