Upcoming Events & Important Dates
CSN Closed Dates - Monday, January 1st
- Monday, January, 15th
- Friday, March 29th
For more information about our upcoming events, visit us on social media or at VisitCSN.org/events
Another Year Come and Gone
Another year has come to an end. We finished out 2023 with a holiday party full of laughs, crafts, games, and snacks. Our clients bring so much joy each day - their positive energy and excitement will put a smile on anyone's face. It was a wonderful year and we can’t thank you enough for sharing your joy and talents with us each day. We look forward to a new year full of more laughs and fun.
The community we are apart of is amazing. We wouldn’t be here without our clients or the support of their families and teams, our volunteers and board members, our clients employers, and the many other individuals and businesses that we partner with. When we come together as a community to work towards a similar goal, change can happen. With your continued support, we will keep working on our mission to support individuals with developmental disabilities and increase their confidence and competence to fully participate in this community.
Through generous donations and all of you joining us for various events, such as our Chipotle Fundraiser and Virtual Silent Auction, we continue to build and expand our programming. We love the work that we do and can’t thank you all enough for your continued support. We look forward to continuing to grow our community and collaborating with you all in 2024.
From our CSN family to yours, we hope you have a wonderful year ahead and look forward to exciting things to come.Thank you for all of your care and support ofCSN and our clients!
Enrichment:
A Year of Fun
From parties to art activities to science activities and more, our 2023 was full of creativity, laughs, and fun! Here are some of the activities from the past year that stand out in our minds.
An Earth for Earth Day
To celebrate Earth Day, we created a beautiful Earth using paint and paper plates. We cut a heart in the center and wove red yarn across it to express the love we have for our planet.
Coffee Filter Flowers
With a few simple items - coffee filters, watercolors, pipe cleaners, and tape we created bright, cheerful
flowers. We had a great time creating these and hope they brightened up someone's day.
Valentine Mosaics
Does anyone else love mosaics? To create imitation mosaic hearts, we cut a clear laminated sheet into the shape of a heart and used glue tinted with black paint to create the mosaic look. We then used permanent markers to add color and our own unique touches!
Homemade Journals
Everyone needs a way to express themselves. We made our own artwork on 2 pieces of paper and used that as the front and back cover of homemade journals. The homemade covers and personalized titles on front made these the perfect place to write our thoughts and ideas.
Galaxy Jars
Our Galaxy Jars were out of this world! By combining paint, water, glitter, and cotton balls in a jar, we were able to create a variety of awesome “galaxies” to explore!
Ornaments
This holiday season, we had a blast creating festive holiday art. One of our favorites were plastic ball ornaments with paint coating the inside. We added our names to the outside which added a personal touch!
Disability Pride Festival
In July, we celebrated Disability Pride Month. We talked about Disability Pride and had a Disability Pride Festival at the end of the month. During the Festival, we made the disability pride flag with tissue paper and discussed the many amazing things about each one of us. It was so much fun!
Vocational:
New Employer Alert!
Here at CSN we strive daily to work towards our mission to provide comprehensive day-time services to individuals with developmental disabilities. It wouldn’t be possible for us to accomplish these goals without the wonderful employers that we partner with here in Dane County to employ our clients.
Serenity Pet Spa is an award winning, leading pet spa with two locations in Madison. Lis Johnston, the founder and internationally recognized Certified Master Groomer, and her team are committed to providing world-class grooming for their customers. Does your dog need a bath? A
trim? A full haircut? Serenity Pet Spa offers a wide range of services and add-ons to meet all of your furry friends’ grooming needs.
A few months ago, Serenity Pet Spa hired a CSN client as a dog bather at their spa on Madison’s west side. It has been a wonderful experience partnering with Serenity Pet Spa as our client is thriving in his dream job. All of the staff are friendly and truly care about the work that they do. They have also embraced their new coworker, providing a very positive and supportive environment.
Thank you to everyone at Serenity Pet Spa for their support! We look forward to continuing this partnership for years to come.
Wellness:
Expressing Ourselves
There are so many things that we schedule into our days that it’s easy to get bogged down by thoughts of what’s to come, what other people need, and how to accomplish everything in our short 24 hour day. In order to stay healthy and able to accomplish everything on our to do list, it is necessary to take some time for ourselves. Expressing our thoughts, ideas, and feelings can help us remember our priorities and work through everything happening in our lives.
One great way to express our thoughts is through writing. Expressive writing is a technique to honestly reflect on our experiences. The idea is to put pen to paper and write - no need to worry about spelling or grammar, no need to edit or judge what you write. This is not for anyone else to read or judge, it is just you and your thoughts on paper, expressing how you feel in that moment about whatever comes to mind. Once you’re finished, you can put it away to read another day or destroy it.
Give it a try and see if expressing yourself through writing, or in another way of your choosing, helps you through whatever you may be experiencing.
Share Your Time With Us
Volunteers Make a Difference
We have some amazing volunteers here at CSN! Each month, our volunteers come to hang out, visit, and share their gifts and talents with us - it’s amazing. We are so grateful for their time and the thoughtfulness they bring each visit.
Last month, one of our talented volunteers used her photography skills to snap professional photos of each individual. She then helped us use our own creative skills to decorate frames to put our photos in. They were so personal and turned out great.
One of our other volunteers is an amazing baker and brings cookies in for us to decorate. We talk about the baking process and make our own frosting to create fun, delicious treats. We can’t get enough of them!
Another volunteer has helped us to express ourselves through poetry. Her ability to listen and help us express ourselves through topics we are interested in is truly special.
Thank you all for the time and the kindness you bring with you to CSN!
Interested in becoming a volunteer? Email us at Connect@VisitCSN.org.
Join Our Internship Program
As an intern at CSN, you will collaborate with veteran staff who have worked with adults with developmental disabilities for 10+ years to provide enriching activities to individuals of varying ability levels. You will receive training on how to communicate with each individual and be trained on ways to adapt activities for all individuals to participate and succeed. The activities provided promote physical, cognitive, and social engagement as well as help our clients develop skills to fully participate in this community.
Through this internship, you will gain an understanding of and share feelings with people who have different abilities. This process will help you to understand all people better, including yourself. Additionally, you will learn new ways to communicate, about teamwork, and develop a deeper appreciation for patience and considering the perspectives of others which can transfer to your everyday personal and professional life.
Are you or someone you know looking for a rewarding internship opportunity? Interested parties are invited to email us at Connect@VisitCSN.org to learn more and to find out how to apply.
Winter Recipes
Chex Party Mix
Ingredients
3 C EACH Corn Chex, Rice Chex, & Wheat Chex Cereal
1 C Mixed Nuts
2 C Pretzels
6 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 ½ tsp Season Salt
¾ tsp Garlic Powder
¾ tsp Onion Powder
Directions
In a large microwavable bowl, mix cereal, nuts, & pretzels. Set aside.
In a small microwavable bowl, microwave butter until melted, about 40 seconds.
Stir remaining ingredients into butter.
Pour butter mixture over cereal mixture and stir until coated evenly.
Cook in the air fryer at 350 degrees for 5 minutes - shaking the basket half way through cooking.
Spread on paper towels to cool.
Enjoy!
Greek Deli Kabobs
Ingredients
1 lb Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese (cut into 48 cubes.
24 Fresh Broccoli Florets (about 10 oz)
½ C Greek Vinaigrette
24 Slices Hard Salami
2 Jars (7.5 oz each) Roasted Sweet Red Peppers (drained and cut into 24 strips)
Directions
In a shallow dish combine cheese, broccoli, & vinaigrette. Stir to coat and refrigerate for 1 hour (or overnight).
Drain cheese & broccoli, reserving vinaigrette.
On 25 appetizer skewers alternately thread cheese, salami, broccoli, and peppers.
Brush with reserved vinaigrette.
Enjoy!
Air Fryer Chicken Parmesan Meatballs
Ingredients
1 lb Ground Chicken Breast
1 C Breadcrumbs
1 Egg
½ C Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
¾ C Marinara Sauce
½ C Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Directions
Combine chicken, breadcrumbs, egg, parmesan cheese, & seasoning in a bowl and mix until well combined.
Prepare air fryer basket with cooking spray.
Roll the chicken mixture into 9, 2” meatballs.
Place the meatballs in a single layer in the prepared air fryer basket, making sure to leave room between meatballs.
Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes, flipping the meatballs halfway through.
Top each meatball with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
Serve over noodles, on a bun, or as an appetizer.
Enjoy!
How Can You Help?
Ways to Donate
Financial Donation - Financial donations are always appreciated! Checks can be mailed to CSN or donate directly on our website - VisitCSN.org
ShopRaise - Shop online using ShopRaise and your purchases from eligible retailers will help support CSN
Volunteer - Share a hobby or talent with us. We would love to learn something new from you!
Supplies - Contact us if you have supplies to donate and we’ll let you know what we are in need of.
Recyclables - Drop off your used markers, pens, glue sticks, mechanical pencils, highlighters, and watercolor containers to CSN. We’ll collect them and recycle them.
Hire Us!
Hire CSN clients to work at your company. Email Info@VisitCSN.org for more information.
Host an Art Gallery Event
Learn about our clients and their lives through art. Host our art gallery at your business for a month and experience their stories and talents. Email Info@VisitCSN.org for more information.
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