Tree Lighting Ceremony at SDC Rescheduled

The annual Tree Lighting Ceremony at Sonoma Developmental Center, originally scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 11th, has been postponed to Thursday, Dec. 18th, because of expected severe weather. Same time, same place -- check here for details.

Stay tuned for more possible updates!

Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony at Sonoma Developmental Center

Update - 12/9/2014: Event has been rescheduled to Thursday, December 18th -- same time, same place, but a week later -- due to the weather forecast. Stay tuned for more possible updates!

---

Join everyone in the Sonoma Developmental Center family in celebrating the holidays this year at the annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony, scheduled for Wednesday, December 11th, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. There will holiday fun -- and CAROLING! Come and vote for your favorite tree. And, new this year, there will be a "Community Tree" that everyone can decorate together at the ceremony.

photo credit: Laura Favrow on flickr.com (Creative Commons license)

Just when the days seem darkest and the weather is oh so dreary, the holidays add sparkle and cheer!

---

Meet at Harney Circle. If it rains, the event moves inside to the gym. DRESS WARMLY!

Raising Stephanie: SDC Parent Publishes Memoir of Parenting Her Disabled Daughter

Mark your calendars now for a special event coming up in December. Erin Thompson will be reading from her new book, Only a Stone's Throw, beginning at 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 13th, at Book Passage in Corte Madera. It is her memoir of raising her daughter Stephanie, who now lives on Johnson "B" at Sonoma Developmental Center.

Only a Stone's Throw chronicles the lows and highs of parenting the author's eldest daughter to adulthood after she was mentally disabled as a newborn. It's an honest tale of love and strength when life deals out surprises with unexpected results.

Erin O'Donoghue Thompson,
author of Only a Stone's Throw

Thompson started writing at the age of seventeen. She was the editor of her high school newspaper but put her literary aspirations aside to raise a family. Once her eight children were on their own she did a ten year stint as a travel consultant, taking groups to China, photographic safaris to Africa, and groups of women on shopping tours to Hong Kong. In 2007 she was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This was a wake-up call to “do it now” whatever your dream may be. Her's was to write a book about the struggles of raising Stephanie, her disabled daughter.

The Book Passage is located just off 101 at 51 Tamal Vista Blvd in Corte Madera (94925). There is no charge to attend the reading. For up-to-date information on the event, visit Left Coast Writers®: Erin O’Donoghue Thompson - Only a Stone's Throw on the Book Passage website.

Sonoma Valley Footrace & Festival Returns to SDC this Saturday

It's that time of year again, when the annual Sonoma Valley Footrace & Festival comes to the beautiful Sonoma Developmental Center campus. The festival is this coming Saturday, May 18, 2013, with the races beginning at 9 a.m. (Get there early if you're running!) and festivities continuing into the afternoon. It's always a good time -- and the perfect time of year to enjoy the SDC grounds.

There are two races: A 5K run/walk and an advanced 10K run. The 10K is a challenging run both on- and off-road, passing lakes and woods in the hills above the Center. For a less challenging run or walk, the 5K course also winds through the beautiful grounds of SDC on mostly level pavement. Both races start promptly at 9 a.m.

The after-race Festival, open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., features some of the area’s best wine and beer and may well be the most economical tasting event in Sonoma Valley. The family-friendly festival also features a car show, food vendors, carnival games and attractions, a kids’ fun run, and live music.

Race registration fees vary by age, from $20 to $30, with $5 off for early purchase. Anyone interested in the footrace, the festival, or to volunteer at the event should contact Becky Zyskowski at 938-6713. Visit the Sonoma Valley Footrace & Festival web page for complete details.

Next PHA General Meeting is this coming Saturday, May 11

The Parent Hospital Association (PHA) holds general membership meetings every other month on the second Saturday -- and the next one is coming up this Saturday, May 11th, from 10 a.m. to noon.

PHA General Meetings are held on the second Saturday of alternate months
at 10 a.m. in McDougall Hall (blue building), on the SDC campus.

March and April are two of the most event-filled months for PHA because of our annual legislative meeting and yearly fundraiser. Well, the dust has settled from both of those events and it's a good time to get together before summer plans scatter us to the winds. If you can come this Saturday, please plan to attend. It's a great opportunity to visit your loved one at the Center and your PHA friends.

Kathleen will be updating us on recent events in Sacramento, and there is sure to be a report about the fundraiser, along with follow-up on the legislative session.

If you missed the legislative meeting, the minutes are included in the most recent Gazette, which you can download from this website. Click on the Resources tab, then scroll down a few inches to The Eldridge Gazette section. All available back issues are listed. Click on the link for a pdf copy.

Hope to see you Saturday!

"An Evening in Wine Country" PHA Event Less than Two Weeks Away

This year's annual Parent Hospital Association (PHA) fundraising event is just a week and a half away -- on Saturday, April 13, 2013, at the Vintner's Inn Event Center in Santa Rosa. If you act quickly you may still be able to reserve your place at the table!

www.brownpapertickets.com/event/345692

Last year was PHA's first at Vintner's Inn and the evening was so enjoyable and such a great success that we decided to return there again this year. If you can, we would love to have you join us for a champagne reception, entertainment by the Rowan Brothers, silent and live auction, and dinner by John Ash & Co. Executive Chef Thomas Schmidt.

This year's special honorees are Markley Stevens Sutton, Ph. D., Licensed Psychologist with the Sonoma Developmental Center, and Mary O'Riordan, previous PHA President.

Reserve your ticket now using the Brown Paper Tickets link above, or contact event coordinator Judy Groverman Walker for more information. judy [at] jgwevents [dot] com.

Hope to see you next Saturday!

Celebrate Mardi Gras with Sonoma Developmental Center

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

This year's Mardi Gras party for residents and guests of Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) is set for 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, February 20, in the gym on the SDC campus.

Have questions? Need more details? Looking for transportation -- or can provide it? Call Becky, le krewe pour le bal masqué! (707-938-6000, ext. 6713)

Forum on SDC to be held January 30th in Sonoma

UPDATE: Admission to the forum is free of charge however preregistration is required as space is limited. Registration is simple. Go to calwatchsonoma.eventbrite.com

California Watch, an investigative reporting group, will hold a public forum on Wednesday, January 30, 2013, in Sonoma. The topic will be reported assaults and lapses in police oversight at Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC).

As a result of incidents at SDC, the state Department of Public Health announced on Dec. 12, that
SDC, California's largest board-and-care facility for the severely disabled, would lose its primary license to operate. SDC has also been informed that it will lose certification by Medicare/Medicaid.

The forum will focus on what these new developments will mean for the City of Sonoma, the developmental center and the people who live in surrounding communities. There will be a panel discussion with community members and experts in the field, moderated by Phil Bronstein, executive
chairman of the Center for Investigative Reporting.

Public Forum - Sonoma Developmental Center
Time:  6 - 8 p.m.
Date:  Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Place:  Ramekins Culinary School
            450 W. Spain St., Sonoma, CA 95476

The forum is co-sponsored by Sonoma Index-Tribune. There is no admission charge.

Help Make the Annual PHA Event a Success

This year's annual Parent Hospital Association (PHA) fundraising event will be Saturday, April 13, 2013, at the Vintner's Inn Event Center in Santa Rosa -- and the organizing committee could really use your help!

Everyone had high praise for the lovely setting and great food at last year's event, and we hope that all of our supporters and PHA members will join us again in an evening celebrating years of the lifeline of support that Sonoma Developmental Center has been and continues to be.

This year we have less staff to pull the event together and gather auction items. Therefore your support is more important than ever and there are many ways to help.

Contribute a silent auction item: Simply take the Auction Donation Form to one of your favorite restaurants or spas or other favorites and ask them to donate. The donor completes the form and gives you the item or certificate. The form goes to Judy Groverman Walker (fax number on the form) and the item/certificate goes to Kathleen Miller (kjmillerkoch at yahoo dot com). You can also bring it to the next general meeting or leave it with the operator at SDC for Kathleen to pick up.

Sponsor a Sonoma Developmental Center resident and caretaker to attend the event: This year for the very first time we offer the chance to sponsor a SDC resident to attend the event. We are always eager to have residents attend.

Attend the event with your friends: We would love to have everyone who can join us.

Please remember that it is up to all of us to make this annual event a continued success.

---

An Evening in Wine Country
How You Can Help
Auction Donation Form
Sponsorship Form
Program Advertising Information

Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Set for Dec. 11 at SDC

Rain, snow, sleet or shine, the annual tree lighting celebration is set for Tuesday, Dec. 11, from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. Come join in -- and vote for your favorite tree!

2012 Holiday Craft Fair at SDC -- Coming Dec. 5th and 6th

The ever-popular annual holiday craft fair is back at Sonoma Developmental Center again this year -- and it's just a week away.

Always a fun and festive time to kick-start your holiday shopping, the Fair is happening next Wednesday and Thursday, both days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Come early -- stay for lunch -- and shop 'til you drop!

Harvest Day at the SDC Farm - Nov. 10th

Come enjoy the farm, the SDC community, the season, and the beautiful Sonoma Developmental Center campus Saturday, November 10, 2012, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon -- music, crafts, animals and fun for all!

For more information, call REACH x6246.

Happy Independence Day from PHA

photo: Nikita on flickr.com

Wishes go out for a safe and enjoyable 4th of July to all our members, friends and supporters. It feels like a holiday week for sure.

Hopefully you've received your copy of the latest Gazette by now. Just a reminder in case you missed the notice -- there will be no general membership meeting in July. It's vacation-time for a lot of folks, so we decided to forgo the summer meeting. Mark your calendars for the next meeting on September 8th.

In the meantime, we will keep you up to date here and on the Parent Hospital Facebook page. Stay tuned -- and have a great summer everyone!

photo: bayasaa on flickr.com

The 3rd is the 4th at Sonoma Developmental Center

Opportunity Fair at SDC on June 6th

Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) and Area Board 4 invite everyone to Opportunity Fair 2012, Wednesday, June 6, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., on the SDC campus (Nelson parking lot).

Opportunity fairs are held annually at SDC to present information about the variety of services and choices available to disabled people in the community. Over twenty-five vendors of services will be represented at this upcoming fair. There will also be games, entertainment and a food vendor selling a taco-style lunch ($7 - $10).

If you have any questions, you can contact the Volunteer Advocacy Services Coordinator for Area Board 4/SDC, Russ Long, by email at ross.long[at]sonoma.dds.ca.gov or by calling 707-938-6757.

---

About Area Board 4:

The State Council on Developmental Disabilities (SCDD), Area Board 4 serves the consumers of Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties.

According to the SCDD website, the State Council on Developmental Disabilities is established by state and federal law as an independent state agency to ensure that people with developmental disabilities and their families receive the services and supports they need. SCDD advocates for coordinated, comprehensive community services, individualized supports, and other forms of assistance and works to ensure full access to these services. Councils on Developmental Disabilities are established in each state through the federal Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act.

Get ready, get set: the Sonoma Valley Footrace and Festival is May 12

The date for the next Sonoma Valley Footrace and Festival, which happens every spring on the grounds of Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC), is fast approaching. Scheduled for Saturday, May 12 - the same day as the next PHA General Meeting - it is less than two weeks away.

Are you ready for some fun?

There will be a 5K run/walk and a 10K race. The course for the 10K offers a challenging run, both on-and-off road, uphill and down through the beautiful area around SDC. The 5K course is solely around the SDC campus and is primarily a flat course.

The festival goes from 9 a.m.to 2 p.m. and includes food, beverages, a car show, carnival games, a kids’ fun run and live music. Admission to the festival is free.

For more information, visit Sonoma Valley Footrace & Festival on the web.

Sonoma Developmental Center Holiday Craft Faire -- Dec. 6 and 7, 2011

The annual holiday craft fair held at the Sonoma Developemental Center is happening now -- today and tomorrow -- December 6th and 7th, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, in the Center's gymnasium.

More than twenty local vendors will be displaying their crafts and handmade goods. Items available for purchase will include knitted hats, pottery, bags with your name embroidered on them, handmade dog bowls, beauty products, ornaments, holiday baskets, handmade jewelry, baked goods, handmade toys, potholders, body lotions, candles, ceramics, one of a kind gifts -- and much, much more.

It sounds like you could do all your holiday shopping with just one visit to the SDC Craft Faire!
Proceeds from the event raise funds for client activities that are not funded by the State.

Entrance to the Craft Faire is free and the event is open to the public.  For directions to the gymnasium, located on the corner of Wilson and Sonoma roads, go to http://www.dds.ca.gov/Sonoma/Directions.cfm.

For more information about the Holiday Craft Faire, contact Becky Zyskowski, Coordinator of Volunteer Services at (707) 938-6713.

Annual tree lighting set for Thursday at SDC

The Sonoma Developmental Center (SDC) will hold its annual Tree Lighting Ceremony from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., this coming Thursday, Dec. 1, on Harney Circle, outside the SDC gymnasium. Everyone is encouraged to come and join in the festivities and vote for the top three decorated trees.

The large tree on the lawn outside the gym will be adorned with lights and ceremoniously lit at 5:00 p.m. The Peace On Earth Sign that has been a tradition at the Center for many years will also be lit -- you'll be able to see it from Arnold Drive at the four way stop sign.

In addition to the big tree, there will be approximately twenty smaller trees lining the sidewalk on Harney Circle that are being decorated by various programs and departments throughout the facility. This year all those in attendance at Thursday's festivities will be voting for their favorite tree.

Forecasters are calling for a 100% chance of snow for the event -- you won't want to miss it, or the warm refreshments and seasonal carolers. Come rain or shine -- and definitely snow! (Inclement weather moves the party inside the gym.)

If you have questions or need more information about the Tree Lighting Ceremony, contact JJ Fernandez, Public Information Officer at SDC at (707) 938-6643.

Save the date for Heroes with Heart 2012

Preparations are underway for the 7th Annual Parent Hospital Association Heroes with Heart fundraising event to be held on Saturday, March 31, 2012, at the Vintners Inn Event Center in Santa Rosa.

We'll be returning to our signature theme "An Evening in the Emerald Isle" in an elegant new venue located just off Highway 101 in Sonoma County that we think everyone will enjoy.

Our annual fundraiser allows us to raise much needed funds to meet our mission and insure that the developmentally disabled receive the care and resources they need and deserve.

Your support and involvement are crucial to helping us to meet our financial goals. We hope you will join us for an enjoyable evening which includes a hosted reception, silent and live auction, multi-course dinner and socializing with good friends. And if you would like to make a night of it, you can reserve a night stay in beautiful wine country right there at the Vintners Inn. (Call 707-575-7350 to reserve a room. Ask for the PHA room block.)

To be sure that you are on our mailing list to receive further details, send an email with your details and questions to info@parenthospitalassociation.org.

Even if you cannot attend the event in March, there are many ways you can assist us -- as an event sponsor, with a donation to the auction, by purchasing an ad for the program, or by volunteering. Let us know how we can help you help us -- and together we will continue to help those less able than ourselves.

Remembering the Disabled

Earlier this week, on Monday, September 19, 2011, a Remembrance Day ceremony was held at Sonoma Developmental Center in memory of everyone who has passed away while living at the Center and all state hospitals in California.

The event was hosted at the Gazebo on the SDC campus by Disability Rights California/Peer Self-Advocacy Unit, People First of California and California Network of Mental Health Clients.

In addition to a statewide moment of silence at 1:55 p.m. to honor those who have passed away in state hospitals and developmental centers, simultaneous events were also held at the following facilities:

• Agnews Historic Cemetery, Santa Clara
• California State University - Channel Islands, Camarillo
• Porterville Cemetery, Porterville
• Metropolitan State Hospital Auditorium, Norwalk
• Napa State Hospital, Napa
• Parkview Cemetery, Manteca
• Patton State Hospital, Patton
• Stockton Rural Cemetery, Stockton
• Ukiah Cemetery, Russian River Cemetery District, Ukiah

Remembrance Day ceremonies are part of The California Memorial Project, a collaborative effort between the Peer/Self-Advocacy Unit at Protection & Advocacy, Inc., the California Network of Mental Health Clients, and Capital People First, along with other local People First chapters. The objective is to remember and honor the thousands of people who have lived, who are still living, and who have died in state institutions by:

1. Restoring the cemeteries at the state institutions
2. Recording the stories of people who lived in the state institutions by decade
3. Documenting the history of the consumer/survivor movement in California

Staff, clients and the public are always invited and encouraged to attend the annual Remembrance Day ceremonies.