efmp news/february 2014

EFMP News • February 2014 Bldg. 2140, Room 400/253-967-9704/9705 1

EFMP NewsYour free guide to EFMP services, entertainment and educational opportunities on Joint Base Lewis-McChord

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Exceptional Family Member Program February 2014

Page 2-3

Families Overcoming Under Stress (FOCUS)

New Support Group: Steilacoom STARS

Page 6

Pages 4-5

Fun Things to do Around JBLM

Local Support GroupsPages 2 & 7


In this issue:

Armed Forces Community Service (AFCS)Director: Alecia R. Grady

Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP)

Bldg. 2140, Waller Hall, Rm. 400JBLM-Lewis Main

usarmy.jblm.imcom.list.dfmwr-acs-exceptional-family-member@mail.mil

EFMP Program Manager: Mary Herrera253-967-9704

EFMP Staff Members:

February Events, pg. 2-3Fun Things around JBLM, pg. 4-5FOCUS Program, pg. 6New Support Group, pg. 6Local Support Groups, pg. 2 & 7Birth-to-Three Services, pg. 7EFMP Enrollment Process, pg. 7Resources at your fingertips, pg. 8

Nancy Dozier: 253-967-9705Carol Watrous: 253-967-3451Cheryl Hoyson: 253-967-5795Lynn Shick: 253-967-3464Anthony Buggage: 253-982-2695

The EFMP office has an open-door policyregarding assistance to our Families. Please feel free to contact us if you have any ques-tions about available services, concerns, or if you need resources or advocacy at Joint Base Lewis-McChord or in the civiliancommunity.

Special Families of Pierce County Feb. 13, 6:00-8:00 p.m., “The Perfect Storm: The True Cause of Neurodevelopmental Disorders”, Speaker: Dr. Nathan Wall, Chiropractor at Wall Family Chiropractic. Contact [email protected].

EFMP Family Friendly Movie “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” Feb. 15, 12-2 p.m. McChord Theater. FREE. Sensory controlled environment. Perfect for special needs and young viewers. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Bring your own snacks. For more information contact 253-982-2695.

Community Inclusion Program Feb. 20, 6-8:00 p.m. Tools & Techniques: Social Communication, Gray Middle School, 6229 South Tyler, Tacoma. Call Susan Jackson at 253-565-2266 for more information.

friends of Western Washington Feb. 22, 10:00 a.m., Play Group for the Down Syndrome Community at Children’s Therapy Center, 8717 S Hosmer St, Tacoma. For information contact Shannon French at 253-224-0397, Susan Jackson at 253-565-2266, or on Facebook at: on.fb.me/11gEfJw.

Dr. Dad Feb. 6 and 13, 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. (Modules 1 and 2) Increases skills and confidence for new fathers, focusing on health & safety. Location – BLD 2013 North 3rd Street & Pendleton, Lewis Main, Rm 111. Call 253-967-5901 for additional information.

Steilacoom STARS Community Meeting Feb. 6, 7:00-8:00 p.m. Chloe Clark Elementary School Library, 908 3rd Street, Steilacoom, WA 98388.

Down Syndrome Support Group Feb. 7, 6:30 p.m. Chili Thai, Puyallup, Moms Night Out, Dads welcome too! Join other families who have children with Down Syndrome. Contact [email protected].

PURPAS– Monthly Meeting Feb. 12, 6:30-8:00 p.m. Henry Foss High School, 2112 South Tyler Street, Tacoma, Rooms 213A & 215A. Bring your own beverage; snacks will be provided. For more information please contact Susan Jackson or Sybille White at 253-565-2266.

February


Events...EFMP News is an authorized unofficial community information source published for members of the Joint Base Lewis-McChord EFMP community. There is no U.S. government endorsement of any commercial sponsor. Editorial content is provided by Exceptional Family Member Program, Army Community Service, and Family & Morale Welfare and Recreation offices. Submissions are welcome but will be edited for accuracy, brevity, clarity and journalistic style. Submissions are due on the first day of the month, one month prior to publication date. EFMP News is published monthly. Circulation: 1000. Send submissions to: [email protected]

Policy:We encourage letters to the editor, but they must be signed. We will consider withhold-ing the name of the author upon request. Letters regarding an issue should contrib-ute to informational interest.

We reserve the right to edit all material for style, to fit available space, to resolve libel, force protection and grammar.

Although the information in the issue is current at time of publication, activities and events are subject to change. Please contact the activity for confirmation.

Join us on FACEBOOK! Connect with other EFMP News readers on Facebook and get regular updates on our program.

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SKIES Registration Feb. 3 - 28 Parent Central Services, Lewis Main & McChord Field (map) to register for March SKIES classes. Last day to register for classes is the 4th Friday of every month. For a description of classes or to register your child, go to JBLMmwr.com & click on the yellow WebTrac button.

Special Olympics - Track & Field and Aquatics registration Feb. 3 through Mar 21

Upcoming event on Mar. 1BioRx is sponsoring an Interactive Education, pizza, and bowling event for those who have a bleeding disorder such as Hemophilia or Von Willebrand’s Disease. Speaker: Sandy Puckett, RN, BSN for BioRx. Do you have painful joints from bleeding episodes? Come learn how to improve

& maintain your joint health and physical fitness. Location: Bowl Arena Lanes, Bldg 2272 Liggett Ave, JBLM Lewis-Main from 1100 – 1500. For more information and to secure your seat, please contact Danielle Macomber (English) at 360.335.7016, [email protected] or Gloria Acosta (Spanish), 253-682-9636, [email protected].


Play to Learn at JBLM is a FREE collaborative program

for parents, grandparents, neighbors, family and friends who nurture children ages six and under. This is sponsored through the Children’s Museum of Tacoma. Program Dates are February 5, 12, 19, 26, and March 5, 12, 19, and 26. Locations are Wednesday Mornings 10-11:30 a.m. at the Escape Zone, 841, off Lincoln Blvd. on McChord Field. Wednesday Afternoons 1:30 – 3 p.m., Raindrops and Rainbows, 8197 American Lake Drive, Lewis North.

Special Night of Play for families with children

with Autism at the Hands On Children’s Museum on Saturday,

February 15 from 6-8 p.m. We hope that this will provide families a less stimulating time to experience the museum

Fun Things to do Around JBLM!


along with collaboration with families that share the same life experiences. Families will find compassion and acceptance for typical behaviors such as vocalizing and running and other complexities of autism. We will offer “quiet” spaces as well as developmentally appropriate activities and information about resources for families in our community. There will be special discounted admission for that evening: Members, ages 1 & up: $5 per person. Non-members, ages 1 & up: $7 per person. Babies, ages 0-11 months: Free.

Free Events at Timberland Library, visit trlib.org

Anime Club, Monday, Feb. 10, 4:15-5:15 p.m., Lacey

Timberland Library, 500 College Street SE, Lacey 98503. Anime Club at the Library – Teens can gather to discuss manga, Japanese print comics, and anime, Japanese animation. For more information, call the library at 360-491-3860.

Book Babies, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 10:30-11 a.m. Lacey

Timberland Library. For more information, call library at 360-491-3860.

A Fierce Green Fire: The Battle for a Living Planet

& Skype Q&A with Filmmaker, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 7:30-9:30 p.m. Olympia Timberland Library, 313 8th Ave SE, Olympia 98501. For more information, call the library at 360-352-0595.

Dream Interpretation for Beginners, Saturday, Feb.

15, 1-3 p.m. Lacey Timberland Library. For more information, call the library at 360-491-3860.

Pizza & Paperbacks, Saturday, Feb. 15, 3-4 p.m.,

Lacey Timberland Library. For more information call the library at 360-491-3860.

Genealogy Café at the Library, Feb. 15, 1-3 p.m.,

Olympia Timberland Library. For more information call the library at 360-352-0595.

Track Down Book Characters, Mar. 3-8,

All day, Lacey Timberland Library. For more information call the library at 360-491-3860.

Wednesday Morning Bird Walk, Ongoing, 8 a.m.,

Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge, located off Interstate 5 at Exit 114. A guided bird walk through the refuge, held throughout the year, rain or shine. For more information visit www.fws.gov or call 360-753-9467.

Railroad Society Open to Visitors, Thursdays and

Saturdays, times vary. For more information visit www.omrx-wa.org

Resume Help at the Library, Daily by appointment at the

Tumwater Timberland Library, 7023 New Market St. SW, Tumwater. Call the library at 360-943-7790 and schedule a one-hour appointment to help you create or update your resume.

EFMP News • February 2014 Bldg. 2140, Room 400/253-967-9704/9705 6 6

Resiliency Training for Military Families and Children. FAMILIES: Individual Family sessions that build upon Family strengths in order to weather the stress of deployment (pre, during, post) and other military transitions• Improves communications, reduces arguing• Improves child behaviors, strengthens parent coping• Approximately 8 sessions, tailored to the Family’s needs• Confidential sessions• Family Friendly Hours• Prevention, not therapy• Gateway to other services for risk reductionFOCUS Contact Information: Kim Crosby, PhD, Site DirectorMain Phone: (253) 966-6360Office: Bldg. 2013B, Room 331 (Pendleton and 3rd St.)Email: [email protected]

Families Over-Coming Under Stress

Steilacoom STARS, Students Tri-umph with Autism Resources and Supports, was created by a group of Steilacoom Historical School District educators and parents to provide information and supports for those in our community im-

pacted by Autism Spectrum Disor-der. Meetings offer an opportunity for families, students and educators to connect, learn, and grow.

STARS can provide opportuni-ties and resources for families to

A New Support Group iS iN towN

network, students to share their experiences, educators, and fami-lies to learn more about these ex-ceptional students and how best to support them at school and in the community. Open to anyone in any school district.

F•O•C•U•S

For more information, contact: Dena Snow, 253.983.2633, [email protected] or Colette Parrotte, 253-983-2611, [email protected].


EFMP Enrollment Process

Birth To Three Early Intervention Programs

Contact the Lead Agency for your county for a referral for services.

Family Resource Coordination/Pierce County: 253-798-3790

South Sound Parent To Parent/Thurston County: 360-352-1126

Holly Ridge Center/Kitsap and Mason counties: 360-373-2536

Community Health Access Program (CHAP)/King County: 206-284-0331

Support Groups for You & Yours

PURPASA family support group open to all (parents, children, and helping pro-fessionals) for individuals with Au-tism. Participants meet on the 2nd Wednesday of the month at Henry Foss High School, 2112 South Tyler Street, Tacoma, Rooms 213A and 215A from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. Bring your own beverage; snacks will be provided. For more information please contact PAVE at 253-565-2266. Susan Jackson: [email protected] or Sybille White: [email protected].

TACIDTacoma Area Coalition of Individ-uals with Disabilities promotes the independence of individuals with disabilities. It is located at 6315 South 19th Street, Tacoma. Call 253-565-9000 for further informa-tion. The website is www.tacid.org and has a program link to an ex-tensive schedule of workshops and support groups for peer support, employment, recovery and well-ness, housing, independent living, and veterans’ services.

If your Family member has a health con-dition that necessitates a specialist or spe-cialty clinic, he or she MUST be enrolled in EFMP under medical, DD Form 2792. If your child has an IEP (Individualized Education Program) or 504 plan, he or she must be enrolled in EFMP under educa-tion, DD Form 2792-1. Enrollment forms for EFMP are renewed every three years or sooner, if there are significant changes.

Disenrollment is not automatic upon expiration; it is required for a change in marital status or a significant improvement that no longer warrants enrollment.

Army — Submit your completed enroll-ment forms to the EFMP office located in the Madigan Nursing Tower, on the first floor, left side, just past the chapel, room 1-28-17. For questions regarding enroll-ment or overseas screenings, please call 253-968-3659/0254/ 1370. This office is closed on Thursdays.

Air Force — Submit your completed enrollment forms to the EFMP/FMRC office on the first floor of the 62nd Medical Clinic. For a PCS screening or for ques-tions call SSGT McDonald at 253-982-3350. For Air Force Respite Care, contact the Airman & Family Readiness Center at 253-982-2695.

EFMP Family Support Services Bldg. 2140, Waller Hall, Room 400, JBLM-Lewis Main; Bldg. 552, Airman & Family Readiness Center, JBLM-McChord Field.

Installation and local resources and ser-vices, housing and school issues, IEP/504 plans, respite care, systems navigation, advocacy, support groups, monthly newsletter, disability services and Special Needs Accommodation Process are avail-able for all Army and Air Force EFMP Families.

SPECIAl FAMIlIES OF PIERCE COUnTythe corner of 15th and Pacific Av-enue. Street parking is free after 6 p.m. Childcare is limited and pre-registration is required each month. To RSVP go to: www.exceptional-families.org/events.html. Contact Angela Fish at [email protected] for further information.

Special Families of Pierce County (SFPC) is a support group for families with special needs children in the South Sound region.Meetings are held on the second Thursday of the month, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at the Children’s Museum of Tacoma, 1501 Pacific Avenue, on


Resources

Individuals With DisabilitiesAcommonvoice.org (Counseling)

Addresources.org (ADD/ADHD)

Autismsocietyofwa.org (Autism)

Autismspeaks.org (Autism)

Biorxhemophilia.com (Bleeding disorders)

Exceptional-families.org (SN Support Group)

Featwa.org (Autism)

Gluten.net (Gluten Intolerance Group)

Hsdc.org (Hearing Speech and Deafness Center)

Piercecountywa.org/companionship (Pierce County Parks & Recreation)

Special-families.org (SN Parent Support Group)

Stompproject.org (Specialized Training for Military Parents)

Tbiwashington.org (Traumatic Brain Injury of Washington)

Thecpnetwork.org (Cerebral Palsy)

Family AssistanceAcommonvoice.org (A Common Voice)

Efoodnet.org (Pierce County Food Banks)

Militaryhomefront.dod.mil

MilitaryOneSource.mil

MyTricare.com (Tricare)

Operationhomefront.net/PacificNorthwest

Uhcmilitarywest.com (Tricare Western Region)

Usacares.org (Military Family Assistance Center)

Children’s ServicesNaccra.org (ChildCare Aware of America)

Nmfa.org (National Military FamilyFamily Association)

Psesd.org (Puget Sound Educational Service District)

Ssp2p.org (South Sound Parent2Parent)

FacebookFacebook.com/efmpjblm

Facebook.com/JBLMFamilyMWR

Facebook.com/JBLMcyssSER

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