Awakening Minds Launches "A Mother's Wish"

Dear everyone:

It is with great emotion -- excitement, fear, and trepidation -- that I launch "A Mother's Wish", a campaign to generate understanding and awareness of the need to create a community for helping lower-functioning individuals with autism (particularly youths and adults) realise their full potential. 

Here is an excerpt from "A Mother's Wish" (to read the full text, please go to www.awakeningminds.sg):

A Mother's Wish

"The day when we won't be around..." is the oft-unfinished phrase that we parents and caregivers of special needs children are all too familiar with. Once these words are spoken, they linger with an oppressive weight that cannot be easily dispelled. For within the pregnant silence lies is the tacit query that we dare not articulate, for fear of tearing up:

Who will be there to love my child, as I have loved him(her)?

This oft-unspoken reality is one that we often push to the back of our minds, as we get caught up in the daily grind and challenges of our parenting journey along the road less travelled. Much as I would have wanted to put off my confrontation with this prospect, I have now reached the crossroads of my homeschooling journey with Sebastien, my moderately autistic son, who is heading into his 17th year of life…

Thus, my New Year Resolution for 2013 is to embark on a lifelong endeavour to create the Awakening Minds Community(working name):

My objectives for “A Mother’s Wish” are:

• Generate a groundswell of awareness and support for the creation of a community dedicated to helping low-functioning individuals with autism to realise their potential;
• Initiate an open-minded and open-hearted brainstorm of ideas for creating such a community; and
• Set forth potential strategies as an invitation to like-minded carers, professionals, and policymakers to step forward and participate in collaborative endeavours.

Our contributions: Both Sebastien and I will do be doing our part to contribute to the campaign — Sebastien with his water colour paintings and me with my writings and endeavours to promote awareness (please go to http://awakeningminds.sg/#ourcontrib to learn more and check out Sebastien's art). 

Blowing in the Wind, Water Colour by Jean-Sebastien Choo (Raw Art Series)

There is also some ideas for how YOU can help with the campaign, at the minimum by spreading the word and sharing your ideas with me... (please go to: http://awakeningminds.sg/#youcando)

For the rest of this year, I will be putting out regular updates to promote thought, discussion, action, and inspiration, as well as organising activities and events related to the campaign. 

Thank you in advance for your support.

Kah Ying

Sebastien's painting at Coach Sandy's New Year Open House Bash and Workout Party

Dear everyone:

I am writing to tell you about the New Year Open House Bash and Workout Party of Coach Sandy Snakenberg who runs a gym called Aspiring Goals. Coach Sandy is the skating and fitness coach of Sebastien, my autistic son. 

Over the past 4.5 years, Coach Sandy has played a crucial role in cultivating Sebastien's love for speedskating and his sense of self-discipline through his customised and rigorous workouts. Along my journey of raising Sebastien, I have always appreciated the "angels" who possess the open mind and heart to embrace challenging individuals with special needs like my son. Coach Sandy is one of these kind souls who offer a continuous source of emotional support for us. 

He has kindly offered to host a few of Sebastien's paintings (Raw Art series) at his gym -- they will thus be launched at the party, along with a campaign I am starting to promote awareness of the needs of low-functioning individuals with autism. Therefore, I hope that you have the opportunity to show your support for a great Coach with a unique, one-of-a-kind gym, and check out Sebastien's paintings... There will be more events associated with Sebastien's art and the campaign I mentioned later in 2013. 

Details of the event:

01-02 Lion Building C, 14 Arumugam Rd, Singapore (near MacPherson MRT, Exit B)

Sat, Jan 12, 5 pm-10 pm

RSVP: Coach Sandy at 9061-8118

Potluck

Best regards,

Kah Ying