12/13/11
Happy Holidays!
I am Adele Saccarelli, the Founder and Executive Director of Teamwork Wins Ltd. For those of you who are new to the Teamwork Wins’ newsletter, we are an 11 year old 501 (c )3 non-profit organization that assists children with Invisible Challenges™. Children who are sensitive, strong-willed, unique, indigo, intuitive, highly distracted, or have difficulties blending in with others or poor communication skills or have symptoms of AD/HD, Asperger’s, & HFA. TWW help kids/teens develop skills so they can handle any unexpected changes that may occur in their world. TWW programs help kids blend with their peers without changing who they are through group activities, such as board games, sports, art, and music. Through the unique FTC method (Focus, Transitioning and Communication), TWW teaches children social cues, focusing, transitioning, communication and more importantly, how to interpret their feelings accurately, body awareness, spatial awareness and much more. When conflicts occur, these teachable moments are opportunities to change misperceptions and assist kids in growing into self-directed, free-thinking, creative individuals. Teamwork Wins does offer scholarships. (I hope you enjoy reading about all the Teamwork Wins programs and looking at the pictures as much as I had writing this newsletter.) J
Save the Date: Cookie Exchange at the TWW center in Pennsburg on Thursday, December 29th from 2-4pm. Email me at adele@teamworkwins.org if you are interested and I will send you the details of OUR cookie exchange! This is an event where everyone can meet each other – Parents, Board Members, and members of the Teamwork Wins’ team (members of Grant Writing team, Marketing, Public Relations and Program Committee Chair people). Hope you can attend! Would love to see some new faces!
2011 Review:
Summer Connections camp was amazing this year! We had three new school districts participating in this summer’s Extended School Year (ESY) Program.
Through working with all ages of kids this summer and listening to the parents needs, we understand the importance of flexibility in offering various programs. So this Fall instead of just only offering set afterschool programs and the Saturday Circle of games programs, we designed and had some programs just for teenage girls. On Tuesday nights from 5-7pm, the girls are learning to quilt, sew, and cook while working on those Invisible challenges™. After our 7000 flyers were distributed to various school districts and the community, parents are calling and we are designing new groups to meet the needs of all of these awesome individuals!

EJET Job Coaching (Experiential Job Exploratory and Transitional) program. We have two school districts participating this fall. We also added a high functioning group supported by parents in the community and the PA Virtual Cyber School. The EJET program is being received by employers, parents, high school students and the coaches with so much enthusiasm!

Our Circle of Games program is held every other Saturday. Throughsports, like street hockey and soccer, and games like “capture the flag”, we deal with teamwork, “stick-to-it ness” and handling conflicts. We also learn about healthy competition, communication and transitioning. Duringcooking, we explore healthy foods and recipes designed for ultra-picky eaters. Kids are introduced to cooking basics with fun, “hands-on” activities such as, making scrambled eggs and smoothies! Kids explore how to be creative with food when making healthy, delicious treats like dark chocolate, gluten-free rice Krispies cookies. We include awareness about what you are eating and making healthy choices like vegetables. We deal with tactile issues and misperceptions about food. Of course,board games,Legos©,music,brain games, andArt are an integral part of our program.

Our After-School Program is on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. We offer help withhomework and assistance with studying using fun and interactive ways to learn! We deal with distractions, feelings of not being “good enough” and motivation. After homework, the kids have fun withsports,Art,music,and of course, Legos®!
The College Connection – A program designed for college students who are sensitive and having a difficult time adjusting to college life. TWW will provide services and unique opportunities to help these students, between the ages of 18-21 to achieve and sustain independence while becoming self-directed young adults. It’s about assisting students in feeling comfortable with their college peers in a college environment. This program offers experiential and exploratory opportunities for students to learn:
• Age-appropriate communication skills
• Acceptance of others and college life.
• Increase self-advocacy abilities with other college students in a relaxed informal setting.
• Organization and issues with perfectionism.
• Staying on topic and getting their thoughts together.
• Misperceptions about college peers and all the things that student experiences in a social setting

WHAT TO EXPECT: TWW trained collegiate peer mentors and these sensitive students will attend a social “hang out.” This is a social program held during winter break, spring break and the summer time. You can expect a lot of hangin’ out, sharing “techy” knowledge, cooking at the center, shopping, meeting at cafe’s, and a night out at the movies. Below are the dates for Winter Break 2011/2012:

WHERE: Center, cafés, shopping centers, movies in the Pennsburg area
WHEN: Dec 23th, 27th, 30th Jan. 6th and 13th – 2:30pm-4:30pm.

Grants received in 2010/2011
**TRISKELES FOUNDATION – is a non-profit organization whose programs engage youth in hands-on experiential activities with adults and peers who are committed to creating a more sustainable world. – Mission/Purpose: To co-create a conscious and sustainable world through enlightened philanthropy. – $2000 in 2011.
** Shire Pharmaceuticals – is one of the world’s leading specialty biopharmaceutical companies. Shire has emerged as a company fully focused on a single purpose: to enable people with life-altering conditions to lead better lives – $2000 in 2010 AND 2011.
**Individual Donations – $2500 in 2011.
** Walmart – Save money, Live Better! – $500 in 2011.

HOW can I support Teamwork Wins? Go to www.teamworkwins.org. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and push the donate button! Donate any number you would like. Every bit helps!!!
OR…. Because of the success of TEAMWORK WINS LTD. programs like our summer camp and after school programs for children who are sensitive, gifted or different, we are in need of storage space for some of our supplies. Our solution is to build a 10 X 20 foot shed complete with electricity and heat, but we need your help to make this happen.
How can you help? Please consider donating your time or supplies to the – Storage Facility Project 2012 – like those listed below for the construction of the storage facility:
• A/C Unit
• Nails and Staples
• Doors and Hinges • Plywood
• Cement • Shingles
• Heating Unit • Siding
• Labor • Windows and Screens
• L-brackets
• Lights, switch plates, fixtures, electrical tape, wire
Financial donations are also welcome.

OR….How would you like to complete your holiday shopping and……. support Teamwork Wins at the same time? Now you can. Teamwork Wins has partnered with GoodSearch.com, a company that helps non-profits like ours raise funds through the everyday actions of our supporters.
Here’s how you can help:
1. Use GoodSearch.com to search the internet. GoodSearch will donate a penny to us every time you do.
2. Use GoodShop.com when you shop online. They work with more than 2,500 major brands, have over 100,000 coupons and donate a percentage of every purchase you make to Teamwork Wins. For example, go to GoodShop.com, make a purchase from Lowe’s and they will donate 2% of your purchase price to Teamwork Wins.
3. Enroll in GoodDining.com and they will donate up to 6% of every dollar you spend when you eat at one of 10,000 participating restaurants.
Please join our community on GoodSearch.com and help us raise money for our mission. Get started by searching under the word “Teamwork” at GoodSearch.com and selecting “Teamwork Wins” as your cause.
Join us on Facebook for updates, ideas, tips on dealing with kids and more!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Teamwork-Wins/253400241381936

Thank you and happy shopping!
Love Adele
Adele Saccarelli
Founder and Executive Director
Teamwork Wins Ltd.
adele@teamworkwins.org
www.teamworkwins.org
215-680-2351

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 There is no greater act of love!

 When your child sees you loving and caring for yourself they will know that they can do this for themselves also. By giving them the space and the living example they will know how much you really love them!

Children learn by example and use what has been modeled for them. If you show them that you do not love yourself with all of your heart they will know, that they do not deserve to be loved. How so, you might ask.

 A true loving heart is one that has loved them self first and shares that love with others. Sharing or radiating love is different than giving love.

 By showing the child that you do not have love in your heart for yourself and that only others matter, they will then reflect and adopt this behavior as well as this belief system. What you teach them by not loving yourself is that they do not matter only loving others matters.

Teaching a child to love them self first is the sign of a truly loving heart. This truly loving heart is showing them that you love them so much that your personal needs are not involved in the equation, that your love is absolute and pure. The key to teaching this to your child is you learning to love yourself without conditions.

Traditionally people have been taught that the expression and display of love is the most important way to communicate it. But in truth love is a feeling, love is not a display nor a communication. You can feel if someone loves you or not, no matter what their words are. This is especially true for children. They feel your love, no matter what you do or say. As they become older they begin to understand the concept of love as it is explained, but this does not change their feeling experience of what love is.

How is this related to loving myself first you might ask. Well let us tell you, loving yourself first makes you a Hub of Love. They will feel the love that is inside you and no matter what your behaviors are they will know in their hearts that they are loved because they feel the love in your heart.

Remember:

Love Your Child with All of Your Heart

 The child does this without consciously knowing what they are doing or the effects of their behaviors. 

• A child seldom really understands the definition of the words you use! 
• If you don”t believe this ask them to define the words in question. (see if their definition matches the dictionary)

Some of this is commonly understood in the psychology field but not often used in “real life”.

 The most important aspect that is missing in this is that: 

• Children mimic, react to and interpret the feelings in their environment also.  

 Children FEEL Everything.

If a child is in a hostile environment they will quite often respond accordingly.

For example:

A mother and father are having trouble in their relationship. The mother and father are quite often hostile toward each other. The mother yells and screams and the father quietly takes digs and emotional potshots at the mother.

The child witnesses this growing up. At about the age of five the child begins to yell at the father and the father quietly is cold or distant from the child, allowing the child to perceive that the father doesn’t love them.

At about the same age the child does not yell at the mother but begins to act out behaviorally when with the mother. And gets to perceive that the mother yelling at them means they are not loved.

Now even though both parents say they love them there is this silent treatment by the father and the yelling treatment by the mother which continually reinforces the child’s misinterpretation that they are not loved. Now anytime the child feels not loved or disregarded the child will either act out or yell.

The child begins to develop these behaviors based upon their interpretation and feeling of their environment even though the parents in the beginning never directly did this with the child. although now as the child gets older the parents,without noticing, begin to treat the child like they do each other.this then has long term consequences on the child’s life in all their relationships.

A child early on in life does not have the ability to reason or discern the difference between the behaviors and feelings of their environment. Nor do they have the ability to understand the people in it or interpret their environment appropriately.

They will create an inaccurate interpretation based upon the feelings they have in their environment and then create beliefs from that. Then they will use the behaviors they have witnessed as a way to deal with and handle their feelings and their perceptions of their environment and life.

Home

It is the total environment of the home that creates the foundation of a child’s behaviors and personality. It is not simply witnessing behaviors, instruction or being told what to do that creates a child’s personality and future. Again the key factor here is the feeling of the environment.

 The feeling of the environment combined with the appropriate direction and instruction creates an emotionally and functionally healthy child.

•  A child raised in a neutral or non-loving home with proper instruction and direction will be a dysfunctional child. 
• A child raised in a loving home without proper direction and instruction still creates a dysfunctional child.

For a child to be emotionally and functionally healthy they must be raised in a patient, tolerant and loving environment and then given the proper direction and instructions on how to be a healthy human being.

• Your child feels if you love them. 

• Saying it is not enough.

Love Your Child enough to be aware of their feelings and yours!

 As always comments and questions are most welcome.