A Year of Growth and Impact!
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BEGINNINGS is excited to share our Fiscal Year 2022-2023 annual report! During the course of the year, we experienced growth and continued our impact with families across the state. Altogether, we provided services to 1,350 families, with 588 being new families.
Our staff met with 94 more families whose children were recently identified with hearing loss to help them understand the diagnosis and navigate through new vocabulary and interventions. We also attended 54 more school meetings than in the previous year. Our most significant increase is that we were able to help 19 more families navigate the transition from the infant/toddler
program to preschool services.
As we look back on this past year, we'd like to thank our families for entrusting us to be a support system with their child's journey. We can't wait to see what 2024 has in store for us!
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Granting Success for BEGINNINGS Families
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The family of Isis Raelynn Marie Mosely-Brown, who is now two years old, received a grant to help with the cost of her trips to the audiologist. Isis’s mom wrote, “She has a severe hearing loss in her left ear. One of her achievements is that she is very social and loves people. I think her upcoming cochlear implants will continue to help her develop and learn new things.”
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Upcoming Events and Webinars |
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Special Education Conflict Resolution
and the Effects of the Pandemic
Free Virtual Workshop |
Join us for an informative presentation on Special Education Resolution and the Effects of the Pandemic on Tuesday, March 12 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. This free virtual workshop will conclude in a Q&A session with Daniel Brown with the Council for Children's Rights.
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Exceptional Children's Assistance Center Upcoming Events Calendar
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Check out these upcoming free workshops hosted by the Exceptional Children's Assistance Center.
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Books featuring Deaf or Hard of Hearing Characters
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As you continue your journey to promote inclusivity with your family member(s), check out these books that feature a main character that is Deaf and hard of Hearing.
Through these stories, children and caregivers can learn about the challenges, experiences, and most importantly triumphs that these characters navigate through these stories in unique ways!
This resource provides a list of books appropriate for ages birth to adult. Happy Reading!
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| Learn about BASL for Black History Month
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Did you know that the first black deaf school opened in Raleigh in 1869? Governor Morehead School (GMS), formerly the
North Carolina State School for the Blind and Deaf, still operates today as a K–12 public school for the blind. It has served blind people of all races and deaf black people.
To celebrate Black History Month, we invite you to learn more about Black ASL (BASL). This form of communication is a distinct variety of American Sign Language used by many Black Deaf communities across the United States. BASL is a spectrum of features, signs, and styles that vary for each signer and in different situations. It has a long history, and like all languages, is still constantly developing and changing.
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| NC Insurance Eligibility for Immigrants |
If you are an immigrant in the United States, it is important to know your rights to access health insurance. Learn more about the most common immigration statuses, common documentation for those statuses, and corresponding health insurance eligibility for Medicaid and the Federal Health Insurance Marketplace (ACA).
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New BEGINNINGS for Families in 2024 |
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Wyatt and his mother following his CI surgery on January 2.
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Being able to empower families is a top priority for our Parent Educators, and it is not always an easy task! Alejandra Casapia is a Parent Educator who serves families in western North Carolina. Over the past two years, she has worked with Wyatt and his family to provide resources and help support them.
A diagnosis of hearing loss can be overwhelming, and Wyatt's mom, being unsure of what services were needed, felt it was too much. Alejandra was able to connect mom with Early Intervention providers and further explain services to better serve Wyatt.
This family recently celebrated a big milestone with a recent cochlear implants surgery! The family's journey for CIs started in February 2022. Through denial of insurance coverage including multiple appeals, the journey for this family has been paved with obstacles, but mom never gave up. Finally, almost two years later, on January 2, 2024, Wyatt received his cochlear implants financed by Jacob's Ride for Hearing. Congratulations to Wyatt, and thank you to our partners in the community! We look forward to continuing to support his family's journey!
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Summer Camp Opportunities |
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Operation Accelerate Camp | Wilson, NC |
Join the fun at the annual Operation Accelerate summer program at the ENCSD! This two-week summer program takes place in June and is open to Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in the 54 easternmost counties of NC, regardless of where they attend school during the school year! Come learn and explore beyond the classroom with on-campus activities and eventful field trips!
Application form in English
Aplicación forma en Español
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Camp Sertoma | Ellerbe, NC |
Camp Sertoma for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children invites kids ages 8-16 who are Deaf or hard of hearing to join us in the beautiful sandhills of North Carolina at Millstone 4-H Center for a week of fun and adventure from July 28-Aug 2, 2024.
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Give a Little to Make a BIG Impact |
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Did you know that when you become a Sustaining Donor, you help BEGINNINGS plan ahead on how we can best support families?
It's true! And it's easy. A monthly gift of any amount -- equal to your favorite cup of coffee, for example! -- gives us a financial base on which to provide important programs and services to N.C. families. All you have to do is click on the "Become a Donor Now" button to set up your monthly gift and enter your credit card number; we'll take care of the rest. You never have to worry about giving reminders again!
Our staff members give to BEGINNINGS each month, as do our Board members. Please join us!
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Behind the Scenes with BEGINNINGS |
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Diane Doak
Executive Director
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I have been told that BEGINNINGS is “the best kept secret in North Carolina.” This isn’t surprising, because unless you have a child or know a child that is deaf or hard of hearing, our services are not a priority in your life. Educating, informing, supporting parents to empower them to be the best advocate for THEIR child is our primary goal. People need to know about us before we can help them meet that goal. So, we are reorganizing to be able to inform as many parents as possible about our services.
On March 1, 2024, Joanna Chantemerle will be our new Associate Executive Director. Her primary responsibility will be to work with Ellen Fort, our Director of Development, and Ashley Bauer, our new Marketing Manager, to share our mission and tell our stories to you, the parents, and professionals we serve and also those we have yet to serve. Joanna has been with BEGINNINGS for 20 years working first as a Parent Educator then as the Director of Programs. I am excited for this new organizational structure and look forward to sharing BEGINNINGS with as many parents as possible.
--Diane Doak, Executive Director
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Have a topic you'd like to see in an upcoming newsletter? Let us know! Send an email to marketing@ncbegin.org on any information you'd like us to feature in a future edition.
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156 Wind Chime Ct Suite A | Raleigh, NC 27615 US
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