Our monthly events, news, and information publication
MONTHLY NEWS INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Shawnie bill explained -2
New Merchandise – 3
What is the Shawnie bill?
A Brief History
Bill H. 132 aka “The Shawnie Bill” is a piece of legislation that aims at ending certain regulations currently active in our mental health system which we believe are detrimental to the caregiving and well-being of a child who has been assigned residential placement.
The solutions that we are presenting with the Shawnie bill were brainstormed by a group of legislators with the help of the parents of Shawnie Halajko, a young man who very early on became the poster child for the failure of a broken mental health system. The Shawnie Bill’s mission is to put an end to the practices that have created abuse through negligence.
But what does it do?
Legislation jargon can be complexed and confusing, therefore we have somewhat simplified what this bill will do once it becomes law in 3 simple sentences:
1. It ensures residential placement within 30 days once the child becomes eligible for residential living (In our current system children have been known to wait for months before being assigned to a residential home).
2. It also creates an emergency fund for the placement and payment of such child in a residential facility. (This type of treatment is expensive and can become a financial burden on many families, therefore the availability of any fund would make such treatment possible).
3. This bill also gives final authority to the parents and guardians of the child as to which residential facility the child will attend. (Sometimes the child is assigned to a residential place very far from home even though in some cases there are numerous other options for placement closer to the child’s home).
What’s Next? How Can Anyone Help?
The biggest help that we can receive from anyone, especially our team members at this time would be the spreading of information about this bill with everyone that you know. Once this bill becomes law it will help thousands of children and adolescents with dissabilities not just in our corner of the World but perhaps it can become the inspiration for other States to create similar legislation and end the practices that are being harmful to our children all over the country every single day.
Sign our petition if you haven’t already at Change.org/shawniebill and listen to our podcast series “The Shawnie Story” by going to our website frankp60.sg-host.com and clicking on our podcast link.
Team Shawnie Store
New Arrivals for the month of October are in!
The October Collection
We continue to expand our collection of Team Shawnie gear. This month we have added a few more designs to the store and will continue doing so throughout the month of October. Our team members will be receiving a 15% coupon discount through email at the beginning of every month redeemable during check out at our store. We encourage you to wear your gear, take pictures and share them with us.
Our Online Store
Our Team Shawnie merchandise was designed with the intention of raising awareness about our cause and our mission, therefore we urge you to wear your gear whenever possible. Check out all of our merchandise at our website frankp60.sg-host.com.
