CONNECT WITH THE CFEC Issue 1

Connect With The CFEC

January 2016 Newsletter

EDUCATING, NURTURING AND SUPPORTING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS IN THIS ISSUE

Remembering Mike Britt As principal of The Children’s Center and then executive director of The CFEC, Mike Britt devoted over 40 years of his life to being an advocate for thousands of children in Winston-Salem and beyond. Mike’s profound commitment to children with special needs and their families was unparalleled. The impact of Mike’s passion for our children and his innately kind soul will forever be etched in the hearts of all who knew him.

Ted Burcaw Joins The Children’s Center Family Ted Burcaw came to The Children's Center from the Kingswood School at the Children’s Home, where he was principal since the opening of the school as a collaboration between WS/FCS with the Children's Home in 2010. Ted was the principal of Cook Elementary from 2004 to 2010. He has worked as an assistant principal at Sedge Garden, and home-school coordinator at Mineral Springs Elementary. Ted is also an ordained minister with the Moravian Church, and serves as pastor of Mountain Laurel Moravian Fellowship in Laurel Springs, NC. Ted is tremendously excited to support the work of The Children’s Center and the mission of The CFEC.

Nancy Griffith Named CFEC Executive Director The CFEC welcomed Nancy Griffith as our new Executive Director in August 2015. After being recommended by the CFEC Executive Director Search and CFEC Executive Committees, she was affirmed by a unanimous vote of the full board to lead the CFEC.

Nancy has a B.A. degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an M.A. in Public Administration from Appalachian State University. Her work experiences include serving as Executive Director of the Community Alliance for Education, Acting CEO of Forsyth Initiative for Residential Self-Help Treatment, Inc., Development Manager of Bel Canto Company, and Program Coordinator for Leadership ACCESS for Leadership Winston-Salem.

Nancy’s service as a WS/FC Schools central office administrator and school board member (1990-1994) broaden her understanding of the importance of our collaborative partnership with the WS/FC school district. Her passion for her family extends to all children and their families, especially those with special challenges.

16th Annual Rusty LaRue Charity Golf Classic Benefitting The CFEC The 16th Annual Rusty LaRue Charity Golf Classic took place on August 21, 2015 at Bermuda Run Country Club.

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Bowties, Boots and Bluegrass at WinMock at Kinderton On October 15, 2015 The CFEC hosted Bowties, Boots and Bluegrass at WinMock at Kinderton.

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The CFEC Year in Review

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The 16th Annual Rusty LaRue Charity Golf Classic took place on August 21, 2015 at Bermuda Run Country Club. We had 51 teams play this year (204 players in all) and more than 30 volunteers gave of their time to make this event a huge success.

In total, The CFEC raised $142,000 from the golf tournament and reception, surpassing our goal!

Thanks go out to Bermuda Run Country Club for their hospitality. We are also eternally grateful to our presenting sponsor, WestRock and their incredible team, especially Rob Kincaid and Amy Howlett.

We would also like to thank the more than 50 corporate sponsors, without whom we would not have had such a successful event.

The Centers for Exceptional Children proudly honored our founding executive director, Mike Britt, at one of his most favorite places in Winston-Salem!

The Mike Britt Memorial Reception was held at Graylyn International Conference Center on August 20, 2015. Attendees included golfers preparing for the 16th Annual Rusty LaRue Charity Golf Classic, CFEC Board and staff, and friends of The CFEC.

The CFEC would like to thank Graylyn International Conference Center for providing such a beautiful space for this event. We would also like to thank the entire Britt family for their continued support of The Centers for Exceptional Children.

Special thanks go out to Mr. Craig Gunckel from WestRock who, after offering some

heartfelt words about his good friend Mike Britt, challenged attendees to donate money for classroom support.

Thanks to Craig’s generous offer to match up to $10,000 in donations, The CFEC raised a total of $22,500 for classroom support at both of our schools!

16th Annual Rusty LaRue

Charity Golf Classic

Mike Britt, former Executive Director of The Centers for Exceptional Children

Mike Britt Memorial Reception

SAVE THE DATE!

The 17th Annual Rusty LaRue Charity Golf Classic and Reception will be held on August 4 & 5, 2016. Look for more information to come soon.

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BOWTIES, BOOTS AND BLUEGRASS

Smiles All Around Teacher Cindy Smith and student Jackson Bellamy enjoying their time together at Bowties, Boots and Bluegrass.

CFEC Staff Support Staff members from The Centers for Exceptional Children, The Special Children’s School, The Children’s Center, and Family Support Network came together to support The CFEC.

An Evening of Bluegrass The CFEC is grateful to the Rain Check Band for providing our entertainment for the evening. For more information about the band, visit their website at www.rcband.info/home.html.

Matt Britt, Auctioneer

The CFEC is so appreciative to the many people who gathered at WinMock at Kinderton for Bowties, Boots and Bluegrass in support of children with special needs and their families. Nearly 150 attendees enjoyed a fun-filled evening of dinner, drinks, live music by Rain Check, a silent auction and a live auction with our friend and gifted auctioneer, Matt Britt! We are very grateful for the funds raised and to all of our corporate sponsors for this event:

Catered Affairs at Five Points

DataMax Corporation

Excalibur Direct Marketing

Flow BMW

Kaplan Early Learning Company

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Company

Mercedes-Benz of Winston-Salem

Quality Oil Company

TW Garner Food Company

Wake Forest Innovation Quarter

WinMock at Kinderton

The CFEC would also like to recognize our individual sponsors:

Catherine and Brooke Webster

Toni and Bill Bigham

Dolores and Mike Brown

Nancy and Bill Green

Kristie and Ricky Touchstone

Yvette and Gary Willard

Melanie and Ed Broyhill

Nancy and David Griffith

Amy Hildreth and Herbert Krabel

Dana and David Jones

Lucy and Steve Mullen

Heather and Chris Parker

Yukiko Plemmons-Wada and Gregory Plemmons

Nancy Spencer

Laura and Charles Turner

Allan and Bill Womble

JoAnn Yates

Bowties, Boots and Bluegrass

Bowties, Boots and Bluegrass photos courtesy of

Jessica Lawson, teacher at The Children’s Center.

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News From the NEST

CFEC Infant/Toddler Program The Centers for Exceptional Children’s Infant/Toddler program claimed a new name this year! The program is now known as the NEST (Nurturing Education and Supportive Therapies).

Children who attend the NEST program at The Children’s Center are age birth to three years. They come to us through referrals from the Children’s Developmental Services Agency, a regional early intervention center for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities or delays. These children have various needs and abilities and are eligible for therapies such as speech, occupational, and physical therapy.

The NEST program is comprised of five classrooms at The Children’s Center, serving children age birth – 36 months. Each classroom is led by a state licensed teacher with Birth - Kindergarten certification and a highly-qualified teacher assistant.

Because we believe strongly that children with and without disabilities have a great deal to offer one another in an educational setting, we have expanded our Typical Child Inclusion Program, enrolling an increasing number of typically developing infants and toddlers who now learn and play alongside their friends with special needs.

Instruction for infants and toddlers with special needs is individualized per each child’s Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) goals. The NEST program has implemented

the use of The Early Learning Accomplishment Profile (E-LAP™) as an assessment tool for our infant/toddler population. This tool provides a systematic method for observing the skill development of any child functioning in the birth to 36 month age range, including children with disabilities.

Infant/Toddler Classroom at Graylyn

Breakfast with Santa Families enjoyed a very special Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 5, 2015 at Clemmons Presbyterian Church. Many thanks to Capturing Hopes Photography for the beautiful photos!

Surprise! Santa Visits The Special Children’s School The Special Children’s School had some surprise visitors before the Christmas break! Students made “stockings” and left them out for Santa. Apparently Santa and Rudolph appeared overnight and were caught on camera delivering treats for the children. As you can see, Santa was quite tired after his long trip.

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The CFEC Holiday Program The Centers for Exceptional Children would like to extend heartfelt thanks to the Winston-Salem Regional Association of REALTORS and Truliant Federal Credit Union for supporting and sponsoring our 2015 Holiday Program at Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art! Our children and their families and friends loved the program. We also thank our friends at the Winston-Salem Police Department for all of their help transporting our students and our friend Austin Caviness for playing Santa!

Santa passes out treats to the students.

Christmas at Graylyn The Children’s Center has enjoyed celebrating the holiday season with our good friends at the Graylyn International Conference Center for 3 decades. Each year the Graylyn staff hosts a Christmas party for The Children’s Center students and staff. Children participate in caroling, enjoy cookies and punch, and even get a special visit from Santa! TCC is fortunate to have such wonderful neighbors. Our community supports our children in remarkable ways.

Staff and students from The Children’s Center enjoying an annual tradition at Graylyn.

CFEC Executive Director Nancy Griffith and Children’s Center Principal Ted Burcaw at Graylyn

Belkie Bear Visits The Children’s Center enjoyed a much anticipated annual holiday event – a visit from Belkie Bear! Thanks to our good friends at Belk, our students each received a 2015 Belkie Bear. This annual tradition at The Children’s Center started more than two decades ago, thanks to our friend Jack Stack. On the last day before winter break, the children and staff gathered for a holiday sing-along while they gleefully awaited the arrival of Belkie Bear. As always, Belkie Bear entertained us all with a dance. Our friends at Belk, along with some special helpers from the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office, passed out bears to each child. Yet another wonderful way our community supports our children!

Enjoying our new Belkie Bear!

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

William Womble, Sr. Honored As Outstanding Philanthropist William (Bill) Womble was recently honored as the Outstanding Philanthropist in Winston-Salem by the Association of Fundraising Professionals on National

Philanthropy Day in early November (2015). In addition to assisting in the establishment of nonprofits such as The Children's Center, Experiment in Self Reliance and Triad United Methodist Home (now known as Arbor Acres), he has been a leader and contributor to The Children's Home and The Farm at The Children's Home. Bill Womble has truly made our community a better place for all.

Chris Gentry, 2015 Buddy of the Year Each year at the Buddy Walk, Piedmont Down Syndrome Support Network announces the recipient of their “Buddy of the Year” award. The PDSSN Board of Directors

selects individuals who have devoted themselves to improving the lives of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Please help us congratulate Chris Gentry, Director of the Family Support Network, who was recognized as the PDSSN Buddy of the Year for 2015!

Teachers and Therapists Present at EC Conference in Greensboro On November 20, 2015, a group of staff from The Special Children’s School presented at The Exceptional Children Conference held in Greensboro at the Koury Convention Center. The presentation highlighted the collaboration of our teachers, speech therapists, occupational, physical, and horticultural therapists in efforts to help children with special needs to reach their highest potential. Presenters included:

Kris Drum - Speech Therapist

Martha Simmons - Occupational Therapist

Katie Dowd - Teacher

Jennifer Manning - Horticultural Therapist

More Holiday Happenings

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Success is a process and The Centers for Exceptional Children (CFEC, 2010) combines the long history of success of The Children’s Center (1952), The Special Children’s School (1973) and the Family Support Network (1987). These entities meet the needs of children with special needs and their families on a daily basis, providing the opportunity for many successes.

Children have taken their first steps, uttered their first words, mastered a piece of assistive technology, learned to feed themselves even if having no arms, heightened their senses and appreciation for nature in our horticultural therapy gardens, or found their center of balance while participating in therapeutic horseback riding. Success!

Children with developmental disabilities, from birth through 5th grade, have benefited from early intervention to advance their educational, cognitive, physical and social skills.

They have found success with the aid of highly educated, caring and loving teachers and staff, which include therapists and nurses, working together with the child and family for their best outcomes.

Expectations are high for our students and many have found significant success in their adult lives, in part because of their experiences at one of our schools. Families have found much needed support through the array of services provided by the Family Support Network. Our staff is supported by a host of diverse volunteers and friends.

Success also comes with a price, and the financial challenges to achieve ongoing success are growing. We hope you will partner with us as a friend who wants to be a part of our success. To make a donation, simply click HERE. To learn more about our mission and work, please visit our website at www.thecfec.org. To see success in action, you are welcome to visit our schools at any time.

Executive Director Nancy Griffith with son, Kent Griffith, at the 16th Annual Rusty LaRue Charity Golf Classic

“The four years I spent at The Children’s Center laid a strong foundation for my success in academics. The support and encouragement of the teachers and staff allowed me to explore my passion for telling stories and writing.”

Bryan Dooley Disability Advocate, Writer and Columnist Camel City Dispatch

Note from Nancy Nancy Griffith, Executive Director

The Centers for Exceptional Children | 2315 Coliseum Drive, Winston-Salem, NC 27106 | 336-727-2440 | www.thecfec.org

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