Shuck 'Em n' Slurp 'Em

In my own life there are many things that I enjoy, am interested in, am passionate about, and love. Two of the things that fall into one or more of those categories are children and oysters. Yes, ma'am and yes, sir, oysters. Boy-howdy, they are so unique in taste, rich in flavor of the ocean, and I sure do love them.

You are probably wondering why on earth I am sharing this with you. "Brooke, we read this thing for the children, not for you!"

Yes, I know, I know, it is all about the children; I agree! I share this with you because I am super excited about an upcoming event. Guess what it involves....

OYSTERS!!!

The Harmony School, a small, non-profit, private pre-school, kindergarten and elementary school, hosts a fundraising Oyster Roast each year. And every year, they choose a local non-profit organization to sponsor; this year they have chosen The Therapy Place!

Saturday, November 19, at 6:30 p.m., The Harmony School is going to have an oyster roast with a chili cook-off, live bands, beer and wine. Sound like fun? You bet your good khaki pants it is!

So, here's the deal: the tickets are $30 each. Don't you try to tell me that is too expensive. Why? Because $15 is tax-deductible, that's why. Now, there are two ways you can purchase these tickets: the first way is to purchase them through The Harmony School itself, but none of you want to do that. For every ticket The Harmony School sells, they receive $10 of the $15 tax-deductible and we, The Therapy Place, receive $5. For every ticket we sell, we receive $10 of the $15 tax-deductible and The Harmony School receives $5.

Have I convinced you?

The next time you stop by The Therapy Place, come see me; I'll show you where the tickets are. I better see every one of you lining up outside of this front door wanting the tickets. You can even sell them to your own friends and family! The more the merrier! We love good parties, good music and good food! Don't you? I know you do!

To Change Or Not To Change; That Is The Question

What can describe The Therapy Place right now, at this exact moment? Busy. Yes, that usually describes us. Maybe right now we are not so much busy as simply evolving. Everyone evolves, right? We are all dynamic characters in this play of life, cinsistently changing.

Well, The Therapy Place has seen many changes in the last couple of weeks. To begin, our dear and sweet friend Ashley has left us after three amazing weeks with TheraSuit Method. She headed back to Atlanta last weekend, and we already miss her. She made such a difference in our facility, showing us what TheraSuit Method can do in the lives of those who use it. After three weeks, the changes and improvements seen in both Cooper and Jocelyn are tremendous. To see a child walk better, run better, jump better, is amazing, and I wish every one of you could have witnessed this. Ashley brought such joy to this organization, and we can never forget her.

Another big change is taking place in Conductive Education as I write this. Two weeks ago marked the end of the second summer session, and last week we all took a vacation from Conductive Ed, letting Miss Kristzina rest and get organized. This morning Conductive Ed began again, only this time, it came back with a twist. What was once a two session day, Conductive Ed is now a one session day, meeting 8:30 to 2:30. We are very proud to say that Conductive Education is taking more of a classroom perspective, paralleling the Richland 2 School Distrct calendar. We are extremely blessed to have such wonderful aides assisting Kristzina each day, as well as Mrs. Jamilla who is both a parent of a child we treat and a special needs teacher. This is such an exciting change for our CE kids, and the parents are thrilled to be a part of it.

You know, I believe I have not introduced the latest member of our team. Ah! Please forgive me! I was so wrapped up in TheraSuit that I never mentioned we've added a new Occupational Therapist to our team of therapists. Miss Kate, all the way from Illinois, joined us the same day Miss Ashely did, bringing excitement to The Therapy Place. She has been a pediatric OT for over three years, and is trained in Handwriting Without Tears, pediatric feeding and NDT Perspective for Pediatrics, and Myofacial Release. She graduated from the University of Missouri with her Bachelors of Science and Masters of Occupational Therapy.

We are very happy to have her aboard :)

Change is inevitable, and it is something I have had to accept. Some change is good, such as Conductive Education's change and having Kate as an additional therapist. Other change may not seem as good, but in reality, it serves a greater purpose that is good--such as Ashley having to leave us because she is needed elsewhere. I know I'm young and have many years (God willing, of course) ahead of me, but I have learned to like change and to accept the new things life can bring us. At The Therapy Place, we are growing, evolving, welcoming new ideas and people, and saying goodbye to friends who are needed somewhere else. There is a lot of change in our future, near and distant and it won't be easy, but it will be worth it to see what this organization and facility can become.