The Volunteer Services Council of Mental Health Mental Retardation Services of Texoma is holding a fund-raiser called Kids Entertaining Kids to be held on Saturday, July 31, Sherman Municipal Ballroom, 405 North Rusk, Sherman, 2:00-4:30 p.m. The event is ready to create an afternoon of excitement and pleasure for kids of all ages and will benefit Early Childhood Intervention-Texoma (ECI). Tickets are on sale at the door on the day of the event for $1 for children 12 and under and $2 for adults.
Performances at the event will include Children’s Chorus of Greater North Texas, Theatricks, Gracie Brown, Cooke County Ballet Academy, Arnold’s Martial Arts, Musical Hands, and more. Refreshments will be served.
Gracie Brown has been taking voice from Jill Brown Studio since she was 3 years old and is now 13. She would love to be a professional Christian singer. Her parents are Johnny Brown and Melanie Luker. She has been voted "Female Vocalist 16 and under twice at the Main Street Showcase" In Denison, Texas. She also has performed in Branson, Missouri many times and has several CDs available. Jill Brown states, "Gracie is of the most talented children that I have ever worked with. She works very hard and is always so willing to provide excellent talent in our community in regard to fundraisers and benefit concerts, etc."
Cooke County Ballet will be performing and featuring young children who began their lessons this summer. The owner and instructor, Stephanie Stoffels says, "I teach in a non-competitive Christian environment. Our dance includes ballet, tap, and jazz beginning with three years on up. Our goal is learning for fun. Dance helps develop coordination and gross motor skills." Stoffels has taught dance for 26 years and established Cooke County Ballet 18 years ago.
Arnold’s Premier Martial Arts will also be performing under the direction of Rick Arnold. Children as young as 4 will be demonstrating their awesome physical skills, but really showing how real "discipline" can be developed at such a young age. Weapons and board breaking are just a small part of the action spectators can look forward to. We encourage you to come see the self control, respect and power that many martial arts students strive for, but only a few achieve. The real fun is when everyone laughs and cheers so loud!
"A silent auction will be held during the event. So many businesses, individuals, and organizations have contributed to make the silent auction pretty spectacular. We have donations from the Dallas Stars, Mavericks, Dallas Cowboys, Texas Rangers, restaurants, and much more. BACA (Bikers Against Child Abuse) will be special guests. Their motor cycles will be parked at the top of the hill for children and parents to view and make pictures. The event is sponsored by the Clara B. and Aubrey W. Smith Foundation, Trinity River Chapter of Thrivent Financial Services for Lutherans, and many area businesses," states Linda Horton, ECI Program Manager.
"We will use the funds from this event to provide maintenance of effort to support our services and help the families we serve with needs that cannot be found in other community services," says Horton.
ECI serves infants and children from birth to three years of age with developmental delays in Grayson, Cooke, Fannin, Delta, Lamar, and Hopkins. ECI is funded through the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) and hosted by Mental Health Mental Retardation Services of Texoma. For more information on services or referrals, call: 903-957-4810.
ECI’s mission is to support families of children birth to three years of age with developmental needs by providing or helping access services that support family choice and promote independence within the context of the family’s natural environment and daily routines. The program is designed to encourage and assist parents with an infant or a child who appears to be slow in development or who has organic deficiency and/or medical conditions that usually result in developmental delay.
Early Intervention is the most effective strategy to enable the child to live as a functional adult and is the most cost-effective time. This intervention helps avoid more extensive and expensive intervention as the child progresses through the school system and later in life. Services include (1) screening, assessment, and referral; (2) developmental services provided in the home and community-based settings; (3) related services such as occupational, speech, and/or physical therapy; (4) family support and training; (5) special equipment, toy, book, and video lending library; (6) service coordination for the child and family; (7) referral and transition services; and (8) other services specific to child and family needs that may include nursing and nutritional services. The developmental therapy segment is a home bound and /or community-based program. It is designed to help children who have poor learning skills, poor cognitive skills, delays in gross and/or fine motor abilities, delays in speech and language, hearing or sight impairment, poor social and emotional development, and organic/medical conditions.