Creekside Recreational Therapy & Wellness (Creekside RTW), Hour Special Place, and New Song Church have teamed up to bring Sibshops back to Craven County!
SibShops are an opportunity for kids (ages 5-16+) who have a brother or sister with Special Needs (any type & any age) to get together to meet other kids who share that experience, learn & have fun! (These Special Needs may include physical disabilities, intellectual/developmental disabilities, and emotional/mental health challenges).
The goal of Sibshops is to address the needs of siblings by allowing them to share, play, and learn with other children through relevant, age-appropriate fun activities in a safe, nurturing environment. Sibshops are a night of food, fun, and fellowship. Sibshops are a lively mixture of games, discussion, crafts and guest speakers. Participants should dress comfortably.
We eat dinner, play games, do other fun activities, and just have a great time while we learn that we’re not the only ones who have family members with special needs. We usually meet one Friday night of each month during the school year from September through June (with some exceptions). Sibshops will take a break over the summer, and start back again in September (after school starts). Sibshops cost $5 per session to help cover the cost of food and supplies.
Dates* for the 2020-2021 Sibshops:
- September 11
- October 2
- November 20
- December 18
- January 22
- February 19
- March 19
- April 16
- May 7
- June 4
*Dates may change based on availability of the location or other reasons. We will let people know as soon as possible, if changes are made.
Dates for 2021-2022 Will be coming out near the end of the 2019-2020 school year… Stay Tuned! 🙂
We’re looking forward to having fun with lots of brothers & sisters! If you’re not able to attend, please share this information with someone who can!
Please complete the form below to register so that we can make sure we have enough food and supplies for everyone attending.
Be sure to check out our FAQs (at the bottom of this page) to learn more about Sibshops.
Sibshops FAQs
There are so many more benefits of Sibshops.
At Sibshops, brothers and sisters will:
- Meet other brothers and sisters of children with special needs
- Have fun!
- Learn that they aren’t the only ones who have a brother or sister with special needs
- Make new friends
- Be able to talk about their experiences with others who really know what it’s like to have a sibling with a disability
- Learn more about disabilities and the services that people with disabilities receive
- Have some more fun!!
Brothers and sisters of children who have special needs are the people who benefit directly from participating in Sibshops. Although many parents of Sibshops participants have shared that their whole family benefits because the child who participates in Sibshops has learned more about how to better interact with their brother or sister. Parents have also shared that the children who participate in Sibshops “have an outlet to be themselves and share their feelings around other kids who get it” that they didn’t have before.
It’s easy – just click here (*LINK* to form “Sibshops Registration”*) to sign up for Sibshops. Each session costs $5. (This is to cover the cost of food and supplies). We will contact you soon and we look forward to being able to serve your family.
Participants usually arrive around 6:00 p.m., and hang out, play games, and reconnect with each other. After everyone arrives, we make dinner. Then we eat and do some activities related to a specific theme. Some past themes have included, holidays, emergency preparedness, benefits and drawbacks of having a sibling with special needs, and more. After that, we will usually play a large group game or two. Time flies when you’re having fun, and then it’s about time to go home (usually around 9:00 p.m.).
At Sibshops, brothers and sisters will:
- Meet other brothers and sisters of children with special needs
- Have fun!
- Learn that they aren’t the only ones who have a brother or sister with special needs
- Make new friends
- Be able to talk about their experiences with others who really know what it’s like to have a sibling with a disability
- Learn more about disabilities and the services that people with disabilities receive
- Have some more fun
Sibshops are held at New Song Church (521 West Grantham Road, New Bern, NC 28562) in the Youth room on the far left side of the church.
Sibshops are run by Creekside Recreational Therapy & Wellness (Creekside RTW) and Hour Special Place staff and volunteers. We are trained Sibshops facilitators.
We always need help with keeping the cost of Sibshops affordable for families. You can donate here (*LINK*), or you or a community organization can also sponsor Sibshops. This involves donating money, or food (for dinner or snacks), or supplies needed for activities – email Melissa Lewis to find out specific needs). Sponsorship informaiton can be found here. (*LINK*)
