Wood County Board of Development Disabilities (WCBDD) has announced that Sibshops are now being offered in Wood County.
Sibshops are fun opportunities providing young brothers and sisters who have a sibling with a developmental disability the chance to learn and make connections to other siblings in the community. These opportunities include:
• Meet other sibs (usually for the first time)
• Have fun
• Talk about the good and not-so-good parts of having a sib with special needs with others who “get it.”
• Play some great games
• Explore how other siblings handle sticky situations sometimes faced by brothers and sisters
• Laugh
• Learn about the services their brothers and sister receive, AND…
• Have some more fun
WCBDD currently has two Sibshop facilitators who have been properly trained and certified to host these opportunities and experiences. Charese Botjer, communications and community engagement manager, and Joe Bernyk, community engagement specialist, are the lead facilitators at WCBDD and are thrilled to see the program flourish over time.
Botjer notes, “Our goal is to provide a safe, supportive, recreational (and FUN) environment for the siblings who have a brother or sister with a disability. Creating this environment will hopefully allow the sibs to create connections and relationships they never had before, learn about the DD system, and perhaps learn more about themselves and their brothers/sisters. Being able to support, empower, and inspire these siblings will be the foundation to the start of something truly wonderful.”
Sibshops will be offered on the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Wood County Board of Developmental Disabilities (1921 E. Gypsy Lane Road) in Building B. Sibshops are also free.
For more information about Sibshops or to register, contact 419-352-5115 or email [email protected].
