~To empower, educate and connect those living with bilateral upper limb loss |
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Executive Director's Message
We have accomplished quite a bit in the short time we have been an independent charity. We started off with less than $1k in the bank in 2018 and have since raised over $142K for scholarships, COVID-19 relief, operations, and future workshops, all thanks to incredibly generous donors, sponsors and fundraisers!
After Skills for Life 5, a new board was formed to help progress Enhancing Skills for Life's mission. All our board members have made significant contributions these past few years, but I want to give a special shout-out to our Chairman, Rod McCraken. Rod stepped forward after our 2018 workshop and offered his help for Skills for Life 6. Little did he know what he was getting himself into! His contributions have been invaluable over the past few years and I want to personally thank him for his time and efforts. Rod not only brought a sense of humor, sarcasm and candor to our board; but through his countless volunteer hours, he helped ensure we had regular meetings, a new & improved website, revised bylaws, adoption of quickbooks to keep track of our finances and budget, liability and event insurance, a social media presence and immeasurable other impacts. In addition to his volunteer work, Rod became a caregiver to to his wife Mandy when she lost all four limbs to sepsis in 2013.
Rod and Mandy, reside in Australia and have 3 lovely children. Through tragedy, this duo have come back strong and are always willing to help others and put actions behind their words. On top of being part of our SFL family, Mandy formed the Quad Squad FB group in 2015 to address the more specific challenges faced by a quad amputee. Quad Squad hosts biennial muster meetings which began in Australia in 2017. Regardless to say, this couple have a full plate! It was with reluctance that I accepted Rod's resignation from the Board, but we wish wish him well as he focuses on his family and his new business, The Guitar Room.
As a note, if you are interested in viewing our Annual Report (July 2020), click here.
If you have any interest in serving on the board of directors, volunteering your time or know of someone that would be interested, please contact us. We are expanding our programs to impact more individuals, and are always looking for more help. Click here to Meet our Current Team.
Keep reading for more information on our upcoming private and public zoom meetings as well as updates on the Virtual Skills for Life Workshop in October, information from the Sepsis Alliance, upcoming zoom meetings and the Adaptive Equipment Publication.
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April is Limb Loss & Limb Difference Awareness Month!!
More than 2 million Americans live with limb loss or limb difference, and more than 28 million are at risk of amputation surgery. The Amputee Coalition created Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month to honor this community and educate others about what it’s like to live with limb loss and limb difference.
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Mentor Opportunities & Requests
We continuously receive requests for mentors to speak to individuals new to limb loss or those living with limb loss looking for ideas on independence with daily tasks. These requests come from many different places... other organizations, case managers, physicians, parents of limb different children, limb loss individuals, healthcare professionals, etc.
We plan to reach out to some of you to see if you are willing to help connect with others in a private zoom. Alternatively, if you are in need of connecting with a mentor separate from our monthly Zoom calls, please reach out and we can get you connected. It could be for specific tasks or just to talk. Let us know how we can help!
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Private Monthly Zoom Meetings |
We have been hosting Tips n Tricks Zoom meetings since May 2020 and have covered kitchen gadgets, technology hacks, dressing, bathing, toileting, taking care of your caretaker, coping & grief, make-up & hair, caregiver meetup, adaptive sports, and hobbies.
Please join us on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 4pm central for "Hunting", led by Jason Koger and mark your calendars for May 19, 2021 for "Driving", led by Wayne Moorehead. Our hosts share their experiences, but there is lots of opportunities to share your thoughts and to ask questions. Please pass the word around to others living with upper bilateral limb differences.
Click here to request zoom login information. If you are a member of the Skills for Life Facebook private group, the login information is posted there. The link stays the same every month. Keep in mind some zooms are casual and some are more serious, recordings may or may not take place.
* PLEASE NOTE ZOOMS WILL MOVE TO 7:00PM CENTRAL TIME STARTING in June 2021.
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Starting in 2021 we began hosting public informational Zoom sessions. Please mark your calendars for the below topics:
-April 28, 2021 "Where to find Support & How to Access Resources" led by Nicole Gross of the Amputee Coalition.
-May 26, 2021 "Move Your Body: Change Your Mind", led by Inger Brueckner, PT.
* Save this email and click the below link to join the Public Zooms.
* PLEASE NOTE ZOOMS WILL MOVE TO 7:00PM CENTRAL TIME STARTING in June 2021.
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National Sepsis Registry
A new initiative founded by Sepsis Alliance will advocate for the creation of a National Sepsis Registry - a hub of centralized information critical to improving sepsis care. Click here to read the press release.
Sepsis Alliance is also looking for individuals to be part of their "Faces of Sepsis" campaign. Please click here to read other stories of survivors as well as tributes to loved ones who passed. You can also submit your own story for their campaign through the same link.
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Registration will open soon! Please stay up to date by reading through these emails, bookmarking our website or following us on FB. The program will take place on October 15-16, 2021, specific times and agenda will be released closer to the event.
The event will be free, but we will be cutting off registration a few weeks prior to the event so we can ensure all registrants have enough time to familiarize themselves with the platform. We will have a pre-event happy hour, live speakers, recorded sessions, live breakout sessions, an exhibit hall, message boards, contests with small prizes and more! Even though we can't be together in person this year, we are trying our best to make this experience the best it can be and get everyone excited for 2022 in Houston, TX!
For those considering coming to Houston in 2022, scholarships will be available again! If you benefitted from coming to SFL at one point in time, but now you might have most things figured out, please consider PAYING IT FORWARD by attending in person in 2022 to share your experiences in overcoming limb loss. There are so many new folks who join our little community between workshops and they could sure benefit from those of you who have been around the block a time or two. These workshops typically only happen every 3 years so it always so heart filling to reconnect at these workshops. P.S.-SFL 6 will be lots of sharing, breakouts, circle time, demonstrations, and tips & tricks... just in case you were wondering how it would compare to SFL 5 (2018).
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Become a Sponsor
Many thanks to Coapt, Handspring, Hanger, Point Designs, TIRR Memorial Hermann, Ossur and USISPO for being Skills for Life 5 1/2 Sponsors! Please make sure to visit all of our amazing SPONSORS at the end of this newsletter and thank them for their support!
The Skills for Life workshop is only possible because of the generosity of our sponsors! We still have spots available and would love to include you in our Exhibit Hall, so please click on the information link below to learn about options and click HERE to start the sponsor registration process.
By being a sponsor, you will help us keep our community connected and be a part of our "Meet the Sponsors" Zoom scheduled for September 2021. We will make sure to promote you in our sponsor section at the bottom of this monthly newsletter, on our social media as well as on our public zoom sessions. Click here for additional information about sponsorships and the button below to become a sponsor. Please contact us with any questions or to discuss opportunities.
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Shawn Swanson Johnson, OT (co-chair)
Kristi Turner, OT (co-chair)
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Diane Atkins, OTR
Jon Batzdorff, CP
John Dombo
Wendy Hill, OT
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Scott Hosie, CP
Danielle Melton, MD
Eric Nelson
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Levin Sliker, PhD
Fanny Schultea, CP
Mike St Onge
Patricia Tully, OT
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Jeff Mulvogue, Treasurer
Mike St Onge, Secretary
Annae Jones
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Harold Sears, PhD
Gerry Stark, CP
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Samoana Matagi
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. Please contact Kristi Turner with any questions.
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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? OR 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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