July 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 52

TIES THAT BIND

A long string represents a " feeling " spectrum during one of the sibling activities.

of heavier topics related to having
a sibling with special needs.

child with a disability, sometimes,
you're just tired [from] your kids,
you're worn out and for this specific group of people, I would
imagine it would be very challenging to trust a group of people
with another one of your babies.
But, she was able to vocalize how
much she appreciated it and really understood what Sibshop was
and what it wasn't. It was just a
wonderful conversation. "
Creating Partnerships
During the two-day training, Laubach managed to forge partnerships
with Bryant and Horizon Behavioral Health, and with Meadows, who
is an outpatient therapist. " While
we were doing the training, we
all just got together and discussed
having them [cofacilitate] the Sibshop, " says Laubach. " And the
nice thing about that is it doesn't all
fall on one person. "
Since the training, Lynchburg
50

Parks & Recreation

| J U LY 2 0 1 9 | W W W. PA R K S A N D R E C R E AT I O N . O R G

Parks & Recreation has rolled out
its Sibshops Summer Series. The
first one, " Sibshop in the Kitchen, " took place June 5 at Miller
Center, while the second, " Explore
Ivy Creek, " will be held July 2 at
Ivy Creek Park. Rounding out the
summer, the third Sibshop, " Family Picnic and Pool Party, " will take
place August 8 at Miller Park.
Although a typical Sibshop is
designed for siblings ages 8 to 13,
Laubach believes in looking more
at the entire family. " My goal is to
run a Sibshop or [a] family event
at least once a month, " she says.
However, she admits that Sibling
Support Project's Holl has cautioned against offering too many,
whereby kids begin thinking they
" have to " attend another workshop
and " talk about things. " She says
her intent is to keep the program
moving and make sure that sibs are
having fun, but they'll still have an
opportunity to discuss those kinds

Final Thoughts
Why is parks and recreation a good
fit for Sibshops? " I truly believe that
park and recreation departments
are really the heart and soul of
their community, " contends Holl.
" And, I love that more park and
rec departments are thinking about
inclusion and ways that they can
create opportunities for families
of kids with disabilities and other
diagnoses to really be part of that
community and to enjoy the same
kinds of activities that everyone
in the community has access to. I
also love the idea of Sibshops being
offered through parks and rec, because it's just a go-to place for families looking for activities for their
kids that are going to nurture and
help them grow, and Sibshops are
certainly an opportunity for young
brothers and sisters to do that. "
If you're interested in starting your
own Sibshop at your park agency or
to learn more about the program, visit
www.siblingsupport.org.

Sibshop Resources
Sibling Support Project www.siblingsupport.org
Arc 3 Siblings - www.youtube.
com/watch?v=Ve-yGz5KzYs
" 20/20 " Report on an autistic boy www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxVt
Js-ZtW8
Vitisia Paynich is a Southern Californiabased Freelance Writer for Parks &
Recreation magazine.

July 2019 - Parks & Recreation

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2019 - Parks & Recreation