News & Events

News: Special Family Weekend - June 2009

Friends Tommy and Logan ~ during Special Family Weekend
(click photo to view larger)

This Event was submitted: October 1, 2009

There’s something so magical about Special Family Weekend, a time when families can be themselves.  There are not many places where a child who is in the throws of a major tantrum, doesn’t receive stares and glares from the group around him.  For most of these parents, it’s part of life.  What do these parents have in common?  They all have children with special needs.

For many families, there is an uncertainty of what this weekend is all about, with questions like,  “How will my child do away from me during parent times?,” “Will we be accepted?,” “Will we have fun?,” “What am I doing here?” By the end of Special Family Weekend, most find they have met a group of people that know what they are going through and know so much more about resources available for their children.

This year’s “magical” Special Family Weekend took place on Friday, June 19^th through Sunday, June 21^st at University of Maine at Machias.  Families met on Friday night at the Dorward Hall dorms and enjoyed the music of Duane Ingalls while they settled in to their rooms and awaited the opening of the pool.  On the Wall of Accomplishments, we saw pictures of major events in the families lives, including graduations, a new family member, or another major transition from the previous year.  There was also a place for “Our Angels,” members of Special Family Weekend that have passed on but are still remembered by the group.

Families enjoyed many delicious meals prepared by the Aramark staff.  They are so gracious and welcoming to our group.  Most of the children have ice cream at every meal.  That’s just part of the weekend!

While parents were in workshops and meetings, the children, teens, and young adults, gathered at the Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL) or the Child Care Center.  At the CLL, they played games and enjoyed art projects and playing with a Wii game system.  The younger children had fun at the beautiful Child Care Center playing doing their own art projects.

The activities for the children didn’t end there, they were treated to a demonstration by Sheriff Donnie Smith and his dog K-9 Ginger again this year.  This is always a highlight for both the kids and Sheriff Smith.  Teens and young adults hung out in the Game Room and played pool and air hockey and board games.

While the kids were busy with all of their activities, the parents and grandparents met for a time together.  The first meeting on Saturday morning was a time to get to know one another with a game of “Yankee Swap.” It’s gets pretty interesting and funny with our group, but it’s always a great ice breaker to get everyone comfortable. 

After lunch on Saturday, adults gathered again for a workshop, titled “Our Stories”.  Lillian Leighton, Lynda Barnes-Dolley, and Jen Wood, planning committee members and parents of children with special needs, shared their emotional stories. Lillian’s story is of her son Thomas who was born with many special needs and the challenges and joys of his life.  Fifteen years ago,  Lillian lost her son when he was just 11-years-old.  Sadly, Lillian also lost her husband Virgil just 10 months ago.  Lillian has been the chair of the planning committee since 1984!  Lynda is the mom of Keely.  Keely is a 10-year-old who attends Rose M. Gaffney School.  After Keely’s complicated birth, she and her mom were both hospitalized for months.  Lynda did a great job sharing her story and the challenges that she still faces with Keely.  I shared the story of my son,  Cody.  Cody is an 18-year-old, who was born with a chromosome partial deletion, causing a number of special needs including a heart defect, developmental delays, and behavioral challenges.  I shared about the incredible happiness Cody has brought to me and my husband Wayne and how when he was 10, we struggled to find him an appropriate residential placement to meet his unique needs.  Families recognized that though their stories may be similar, they’re very individual too. 

After dinner, the families were treated to the music of Linda Payne and Jenny Penny.  The children danced and giggled, while adults watched with delight.  After entertainment, the group had many choices for their free time, including swimming, shooting hoops in the gym, racquetball, or visiting in the dorm lounge and watching the Red Sox game.  That’s how we ended the day Saturday...exhausted but happy we came!

On Sunday, families gathered for a Spiritual Prayer time followed by the final parent meeting.  Raffle tickets for a “Chance Auction” were drawn on many items including haircuts at Wayne’s Barbershop, a case of Ray’s Sardines, a variety of gift cards, and Tide Mill Farm organic produce.  We wrapped up the weekend with a sharing time, passing along a stuffed bear that acts as a “talking stick” giving each person a chance to tell what the weekend meant to them.  There were as always plenty of hugs, tears, and laughter to go around.

We packed up our rooms reflecting on another incredible weekend and ate lunch followed by good-bye hugs!  As committee members, we’re exhausted and renewed and ready for another year.  The families change but the feeling is the same.  Families are always welcomed with compassion and understanding and accepted for who they are.  As one child expressed to his mom, “This is the place I don’t have to fake it.”

Special Family Weekend is a non-profit group that is largely supported by the Washington County Children’s Program, along with donations from State of Maine’s Department of Education and Children’s Services Unit.  University of Maine at Machias accommodates our group and donates many of the spaces we use during the weekend.  The weekend could not have happened without the help of  the many local contributors.  Thank you for your help!

To learn more about Special Family Weekend, please contact Lillian Leighton, 565-1030, or Jen Wood, WCCP’s Community Education Coordinator, at 255-3426, jenw@wccp.net, or visit www.wccp.net.