United We Brunch
May 1 - May 31
We are excited to introduce the United We Brunch initiative, a nationwide effort designed to bring people together to connect, share experiences, gain the resources, and support our community needs. United We Brunch is about fostering hope – one brunch, one state, and one family at a time – uniting communities and creating a ripple effect of awareness and compassion across the country.
Anyone can host a United We Brunch event! It’s easy and can be as casual or fancy as you’d like. From picking up muffins and putting on a pot of coffee to catering a high tea and arranging flowers, your time and imagination are the only limits.
You can host at home, partner with a family member, or even reserve a room at your favorite brunch spot. It’s all up to you!
With your help, we can grow this initiative so that every May, during PWS Awareness Month, there will be a wave of support that increases in momentum every year. Imagine knowing that every May, nationwide, new groups are gathering to help shine a light on PWS for all of us. It starts here, it starts now, it starts with you.
Jennifer Bolander has been serving as a Special Education Specialist for PWSA (USA) since October of 2015. She is a graduate of John Carroll University and lives in Ohio with her husband Brad and daughters Kate (17), and Sophia (13) who was born with PWS.
Perry A. Zirkel has written more than 1,500 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. He writes a regular column for NAESP’s Principal magazine and NASP’s Communiqué newsletter, and he did so previously for Phi Delta Kappan and Teaching Exceptional Children.
Evan has worked with the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association (USA) since 2007 primarily as a Crisis Intervention and Family Support Counselor. Evans works with parents and schools to foster strong collaborative relationships and appropriate educational environments for students with PWS.
Dr. Amy McTighe is the PWS Program Manager and Inpatient Teacher at the Center for Prader-Willi Syndrome at the Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Duquesne University receiving her Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Education with a focus on elementary education, special education, and language arts.
Staci Zimmerman works for Prader-Willi Syndrome Association of Colorado as an Individualized Education Program (IEP) consultant. Staci collaborates with the PWS multi-disciplinary clinic at the Children’s Hospital in Denver supporting families and school districts around the United States with their child’s Individual Educational Plan.
Founded in 2001, SDLC is a non-profit legal services organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the legal rights of people with disabilities throughout the South. It partners with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Protection and Advocacy (P&A) programs, Legal Services Corporations (LSC) and disability organizations on major, systemic disability rights issues involving the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the federal Medicaid Act. Recently in November 2014, Jim retired.