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Take 90 seconds to laugh with Irene and Ed
The old English proverb, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” has been especially relevant in our household these past few weeks. I have had to learn how to get around while healing from my broken ankle with a big purple cast on my leg.
I haven’t been allowed to use crutches or put weight on my right foot, which has been particularly challenging when navigating the steps in front of our home. It’s amazing how much we take for granted when it comes to mobility, until we’re challenged, and have to figure out a work around!
Thankfully, my friend and colleague, our Kidpower California Program Director Erika Leonard figured out an elegant solution – that my dear husband Ed gallantly has facilitated for me every day, rain or shine, for nearly 6 weeks!
Everyone needs a laugh now and then – especially in the rush of the holiday season – so I hope enjoy this little Teampower video produced by our Program and Tech Support Eamon Saki.
Teamwork is at the heart Kidpower’s approach to safety, so I also want to share one of my favorite “Teampower” stories from a workshop. I was standing outside the door waiting for people to arrive for a safety workshop for young adults with intellectual disabilities. Suddenly, racing towards me across the college campus, I beheld two of my students. The one sitting in his wheelchair was shouting out directions to his friend running behind and pushing him up the hill.
As they came closer, I realized that the young man pushing was blind and that his friend in the wheelchair was directing and guiding him. They had obviously done this many times before, and did not miss a single step. Throughout the entire workshop, they kept right on being a team, joyfully helping each other be successful in using their strengths and overcoming their challenges. Often, it is our students who teach us the most at Kidpower!
Published: December 19, 2018 | Last Updated: December 19, 2018
Irene van der Zande, Kidpower Founder and Executive Director
Kidpower Founder and Executive Irene van der Zande is a master at teaching safety through stories and practices and at inspiring others to do the same. Her child protection and personal safety expertise has been featured by USA Today, CNN, Today Moms, the LA Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Publications include: cartoon-illustrated Kidpower Safety Comics and Kidpower Teaching Books curriculum; Bullying: What Adults Need to Know and Do to Keep Kids Safe; the Relationship Safety Skills Handbook for Teens and Adults; Earliest Teachable Moment: Personal Safety for Babies, Toddlers, and Preschoolers; The Kidpower Book for Caring Adults: Personal Safety, Self-Protection, Confidence, and Advocacy for Young People, and the Amazon Best Seller Doing Right by Our Kids: Protecting Child Safety at All Levels.
