Thriving Families Picnic

We will be having a Thriving Families Picnic At Prado Park in Chino on Saturday July 17th from 12-4. The park is located off the 71 at Euclid on the East side of the freeway. From the Claremont area you would take the 71 south and exit Euclid go east (left) and the park will be on your right side. There is a fee for parking, ($5)and when you enter tell them to direct you to the special needs [playground/water play area. We will be set up there and will bring meat to barbeque. Warning: My husband makes the best carne asada EVER and we will also make hotdogs for the kids. I'm asking that everyone bring something to share and drinks for your family. This is mainly a catch up and spend time together meeting so come prepared to have fun. Also, make sure you bring swimsuits and towels for your kids as they will get wet. Also, umbrellas and chairs are welcome as well. If you have any questions please call me 951-818-7760
Hope to see you all there!

Christmas Party and future of Thriving Families

For Our Christmas Party this year we had a little Family gathering at Granite Creek Church in Claremont. Since we are no longer able to meet at Ability First we had to discuss the future of our little group. We decided that instead of meeting monthly, we will now meet quarterly and our next meeting will be Tuesday March 15 at 6:30pm at Granite Creek Church in Claremont. We will not be providing childcare but the kids will be pretty much in the room with us so it should work out okay. Parents were told that if they could bring their respite person with them (it couldn't hurt), and if we need to, myself or Jen will jump in to kid wrangle. All in all we are really excited about the future of Thriving Families and I really hope 2010 will be a great year. 2009 was a tough year for me and I was not able to dedicate as much time to the group as I wanted to because of my moms sickness and subsequent death. However, parents need support and prayer and it is great to be with a group of people that really truly care for one another and the fellowship that having a child with special needs brings. I think as a group and as individuals we all rock! Can't wait to see you all at our next meeting. If you are interested in coming please contact me at madrigalmama@yahoo.com for any questions or any extra support. Oh, and lets keep the Nelson family in prayer as they need a little extra this month!
Blessings,
Jennifer Madrigal

Upcoming meeting

At our last Thriving Families meeting we had a speaker come and talk to us about communication devices. She obtained a grant from the united Way to help out 50 families with up to $300 each towards the cost of a communication device. She will even help you and your family figure out what works the best for your child. I will be speaking more about this and passing out information at our next Thriving Families meeting.
The next Thriving Families Mtg. is on Tuesday June 16th at 6pm at Ability First. Please remember to email me at madrigalmama@yahoo.com if you need childcare.
At our next meeting I will passing out some information from the previous speaker and discussing a possible Family Picnic for our Thriving Families Group. I know a few of us have been going through a lot lately and really need a vent session! Can't wait to see you all there.

members of thriving families!

Email me or comment here if you have any questions, comments or want me to post a photo or comment, etc..

Welcome to Thriving Families!

Well today we said goodbye to Jennifer Maglio as our leader and hello to me. Jennifer has some big shoes to fill but since my feet are much bigger, I should do okay..ha ha!
First, a little about me. My name is Jennifer Madrigal and I am the mother of 3 boys, Isaiah, Andrew and Nicholas. Nicholas, is 5 and is deaf and autisitic. If you are in the group you have heard my struggles and know that I prefer to try to be as positive and faithful as possible...this said it doesn't always mean that I am. I'm just a mom trying to do whats best for her son in a world where everyone doesn't "get" him and his needs. I really enjoy our little group and I truly believe that we all need each other. I'm looking forward to seeing what God has in store for me in this group and I know we all continue to build upon the beautiful foundation that Jennifer Maglio has laid for us all!
this blog will be our own little place to post news and info., announcements, etc. Please look for more information to come as the moth progresses! By the way, I don't always spell check and sometimes I just don't care so just a little disclaimer about that. LOL