Variety Day at Sesame Place for “A Very Furry Christmas”

We are hard at work planning our kick-off for the 2014 March for Babies.  Please keep an eye out for the invitation. In the meantime, we wanted to extend an invitation from the Variety Club to children who were born prematurely or with physical and developmental disabilities and their families an exclusive day at the park during A Very Furry Christmas.

Throughout Variety Days, park officials make special accommodations to ensure that every child will have an unforgettable experience no matter their abilities.

Variety Club members can register here for complimentary admission to the park. It will be at It’s A Very Furry Christmas at Sesame Place! Join the Variety Club for a one-of-a-kind family-friendly celebration with everyone’s favorite furry friends on Friday, December 6th from 4PM to 8PM. The fun starts with three special Christmas shows, dry rides, awesome music and twinkling lights all around. Our street will glow with festivities and come to life at night with our illuminated Neighborhood Street Party Christmas Parade. The fun continues with a special Christmas menu, super holiday shopping and of course, a visit with Santa. Select rides will also be open, weather permitting.

 

This event is open to Variety children and up to four additional family members (which can include a TSS/aide as the fifth accompanying member). If you are from somewhere outside of our service area, which includes the Greater Philadelphia Region, Delaware and Southern New Jersey, you are still invited to attend!

 

To register, please follow the online ticketing process. Families will NEED to submit a Variety Member Identification Number when completing the online ticketing process. No family will be able to register if they have not submitted an Application for Enrollment and received a number from Variety. Click here to learn about the Application for Enrollment/Intake Form process for “Variety at Play” events.*

 

A few updates were made to the Sesame Place ticketing process. If you’re having trouble registering, please check out our step-by-step guide for registration HERE!

PLEASE READ THROUGH THE INFORMATION BELOW:

• Please click here to be taken to the Sesame Place website to register for tickets to A Very Furry Christmas Variety Day on Friday, December 6, 2013 from 4-8 PM.

• After selecting the number of tickets you would like (up to 6 total), you will need to enter your child’s Member ID Number in the exact format as it was given to you (xx-xxxxx).

• After submitting the required information, you will be prompted to print your e-tickets, so please make sure you register on a computer connected to a printer.

• The printed e- tickets can be taken directly to the front gate at Sesame Place and are the only way to gain access to A Very Furry Christmas Variety Day on December 6, 2013.

• There are no admission fees for “A Very Furry Christmas.” However, parking will be $25 per vehicle. Advance parking reservations will not be accepted on December 6, 2013. All guests must pay the parking fee on the day of the event, at Sesame Place parking toll booths.

Again, *please make sure that you have completed and submitted an Intake Form or you will not be able to request tickets for this event. If you have not done so, click here to download the form.

Having issues registering? Click "Download Forms" below to download our troubleshooting packet!

Sesame Place is committed to being accessible to guests with disabilities and to providing a safe and enjoyable environment to all guests. To get full program details, please visit here or download the Accessibility Guide. Since this event is only open to Variety families, Sesame Place will not offer front of the line access to guests enrolled in the Ride Accessibility Program.

• When: Friday, December 6, 2013 at 4:00 PM
• Where: Sesame Place
• Cost: There are no admission or registration fees; however, parking will be $25 per vehicle

Help Us win $20,000

From United Concordia Dental

 

For an expectant mom, taking good care of her gums and teeth during pregnancy can help her and her baby be healthy. The March of Dimes Pennsylvania is proud to be working with United Concordia Dental to share these important messages.

 

We have been selected as one of three charities competing in the “Champions for Wellness” charity program. The winning organization receives $20,000! The second place winner will receive $3,000 and Third Place will receive $2,000. Here’s how you can help. 

 

Just “like” the United Concordia Facebook page and cast your vote for the March of Dimes, up to once per day at: https://www.facebook.com/UnitedConcordiaDental/app_654492097894776

 

This information is also posted on thePennsylvania Facebook page.The contest runs from October 1 through 30, so don’t forget to vote every day!

 

Delaware County March for Babies

 

September 29, 2013

Registration 8:00 am | Start 9:00 am

 

Media Elementary School

 

FREE parking available in the parking

garage at State & Radnor

_________________________________________________________

 

 

Take 5 easy steps to march for babies

 

1) Sign up at marchforbabies.org

join a team or start your own, in honor of a baby you love

 

2) Set your dollar goal

Aim High! Many walkers raise $200 to $300

 - some more than $1,000

 

3) Invite people to raise money and walk with you

Together you'll raise more money and share a meaningful experience

 

4) RAISE money

send out e-mails and use our Facebook or smartphone

app to ask everyone you know for a donation.

It's easier than you think when it's for a great cause.

 

5) Lace up your shoes

get out there on March for Babies day and enjoy every step you take,

together with thousands of other caring people helping babies!

 

 

Gastroschisis

an abdominal wall defect

A new study published this week in Obstetrics and Gynecology reports on the rise in the incidence of a birth defect called gastroschisis, an abdominal wall defect. The study was large, reviewing over 4700 cases of gastroschisis occurring in 15 states from 1995-2005. While the condition is still relatively uncommon, the number of cases nearly doubled in the ten year period (from 2.32 to 4.42 per 10,000 live births). The highest rates (11.45 per 10,000) proved to be in non-Hispanic white teen mothers. Women younger than age 20 were over seven times more likely to have a baby with gastroschisis compared with women aged 25-29.

Why? We don’t yet know.

In gastroschisis, the baby has an opening in the abdominal wall, usually on the right side near the belly button. During pregnancy, part or all of the baby’s intestines come out through the opening. Sometimes the baby’s stomach and liver also may be outside the body.

The intestines and other organs float in the amniotic fluid that surrounds the baby in the uterus. The amniotic fluid can irritate the baby’s intestines, sometimes causing them to swell, twist or get shorter. As a result, some babies have lasting intestinal problems. Babies with gastroschisis usually don’t have any other birth defects.

If a baby has a small abdominal wall defect (only part of the intestine is outside the body), he will probably have surgery within 12 to 24 hours of birth. The surgeon will place the intestine back inside the abdomen and close the opening.

If a baby has a larger defect, however, the surgery may take place in stages. In some cases, the baby’s intestines may be swollen or the abdomen may not have grown enough to hold them. The surgeon may place the intestines in a tall plastic container called a“silo.” The silo is positioned over the opening in the abdomen. Over several days or weeks, the surgeon will gradually tighten the silo. This helps to push the intestines and other organs back inside the abdomen. Once all the organs are inside, the surgeon will remove the silo and close the opening.

While life starts for these little ones with what seems an intense ordeal, most babies with gastroschisis recover and develop normally. Some have feeding problems that last at least through early childhood but most eventually outgrow these problems.

More research is needed into the cause of gastroschisis. The March of Dimes has and is funding a number of grants on research involving abdominal wall defects and we will continue to look into the causes so that hopefully one day these defects can be prevented.

Benefit Beef and Beer

in Honor of Austin's 1st Birthday

 

We first became involved in March for Babies in 2013 after our son,

Austin, was born 7 weeks premature but a healthy 4 lbs 7 oz on

September 6, 2012. He spent two weeks in the NICU, then went

home and did tremendously well. At nearly five months old,

on February 5, 2013 he was called to be with the angels in heaven

for a reason god only knows. Our experiences taught us many things,

 and showed us what we can do to help ensure other families

don't have to go through the same things we did.

 

Saturday September 7, 2013

7:00 - 11:00 pm

 

Philadelphia Fire Hall Local 22

415 N. 5th Street

Philadelphia, PA 19123

 

Tickets are $35 ahead of time

$40 at the door (limited amount)

 

There will be basket raffles and 50/50

All proceeds will benefit the March of Dimes

 

Contact Melissa for tickets and more details.

Phone: (215) 493-3769 or E-mail: ivanat127@yahoo.com

www.MorningSicknessUSA.com

The March of Dimes and Duchesnay USA, are partnering to help educate women about the impact of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy (NVP), also known as morning sickness. On Wednesday, July 17 from 8:00 a.m. to 12 noon (ET), Duchesnay conducted a satellite media tour (SMT) emphasizing that morning sickness is a real medical condition that affects millions of women. Dr. Siobhan Dolan, medical advisor to the March of Dimes, acted as the medical expert. She was joined by Kate Cleary, a former March of Dimes volunteer, now a Family Team Specialist with our Pennsylvania chapter, who experienced nausea during her pregnancy five years ago with her premature twins.

Kate and Dr. Dolan directed the audiences to visit www.MorningSicknessUSA.com for more information. This is a new resource for pregnant women with NVP created by Duchesnay, featuring symptom trackers, recipes, lifestyle management ideas, and expert articles.

WDAZ Interview

Philadelphia NBC 10 Interview

 

Variety Club Philadelphia receives $20,000 grant from Comcast Foundation

Variety – The Children’s Charity of Greater Philadelphia has been granted $20,000 to purchase tablet computers and applications for use in their Direct Care for Kids program.
Variety’s “Direct Care for Kids” program provides special needs children with durable medical equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, braces and therapeutic bicycles at no cost to the families.
Through this grant, Variety will partner with Temple University’s Institute on Disabilities to provide training sessions for tablet recipients, specifically children with special needs in low income communities.
The training sessions will include instruction on using the tablets as well as providing projects that the children can work on during the training. Variety anticipates that the use of these new devices will help the children improve in speech, sociability, sensory/cognitive awareness and overall behavior. Amy Goldman, Co-Executive Director, Institute on Disabilities at Temple University, shared:
“Mary Pat Radabaugh, Director of IBM National Support Center for Persons with Disabilities said, ‘For Americans without disabilities, technology makes things easier. For American with disabilities, technology makes things possible.’ We are excited to work with Variety to help open doors for children with disabilities. Kids have so much potential! If we give people technology needed when they are children, we hope that will lead to higher school achievement, employment and independence.”
To be eligible, applicants must meet all of the criteria: 
Have a household income at 400% of Federal Poverty Guidelines or less
Have access or ability to access the internet
Have the ability to purchase recommended durability case
Print and complete attached application (See below)
Complete the pre- and post- Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC) available here
Be able to attend specified trainings at Temple University’s Institute on Disabilities

If you would like to request a demo of apps, please feel free to contact PIAT at ATinfo@temple.edu or 800-204-7428!
ALL SUBMISSIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2013!
Please know that we cannot accept incomplete or late submissions.
All completed forms may be mailed to:

Variety - The Children’s Charity
ATTN: Direct Care for Kids
1520 Locust Street, 2nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19102
or faxed to (215) 735-2450 with a cover letter with the attention for Nicole Simon.
For more information on “Direct Care for Kids” at Variety – The Children’s Charity, or more on the grant, please contact Nicole Simon at nicolesimon@varietyphila.org or (215) 735-0803 ext. 13.
To download the application, please click here or the “Download Forms” link below.

Variety Direct Care Application Comast Grant