COMING IN MARCH

March 9. 2012 – April 30, 2012

This “Juried Show” will bring together a gallery full of wonderful artwork in joint collaboration with SEDF and the Steiner School!  Proceeds from all sales benefit both organizations as we collaborate on bringing this great spring show to the Berkshires!

Please join us as we bring together these fine artists, craftsmen, and sculptors!

The festival’s mission is to help Berkshire residents to break out of the winter blues and “Catch the Fever”. To show their support, Lee businesses have the opportunity to sponsor the festival and/or offer deals or specials, valid all week as incentive for residents to bundle up and make their way downtown.

Lee is taking a creative, low-cost approach to a fun community festival, turning the historically slow week in February into a unique fun-filled week benefiting shopkeepers and residents alike.

Event highlights include a “Strut Your Stuff” Bathing Suit Race down Main Street, a live ice sculpting exhibition, improve comedy night by the Berkshire Improv Troupe RBIT, an ice fishing derby, Taste of Lee restaurant night and more. As a participant or by-stander, you’re sure to be entertained.

By holding community planning meetings and bringing Lee businesses on-board, planning, marketing and setup for the event has been a highly-coordinated effort. The Festival has already gained the support of over 30 local businesses and organizations through sponsorship and hosting of events.

For more information visit www.cabinfeverfest.com or contact Danielle Mullen at the Lee Chamber of Commerce – 413-243-1705, leechamberofcommerce@gmail.com.

What Every Clinician, Teacher, or Parent Needs to Know to Help Their Adolescent with Asperger’s Syndrome and Learning Differences Become an Independent Adult.

with Dr. Michael McManmon, Ed.D.
Founder of the College Internship Program (CIP), author of “Made for Good Purpose”

March 30, 2012 – Amherst, NY - Made for Good Purpose, an informative lecture for parents, teachers, clinicians, and others working with young adults with Executive Function difficulties and who have Asperger’s Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, PDD-NOS, ADHD, NLD and other Learning Differences.

Through solid expertise, experience, and drawing from a variety of case studies, Dr. Michael McManmon helps those who parent, mentor, work with, or teach young adults “on the autism spectrum” how to obtain skills for life, work, and independent living.

Using the strategies and methodologies gleaned from twenty-eight years of helping young adults lead independent, successful, and fulfilling lives, Dr. McManmon will take conference participants through the early days of accepting a diagnosis to learning executive function skills necessary for attending college, engaging in meaningful work, forming relationships, and living independently.

Dr. Michael McManmon is the founder of the College Internship Program that has six residential centers nationwide and works with young adults aged 18 to 26. Michael McManmon also has Asperger’s Syndrome.

Dr. McManmon coined a phrase many years ago that continues to inspire all of his students: “You were made for good purpose and are inherently valuable.”

Dr. McManmon Speaks on Interdependence and Relationships

“I have been to a lot of workshops and conferences and I have to say that this may be “the best” in terms of what I got out of it. The day was well organized, and I will look forward to the next SEDF event.” John Aldana, Ph.D.

Friday, March 30th, 2012:

8:30 Registration and Silent Auction
9:00 AM Welcoming
9:15 AM Presentation
10:30 AM Break and Silent Auction Continues
10:45 AM Presentation
11:45 AM Lunch and Silent Auction Bidding
12:45 PM Presentation
2:00 PM Question and Answer Session, Results from Silent Auction

Cost: $100.00 per person (includes lunch) *Students 18 yrs and younger are free with an adult

**A Silent Auction of Art Works will also be taking place during lunch and breaks – All proceeds benefit SEDF**

About Michael McManmon, Ed.D.

Michael McManmon, Ed.D. founded the College Internship Program in 1984. He received a B.A. in English from Mt. St. Mary’s College in Maryland, a Masters in Counseling from Shippensburg University, a Masters in Human Development from the University of Kansas (through a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health), and a Doctorate in Special Education from the University of Nevada.

He is licensed as a Psychologist by the State of Massachusetts. Prior to Founding CIP, he worked for state, private and non-profit organizations in several states and was certified as a family teacher through the Boys Town Center in Nebraska.

During his 39 years of experience with students with Learning Differences and Asperger’s Syndrome, Dr. McManmon has worked on Curriculum Development, Staff Training, Program Evaluation, and Administering Community Based Programming. He speaks and presents at professional conferences nationally and internationally.

Date:

Friday, March 30th, 2012
8:30 AM – 2:00 PM (registration 8:30 AM)

Location:

Banchetti Conference and Banquet Facility
550 North French Street
Amherst, NY  14228

Cost:
$100 per person (includes lunch)
Students 18 and under are free with an adult*
***Silent Auction***
All proceeds benefit SEDF, a not-for-profit foundation.

For more information, please contact Jenny Lilienthal, SEDF Director
jlilienthal@sedfund.org 413-394-5045

A concert exploring the Italian origins of virtuoso music for the cello, as well as solo harpsichord music of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Featuring Italian Baroque music with two wonderful Baroque Cellists (Colleen McGary-Smith and Anne Legêne) and Mariken Palmboom on harpsichord. Program includes Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Frescobaldi.

Admission:
Suggested donation of $15.

Sunday, January 22nd at 3PM.

Paintings by Kayla Corby and sculpture by Joe Katz.

Come into the warmth of our gallery and enjoy the work of Kayla Corby and Joe Katz!

Kayla Corby’s landscape series represents the beauty of nature with its mystery of light, shapes and depth. Her work surrounds and fills every wall in our beautiful gallery space.

Joe Katz’s wood and copper sculptures weave Appalachian hard woods into heart and body warming shapes and textures, all relating to New England’s industrial and entrepreneurial heritage. His sculpture shines through our front window and creates a maze of intrigue on our floor space.

 Kayla Corby

 “My art represents the beauty of nature, with its mystery of light, shapes, and depth.  The hope portrayed in this show is one of comfort and peace.”

Biography

Kayla Corby is an accomplished artist who lives in Lenox, MA.  While attending Lenox Schools, Kayla was offered a Commonwealth Scholarship to attend Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, an honor given to a handful of students based on their academic records and art portfolios.  She graduated with distinction.  Kayla has also studied under Mark Milhoff and in Denmark.  She has exhibited her work at a variety of shows and galleries in New York City, Mystic, CT, New Haven, CT, and Cambridge, MA.  The Vault Gallery in Great Barrington, MA, the Lenox Gallery of Fine Arts, and the Berkshire Museum have all hosted recent exhibits of her work.  This is Kayla’s second one-person flat art show at the Good Purpose Gallery.

Joe Katz

Artist Statement

As a sculptor and artist, the wood I use relates directly to our Berkshire and New England heritage of living in one of the world’s most beautiful forests – the Appalachian Mountains; home to the largest hardwood belt in the world.  My work weaves local Appalachian hard woods such as cherry, oak, maple, ash, hickory, & birch with metal, that relates to our New England industrial, entrepreneurial heritage.  It is the process of creating new work that inspires me.

Biography    

My art has been displayed in MASS MoCA’s museum store, and my sculptures have been selected for Gallery Shows for Pittsfield’s Storefront Artist Project, and Berkshire Community College & Westfield State University Art Shows.

I have a degree in Industrial Arts Education with a major in metalworking.  I am currently an Art major at Westfield State University with a focus on metal and wood sculpture. I graduate July 2011 and was awarded the Outstanding Merit and Dedication to the Arts Award for the 2010 – 2011 academic year.

I served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia from 1974 – 1976 and re-joined again twenty years later in 1994, with my wife Margaret.  We served in the Marshall Islands in Micronesia, where I taught drafting & woodworking to high school students.  I created and owned  a successful fine cabinetry, hardwood lumber & woodworking business for ten years, and  also taught grade school, middle & high school Technology Education & woodworking in Massachusetts, and at Waldorf & Steiner Schools in Vancouver, Canada, Wellington, New Zealand, and  Kimberton, Pennsylvania to students ages nine to nineteen.

____________________________________________________________

Join us for First Friday Gallery Night – February 3 (Friday) from 6 to 8 PM.

and

Meet and Greet the Artists – February 26 (Sunday) from 4 to 6 PM.

What Every Parent Needs to Know to Help Their Adolescent with Asperger’s, High Functioning Autism or a Learning Difference Become an Independent Adult

By Dr. Michael P. McManmon
January 2012 • 240 pp • 25 black & white figures • ISBN 978 1 84905 863 6 • paperback • $24.95

Many teenagers with Asperger’s Syndrome leave school feeling unsure of how to take the next steps in their lives. Leaving the comforts of home and facing the unknown can be daunting, but with the right support and advice these young adults can adapt and enjoy their newly-acquired independence.

Filled with useful advice, easy-to-apply techniques, and personal anecdotes from both the author’s own experiences of Asperger’s Syndrome and those of his students, this book is a practical guide for helping young adults on the spectrum achieve independence and learn life-long skills of self-knowledge, self-sufficiency, and self-advocacy. With chapters on social skills, handling finances, keeping healthy, and succeeding in higher education or first employment, Dr. McManmon provides the encouragement that any young Aspie needs to make the transition from an adolescent into a happy, confident and engaged adult.

This book will be essential reading for parents, young adults with Asperger’s Syndrome, high-functioning autism or learning differences, and any professionals who work with them.

Dr. Michael P. McManmon is the founder of the College Internship Program (CIP) that serves college-aged students with learning differences and Asperger’s Syndrome in six centers across the US. CIP’s goal is to prepare young men and young women with skills for life, for college, for work and for independent living. Dr. McManmon was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at fifty-one years of age. His personal struggles and ensuing victories and that of his students and staff have inspired this book. He resides in Lee, Massachusetts.

Contents: Foreword by Stephen Shore, Ph.D. Opening Statement. Introduction. 1. Understanding Your Diagnosis: The Power of Knowing. 2. Learning the Art of Letting Go: The Steel Umbilical. 3. Keeping it Real: The Donkey Rule. 4. Pulling it all Together: Executive Functioning. 5. Being in the Groove: Social Competency. 6. Having a Shoulder to Lean On: Social Mentoring. 7. Get a Job, Son: Internships and Community Service. 8. Handling Finances: Money Makes the World Go Round. 9. Feeling Fit, Groomed, and Fueled: Health and Wellness. 10. Learning the “Hidden Curriculum”: Friendship then Love. 11. Learning Openness, Tolerance, and Diversity: Be Yourself… Everyone Else is Taken. 12. Moving Forward: The Genuine Evokes the Genuine. Epilogue. References. Index.

“Michael McManmon’s book makes an outstanding contribution to the support, development and happiness of people on the autism spectrum. It is written with the parents of people with Asperger Syndrome in mind to help them understand how they can best help their children into adulthood. This book should certainly be studied by professionals employed in the field. The ideas are above all, practical and based upon experience. They do not depend upon expensive technology but on common-sense based upon observations and sympathetic understanding of the problem. It is written with that detail, insight and honesty which is only gifted to those with at least one foot in the spectrum.”

- Paul Shattock, Chairman of ESPA and President of the World Autism Organisation, UK

To order directly from the publisher : www.jkp.com. (Enter COLL12 at checkout for 20% Discount!).

“RBIT has been entertaining crowds in the Berkshires for the last ten years” says Frank La Frazia, RBIT member and co-founder, “We are delighted to bring our improvisation to the new Spectrum Playhouse in Lee for six months of third Friday Improv Comedy Nights-it’s going to be a great time”.

Mark your calendars now for the six dates as this is fun for the whole family!

WHEN:
Friday, January 20 @ 7:30pm
Friday, February 17 @ 7:30pm
Friday, March 16 @ 7:30pm
Friday, April 20 @ 7:30pm
Friday, May 18 @ 7:30pm
Friday, June 15 @ 7:30pm

WHERE:
Spectrum Playhouse
20 Franklin Street, Lee, MA, 01238

TICKETS:
$12- Cash or Check at the Door
To pre-reserve call 413-394-5023 x 12

ABOUT THE SPECTRUM PLAYHOUSE:
The Spectrum Playhouse is a recently re-purposed church at the center of Lee: the former St. Georges Episcopal Church. It is part of the Berkshire Visual and Performing Arts Center (BVPAC) project of the Student Educational Development Fund (SEDF), a not for profit 501 (c) 3 organization whose mission includes providing visual and performing arts opportunities for students with Learning Differences. The playhouse is in a soft opening year, with a grand opening scheduled for July 2012. a href=http://www.sedfund.orgwww.sedfund.org/a

Contact:
Kristen van Ginhoven
413-394-5023 x 12
kvanginhoven@sedfund.org

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This show has been the talk of Lee, Lenox, Stockbridge, Great Barrington and beyond for the
past month and is not to be missed. View the stunning paintings of Terry Wise and the delightful
hand blown glass sculpture of Nathan Hoogs and Elizabeth Crawford. It’s a joyous visual
display of light and color throughout our purpose built gallery (the only one in the Berkshire’s).
And so timely as we lose the light of day at this time of year.

Take a break at the end of your busy pre-holiday decorating, baking and shopping day to warm
up with holiday treats from the Starving Artist Café as you meet and greet Terry, Elizabeth and
Nathan.

Terry has shown her work extensively in galleries throughout the USA as well as in Kirchberg,
Austria and London, England. Her still life work, love of textiles, and her use of block printed
repeat patterns creates texture, warmth, and depth of color in her work.

Nathan Hoogs and Elizabeth Crawford have created an outstanding collection of 28 stunning
pieces of hand blown glass for this exhibit. Hoogs and Crawford’s glass sculpture work
represents each person’s individual aesthetic with the highest attention paid to detail and
technical skill. Their collaborations are fluid and their ability to work together is captivating.

Join us at our 40 Main Street location in Lee, MA !

Francine Britton

Good Purpose Gallery Director

40 Main Street Lee, MA.

Opening night on Friday, November 18 brought a full house and about 150 people from the ‘Berkshires’ and beyond out to meet and greet the artists of a brand new show  entitled – “Reflections on Color/Color upon Reflection – at SEDF’s Good Purpose Gallery in Lee, MA.

While the night may have been cold, dark, and dreary the artwork in the gallery featuring the paintings of Terry Wise, and the hand blown glass sculpture of Nathan Hoogs and Elizabeth Crawford, warmed all of us with color, light, and sheer beauty.

It was such a happy occasion and very gratifying and wonderful to see the work of these fine artists supported, appreciated and most of all – purchased by the patrons, friends and supporters of the artists and our foundation.

And, as always, everything is for ‘good purpose’ as proceeds from all sales go to the Student Educational Development Fund (SEDF) and helps young adults with Asperger’s Syndrome and learning differences obtain skills for life, work or college, and…independent living!

The presentation – Coping with Asperger’s by Building a Better Brain – Executive Function and Assessment Strategies and Interventions for Those Working with Students on the Autism Spectrum – attracted 44 participants on a fine, sunny, beautiful Florida day in November.

Dr. McCloskey gave an informative lecture with excellent case studies and strategies presented to a sizeable group of educators, clinicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, and parents.

Dr. McCloskey has worked for over 25 years to create, perfect, and implement successful methodologies in working with people of all ages on the autism spectrum. His encouragement: “Will the student on the spectrum get there? Absolutely – it just may take longer than you thought with lots of repetition!” His expertise: “early intervention and early diagnosis,” and his compassion and caring were all in evidence as participants gleaned knowledge, asked many compelling questions and took away concrete strategies for working with this special needs population.

Participants came from as far away as Savannah, Georgia and included all staff from the College Internship Program’s (CIP’s) Brevard, Florida location. Dr. McCloskey was kind enough to provide a PDF of his PowerPoint from this presentation – if you would like to receive a copy of it please contact me, Francine Britton at fbritton@sedfund.org.