Little Lightning Spring Sports Registration closes today!

Spring will be here soon, and that means a new season of sports! We will be offering Bowling, Tennis, Track & Field, and Walking Group to the Little Lightning athletes. This registration is for athletes who are age 8-21 only. Deadline to register is TODAY, March 22! You must register to participate in spring sports/summer games. Click here to register.

Fitness Fun for Everyone tonight!

A fun (and easy, we promise) and free fitness class for all ages and abilities in our community in honor of DD Awareness Month! This evening from 6 - 7 p.m. you can run through a circuit of different workout stations, collect a band upon completion of each station, and redeem for prizes at the end! Registration recommended but not required - click here to register!

Meet the Artists at Franklin Park Mall tomorrow!

Stop by to view various works of art created by nearly 30 local artists with DD! You can view the show in the Macy's wing (near Sole Status) during mall hours today, and then tomorrow, March 23, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. there will be a casual Meet the Artists event. The artists who are available will be there to meet and greet anyone who is interested (and will take their artwork home after the event). Click here to interact with the event on social media!

Lucas DD Support Group for Parents with Disabilities Continues

This support group is for people with any type of disability who are parents or interested in becoming parents. Participants will learn from other parents on everything pregnancy and parenthood related. The group will run for just 2 more weeks on Wednesdays from 5 - 6 p.m. Have questions? Email jzydorczyk@lucasdd.org. To register, click here. To see the informational flyer, click here.

Lucas DD Board Meeting Monday

The next monthly meeting of the Board of Directors of the Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities will be on March 25 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public at Lucas DD's Larc Lane Training Center, 1155 Larc Lane (Entrance O) in Toledo.

Cops and Conversations Tuesday

Cops & Conversations is put on by our SALUTE self-advocates and invites local law enforcement officers to have an informal conversation. Join us on March 26 from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. for this event that allows police/fire/EMS to interact with individuals with developmental disabilities and ask any questions they might have. It also allows the individuals to ask any questions they may have of law enforcement. Can't make it in person? Click here to join the conversation via Zoom!

Works4Me Empowers People with Disabilities

With Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s support and a new five-year federal grant awarded to Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD), Works4Me will help 1,450 individuals with disabilities move out of subminimum wage employment and into competitive integrated jobs. Click here to read more.

Spoken Rx "Talking" Prescription Labels Available at CVS Pharmacies

Spoken Rx® tells you which prescription you’re holding and how to take it.* All you need is a smart tagged prescription and the CVS Pharmacy® mobile app. It's a smart tagged prescription label that works with our app to read your prescription information aloud — in English or Spanish. It was created for blind or low-vision patients, Spoken Rx shares your prescription information without having to read the label. Click here to learn more.

Severe Weather Awareness Week

Governor DeWine proclaimed this week to be Severe Weather and Flood Safety Awareness Week in Ohio. You can read the governor’s proclamation here. Everyone should have a plan and an emergency kit ready in case of emergency. The Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness has provided information about being prepared for emergencies here. Need help building an emergency kit? An easy-to-use checklist can be found here.

Easy-to-read materials about tornados, floods, and other types of severe weather can be found here: 

·    National Weather Service Lightening Safety Easy Read Document

·    National Weather Service Tornado Safety Easy Read Document

·    National Weather Service Flood Safety Easy Read Document

Board Closed on March 29

The Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities will be closed Friday, March 29, in observance of the Spring Holiday. On-call staff are available 24/7 on our Emergency/After Hours line at 419-380-5100.

World Down Syndrome Day's Virtual Dance Party tonight

GLOBAL’s #WorldDownSyndromeDay Dance Party is back. Join Global Down Syndrome Foundation tonight, Friday, March 22 at 6 p.m. for a memorable evening full of fun, friends, dancing and more! To register, click here. Check out their website for full details: World Down Syndrome Day | Global Down Syndrome Foundation

Sibshops tomorrow

Does your child with special needs have a sibling, aged 8-16 years old? This free group is just for them! Sibshops provide young brothers and sisters with peer support and information in a lively, recreational setting. The next meeting is on March 23, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 3939 Wrenwood Rd, Toledo. To register, click here. For more information, click here.

RallyCap Olympics on Sunday

Join BGSU's RallyCap Sports for their first ever RallyCap Olympics on March 24 from 2 - 4 p.m. at the Perry Field House! This event is FREE, but registration is required. Click here to register! Open to all RallyPlayers who have attended events as well as new friends who would like to check out the program. Invite a friend and join them for some fun!

iDance Hip Hop Performance Team Auditions Sunday

Don't be late, be ready to dance at the iDance Adaptive Performing Arts Center from 6 - 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 24. Questions? Call 419-309-1610.

Free Egg Hunt on March 26

Purple Day is an international grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide. This year, the Epilepsy Center of NW Ohio will be hosting an Egg Hunt to celebrate the day with family fun. Free to the public. Come paint the town purple at 4 p.m. on March 26! Click here for full details.

Avenues for Autism Play and Parent Support Group March 27

Join Avenues for Autism at Sylvania Playland from 4 - 6 p.m. on March 27 for their private Autism Play and Parent Support Group. Children 12 and under. Click here to register today.

Sunshine Discovery Night at Imagination Station on March 27

This is a free, sensory-friendly event for friends and families of Sunshine Communities. Explore Imagination Station’s exhibits and watch science demonstrations. Food in their café will be available for purchase. Contact Lori Richard, lrichard@sunshine.org, if you have questions.

Eliminate Subminimum Wages: Zoom Meeting on March 28

Join Ohio APSE and the Ohio 14C Task Force at 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 28 in a virtual event to support the Employment First and Greater Opportunities For Persons With Disabilities Act! Click here to sign up for the zoom call.

A Mother's Rest

A Mother's Rest is a 501c3 charitable foundation which coordinates therapeutic respite retreats exclusively for caregivers who have loved ones with disabilities and/or chronic medical conditions. These 3-night B&B retreats are held at B&B "Porch Partners" nationwide. Click here to learn more.

Challenged Athletes Foundation

It is the mission of the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) to provide opportunities and support to people with physical disabilities so they can pursue active lifestyles through physical fitness and competitive athletics. The Challenged Athletes Foundation believes that involvement in sports at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence, and enhances quality of life. They provide funding grants for equipment such as sports wheelchairs, handcycles, mono skis and sports prosthetics, and resources for training and competition expenses directly to physically challenged individuals. Click here to learn more.

Community Fund Ohio

Community Fund Ohio is a nonprofit tax-exempt organization that enhances life for Ohio residents with disabilities by protecting their eligibility for government benefits and funding their current and future needs through pooled special needs trusts, grants, community education, and related services. They provide a few different types of grants to individuals in Ohio. Click here to learn more.

CARE Foundation

CARE Foundation is an organization devoted to improving the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders. CARE Foundation provides ABA therapy for children with autism and other form of developmental disabilities. Click here to learn more.

Lucas DD Parent Support

To learn about additional grants and funding resources such as the ones above, please reach out to Tammy Eisenreich at teisenreich@lucasdd.org or 419-356-3824.

Toledo Lucas County Public Library Seeks Feedback

The Toledo Lucas County Public Library is currently evaluating how their branches can best serve neighborhoods and communities in the future. To better assist in the planning process and gain direct feedback from Lucas County residents, they invite you to complete their online community survey. Share your feedback here: https://ow.ly/pgLW50QUbWs

The U.S. National Weather Service needs input from individuals w/ DD

The U.S. National Weather Service (NWS) is redesigning the weather.gov website to be more accessible and is seeking input from individuals with disabilities! Their intention is to redesign weather.gov to serve everyone needing weather information, especially in emergencies – when every word and every minute matters. In order to accomplish that, they need input from people to understand their unique needs. Click here to learn more about this opportunity.

Toledo Library's Libby App Seeks Input

Got two minutes? Libby wants to learn more about your content preferences in the LibbyLife newsletter and on social media. Five lucky winners who complete the survey will be entered to win a $50 gift card to The OverDrive Shop for LibbyApp swag! Click here to take the survey.

Greater Toledo Challenger Little League Needs Additional Coach

The Greater Toledo Challenger Little League is very excited to have so many interested players this year! Between the returning players and all of the new players that have signed up, they could use another coach for an adult team. Please email glanning@nbls.org if interested or for more information! To learn more about the league, click here.

Video of the Week

The Lucas DD Art Show officially opened on Monday morning at a press event. Superintendent Michele Myerholtz, Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz and Franklin Park Mall staff spoke about DD Awareness month.

Click here to check out some photo/video highlights of the memorable morning.