FASt Friends: A FASD Family and Community Support Network

NOTICE: There will be no meeting on Tuesday December 18th.

Instead, our annual Holiday party will be held at Alfy's pizza on Saturday December 15, 2007 from 5pm to 7pm. The address is 9620 19th Ave SE, Everett, WA, 98208. This holiday party is for the entire family. Pizza and soda is furnished by NOFAS Washington State with a special appearance by Santa. Please contact Julie Gelo at FASDSupport@aol.com or at 206-940-2832 with questions or RSVP. We need to know the number of people attending (adults, teens, and children) and the type of pizza that your family enjoys. We also need parents to bring a wrapped and name tagged gift for each child/teen attending with your family (gift limit $10 or so please). Keep this a secret and I will arrange with everyone to gather the gifts when you arrive and place them in my car and Santa will collect them and distribute them upon his arrival. Photos will be taken and available upon request. Please contact us with questions.

Again, this holiday party is in lieu of our regularly scheduled support group and teen group meetings on the third Tuesday on December 18th. So there are NO meetings on December 18, 2007. The regularly scheduled meetings will resume on January 15, 2008.

The mission of NOFAS Washington is to provide prevention, intervention, education, and advocacy on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders through the positive cooperation and collaboration of families, caregivers, community provides, professionals, and individuals affected by prenatal alcohol exposure. One of the programs formed to support that mission is FASt Friends: A FASD Family and Community Support Network.

Founded by Julie Gelo at the request of parents and caregivers who attended the Washington State FAS DPN Family Summer Camp held at Camp Volasuca in Sultan, Washington in August of 2003. The group has been meeting monthly since the camp. Currently the meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of every month at Little Red School House/Children's Village at 14 E. Casino Rd. in Everett, Washington from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM.

Part of each meeting FASt Friends provides mini trainings to families as well as community providers on a variety of topics. The remaining component of time is spent sharing joys as well as tears, asking questions, and offering and receiving support from the attending members. Quarterly family activities are planned that involve the parents, the children with an FASD as well as siblings and twice a year they are striving for a parent retreat.

FAStFriends2004@yahoogroups.com - List Serve Support group for caregivers and professionals