Autism Friendly Denny's

Here's a great story from KPBS about a Denny's store manager in Del Mar California that set up an autism friendly section in his restaurant. I've been able to spend time with several autistic preschoolers and they are wonderful, although they can be a handful. I was so happy to see this option offered for families who often don't get much time out with their sometimes disruptive children. Manager, Robert Stange explains his motivation:

“I had seen a news segment about a restaurant in New York that had a night set aside for children with autism and their families, and I just thought that was a really great idea” explained Stange.

On January 23, 2011, Denny’s in Del Mar became the first and so far only restaurant in the county to designate a part of their restaurant to autism-friendly dining.

“I’m really into social responsibility and giving back. I think everybody should try and do a little more to help each other out. This is one way that our place is trying to do more,” said Stange.

Comments

How To Have A Ward Missionary Fireside

I am a missionary in my church ward (congregation). There are several members in every ward who work with the official tag-wearing missionaries you usually think of as they teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We also encourage all members to share the gospel by inviting their friends to activities, and into their homes to learn about our church. We recently put on a fireside (a meeting to share inspirational messages) to remind the members how they can share the gospel through everyday interaction and conversation. Below is the "transcript" we used to outline the meeting. It does not have every word written out, but gives a general idea of what was said. If you use this for your ward, feel free to expand on the ideas in your own words. The first skit is meant to be funny because the member is not sincere when speaking of the church. The other skits show a member sharing what they believe in a friendly and open way . The comments in italics are meant to help with the di

The Personification of Beauty

When I was a little girl I was uncomfortable with the word “woman.” I didn’t want to say it. I would substitute, “lady” or “girl” whenever I could. I felt the same way about the word “purse,” and tried to avoid that word as well. Maybe it was because I didn’t want to grow up. Maybe I wanted to be little and without the responsibilities that all women with purses have. I didn’t have an explanation. I just did not want to be called a woman or carry a purse. I am over that feeling now. I am in the final year of my thirties and have a son that will be an adult in less than two years, so it’s time. However, when several months ago I started to feel a strong pull toward writing about womanhood, I felt an opposing pull telling me not to. Being the mother of a teenage girl and boy I find myself constantly running into issues related to this topic of womanhood. There has been a lot of discussion about modesty, controlling thoughts, body image, and feminism among k

Look Them In The Eye

It is said that the eyes are the window to the soul. If you look someone in the eye you will connect with them in some way. Have you ever been in a conversation with someone where you just could not look away from their eyes? Chances are that it was an experience you remember because of it's emotional or spiritual impact on you. There is an energy and emotion that is seen and felt by the way we look at someone or by the way they look at you. When I walk my kids to school, or through the store, or past a homeless person, it is easy to keep our eyes on the ground instead of looking at those around us. I have to make a conscious choice to look at the faces of people I do not know. It makes me wonder why. Is it because there is a real power and connection that can be sent? Are we afraid that someone will discover something about us hidden in our eyes, or is it that we will discover something about them that we will then need to process? It is my theory that we avoid these connectio

Generation Clean

Search This Blog