PUNKINFUTZ CONTINUES ITS “WEDNESDAYS AT NOON”
AND “FRIDAY RECESS AT FOUR” ON FACEBOOK

Virtual Discussions Help Parents of Children with Adaptive Needs
Navigate the Unique Challenges of COVID-19

Summer Series Kicks Off This Week

Brooklyn, NY, May 26, 2020 –PunkinFutz, the award winning company that makes sensory play products for children with adaptive needs, continues to help parents navigate the unique challenges they face with work and children at home and in light of the international COVID-19 pandemic. It’s kicking off the summer with new weekly Wednesdays at Noon FACEBOOK discussion on timely topics, recommendations and best practices. It also offers Friday Recess at Four, end of week sessions designed for parent and child together.

Its ever popular weekly Survival Guide online newsletter is packed each Monday with New York City-based community resources, events, tips, video expert comments and support all in one place. Visit/sign up at https://punkinfutz.com/
to access the most recent information.

This week’s FACEBOOK virtual discussion topics include:

Noon Eastern Time, Wednesday, May 27, 2020
Advocacy, Access and Mental Health during the Pandemic

Jan Moskowitz, LSCW, is a licensed clinical social worker at the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center, who specializes in working patients and caregivers of all ages with CP coupled with depression and anxiety. She offers individual psychotherapy as a means of removing barriers for patients who seek support in order to reach their full potential.

Sabrina Miranda, LSCW, is a bilingual Spanish speaking licensed clinical social worker at the Center. She provides psychosocial assessments, care coordination, advocacy support and referrals to community resources and supportive services to patients of all ages with Cerebral Palsy.

4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Friday, May 29, 2020
Settle In for Our Children’s Story Time

Mrs. Ashlee Chesny is a published children’s author, literacy advocate and award-winning social education expert. She has served over 5,000 children with her books and adaptive social education programs around the world from Detroit to Central Region, Ghana. Her programs serve children virtually through her YouTube channel Mrs. Ashlee’s Learning Emporium and in the community through her nonprofit Genius Patch.

“As we face the uncertainties of our new normal, the series has remained a steadfast and consistent service with a collective voice and collaborative approach to sharing information, resources, questions, concerns and successes of all kinds. Each interactive session is filled with personal and professional insights and a very engaging audience seeking fresh voices. We can’t wait for our summer sessions to start,” says company founder and CEO Lisa Radcliffe, a mom of two children with adaptive needs. “Join us for great education and end of week good fun!”

The virtual discussions include a broad range of timely topics, featuring parent advocates, educators, performing artists, occupational therapists, business leaders, health professionals and PunkinFutz staff, among others. Wednesdays at Noon conversations last 45 minutes, a shared ‘lunchtime,’ starting with a structured discussion based upon the announced topic, then providing opportunity for audience participation and questions. Sign language interpretation is provided, either real-time or within 48 hours, depending on the interpreter’s availability. Friday Recess at Four also last 45 minutes and features activities parents and children can do together, including cooking, physical activity, sensory play and music.

Please log onto: https://www.facebook.com/punkinfutz/ for each 45-minute session. Upcoming speakers, topics and dates are as follows:

Noon Eastern Time, Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Working on the Frontlines during a Pandemic

Megan Kwasniak is an emergency medicine physician, photographer and blogger documenting the world around her with her camera. Her photography has been featured in The Guardian, TRVL and Extraordinary Vision magazines and exhibited internationally as well as in the U.S. Her aspiration is to combine her passion for photography and her dedication to the field of medicine and use it for the awareness and betterment of human condition worldwide.

4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Friday, June 5, 2020
Roll Up Your Sleeves and Get Ready For Our Friday Art Class!

Ryan Minezzi lives and works in Brooklyn, New York and has been an art and design educator with the New York City Department of Education for 15 years. He loves teaching and making art with paper. His favorite art projects include pop-up paper engineering, book binding and woodblock printing. He also enjoys collaborating with other artists to tell stories with puppets. Ryan graduated from and is a visiting faculty member of the Art & Design Education department at Pratt Institute. Ryan is honored to be part of the PunkinFutz family.

Noon Eastern Time, Wednesday, June 10, 2020
Let it Sow: Urban Farming and Gardening

Barbara Knecht, RA, has worked at the intersection of design and human behavior for more than 35 years. She has published articles, performed research and evaluation of the built environment, worked in public policy, and conceived and managed design and development projects from housing to open space. She approaches every project from an inclusive design framework.

4:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Friday, June 12, 2020
Time to Put On Your Tapping Shoes

Alexis Robbins is a choreographer, dancer, and teaching artist originally from Wakefield, Rhode Island. She has been an adjunct professor teaching tap at Hofstra University, has taught several guest workshops at studios throughout New England and New York City. She currently teaches at the Neighborhood Music School as well as hosts regular drop in classes in New Haven, Connecticut. Alexis is the artistic director of her project based tap and contemporary dance company kamrDANCE.

“We have received such overwhelming support and participation,” adds Radcliffe. “In addition to our on-line discussions and new weekly survival guide, we continue to have a list of resources available on our website. All of our activities/curriculum are also available for free download by signing up on our website. Finally, we are offering new PunkinFutz product bundles, PunkinFutz Survival Paks, at wholesale prices on our website to support the needs of families whose lives have been affected. We want to do everything we can to support our community.”

PunkinFutz products are also currently available on Amazon.

About PunkinFutz:
Launched in 2016, PunkinFutz uses universal design to create therapeutic play products for children with a broad range of physical, sensory, developmental and emotional needs. PunkinFutz products promote individual expression, creativity and imagination. All PunkinFutz original products are manufactured in the USA in supportive and adaptive workplaces using the highest quality materials and responsible sourcing. The company employs a fully adaptive workforce. PunkinFutz has won eleven awards for its innovative products and is a member of the Toy Industry Association (TIA). Founder Lisa Radcliffe is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and Council for Exceptional Children. All PunkinFutz products meet ASTM F963 standards.

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