The Jefferson City Special Education Parent Teacher Association is hosting a trivia night fundraiser that will allow the organization to continue providing support and resources to local families of children with special needs.
The fundraiser is scheduled from 6-10 p.m. Jan. 31 at the Turkey Creek Golf Center, 1616 Oil Well Road in Jefferson City.
To buy tickets, which cost $20 each, visit eventbrite.com and search "Trivia Night for JCMO SEPTA!"
Along with trivia, the fundraiser will include a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle. The silent auction includes donated items from local companies, and the raffle winner will win half of the money generated through the raffle.
Food and beverages will also be available for purchase.
JCMO SEPTA had its first meeting in August. The organization has 42 members and 125 Facebook group members.
JCMO SEPTA President Megan Shadrick said the organization is a great way to connect and inform families of children with special needs. Before JCMO SEPTA began, it was difficult for these families to connect with each other, she said, because schools can't share which families have children with special needs.
"The Facebook group alone has been a great way to bring teachers, administrators and families together and post information in one place," Shadrick said.
Nicole Weidenbenner, fundraising chairwoman, said this fundraiser is important because it lets the community know JCMO SEPTA exists.
"Our community can be very small at times and very isolating at times, so to be able to provide a network of people and resources to anyone with a special needs child is very important," Weidenbenner said.
Capital City Christian Church's special-needs ministry, City Champions, presented at the JCMO SEPTA meeting in October about its ministry and buddy program, which includes pairing up with a trained volunteer.
The Missouri Parent Training Center also presented its IEP goals and education plan. IEPs guide the education of students with disabilities who need specialized instruction, according to the University of Washington. In March, the organization will vote on 2020 school year officers.
Shadrick said she hopes to host more educational and social opportunities in the future.
"Our goal from the very beginning was to bring families together so that they can connect and build relationships and find support in families that are in similar situations, and also have the opportunity to learn about resources and advocacy," Shadrick said.
The trivia fundraiser will allow JCMO SEPTA to have more outreach events and training as well as resource presentations. For example, Shadrick said, she would like to have dyslexia training. She also said some families cannot attend meetings because they don't have child care, so she would like to provide child care to these families.
Shadrick plans to get a survey from members of the organization to find what their needs are.
"Once we establish what the families really need, we can really start reaching out to some of those resources and trainings that we can bring in," she said.
Anybody can join JCMO SEPTA by attending the meetings. The next meeting is at 10 a.m. today at Capital City Christian Church, 1608 Swifts Highway.
"If anybody has questions about who we are, what we're about or what we want to do in our community, just come to a meeting, and we will welcome you with open arms," Weidenbenner said.
To learn more about JCMO SEPTA, visit facebook.com/JCMOSEPTA or contact Megan Shadrick at [email protected] or 573-347-0662.