Sonoma Valley Footrace and Festival Coming to Sonoma Developmental Center

The Sonoma Valley Footrace & Festival returns to the Sonoma Developmental Center on May 22, 2010. The event includes both a challenging 10K on- and off-road run through the stunning landscape surrounding SDC and a 5K run that takes a mostly level course through the SDC grounds.

Enter the race of your choice. Awards will be presented to the top runners in various categories, and all runners receive a T-shirt. Adult participants will also receive a commemorative glass and tickets for beer and wine tasting at the Festival.

Both races start at 8:00 a.m. Advance registration fees are $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and under. You can register online at www.active.com or by mail. See the event brochure for details. On race day, registration is $30 for adults and $20 for children and begins at 7:00 a.m. (Don't be late, or you'll be running to catch up!)

For those not running - and for runners after the race - a number of other activities and entertainments are planned. The Festival part of the day's events runs from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and includes:

• Live music from Harvey and the Wallbangers
• Children’s carnival attractions - including a bounce house, velcro wall and games
• Free fun run for kids at 10:30 a.m.
• Car show
• Beer and wine tasting starting at 9:00 a.m. (adults only, ID required)
• Food available for purchase
• Raffle
  

The Festival entry is free. There will be ticket sales for the beer and wine tasting, raffle, and the children’s carnival attractions and games.

For more information and to register for the race, visit the Sonoma Valley Footrace & Festival website (www.dds.ca.gov/SVFF).

You Are Cordially Invited - Heroes with Heart 2010

Final details are in place for 'Heroes with Heart 2010', the Parent Hospital Association's annual fundraiser. This year's event - just like last year's - takes place at Cline Cellars in Sonoma Valley. The date is set for Saturday, March 27th, and we would love to have you join us for the evening's festivities.

“An evening in the Emerald Isle”
5.30 pm Guest Reception & Silent Auction
7.00 pm Dinner & Live Auction

Visit our website for more details including the names of this year's honorees and the night's dinner menu.

The Master of Ceremonies this year will be Rich Walcoff, Sports Director of KGO Newstalk Radio. Rich Walcoff, who manages to blend a measure of entertainment and intrigue with the usual scores and sports highlights, has been adding his special brand of high energy sportscasting to KGO NEWSTALK AM 810 since July 1984, and we expect a lively evening.

For more information, and to attend this year's event, visit the Parent Hospital Association website or email us at info@parenthospitalassociation.org.

Lanterman Act is Key Resource for Families of the Developmentally Disabled

The Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act (Lanterman Act) is the part of California law that defines the rights and responsibilities of persons with developmental disabilities. It also creates the agencies, including regional centers, responsible for planning and coordinating services and supports for persons with developmental disabilities and their families.

The central role of the Lanterman Act in the care of the developmentally disabled in California makes it a very important resource for caretakers and guardians, especially when it comes to advocating for residents subject to relocation. It's certainly well worth reading through in its entirety.
For example, some specific protections provided in the Lanterman Act include:

• Relocation must have been previously agreed in the resident’s IPP.
• The developmentally disabled person must receive the same level of medical and dental care as they received in the developmental center.
• The developmentally disabled person has the right to return to the developmental center for services.
• Postmortem rights include a mandatory autopsy.

Because of concerns about how the Lanterman Act is used or applied by the regional centers with respect to residents of developmental centers and the transitioning of those people to regional centers, the PHA recently began holding informal discussions on provisions of the Lanterman Act for interested family members. The first was held on February 1 and the next is planned for the evening of March 1, 2010. For details and directions for joining the conference call, email us at info@parenthospitalassociation.org.