Media Contact Information:   Holly Henderson: 443-827-1791, TheMessengerMom@gmail.com

IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 26, 2021

                                                                                                                      

DISABLED VETERAN & BLACK-OWNED BUSINESS LAUNCHES FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT THE SERVICE DOG INSTITUTE / CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Grandfather of three Low Country children with Autism To Raise Funds for Service Dogs

Charleston, SC, April 2021  -- World-Wide Training, Investigations & Consulting  Services’ (WWTICS) LLC owner announced today that they will partner with The Service Dog Institute to benefit their organization of providing customized Service Dogs to families in need.

Inspired by his daughter’s three children all recently diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Willi Ellison, a disabled Vietnam Veteran and retired Federal Law Enforcement Officer, understands the value of having a Service Dog in the home, having owned one himself. The Henderson family resides in the North Charleston area and is need of a Service Dog for their household.

Launching on April 26th, in honor of Autism Acceptance Month, WWTICS is doing its part in bringing awareness to the growing numbers of persons with Autism and their daily challenges both at home and in the public, especially during the global pandemic, and the need for specially trained and customized Service Dogs to bring a better quality of life to persons with disabilities.

What is Autism?  Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complicated lifelong neurological disability that impacts communication and social interaction, and is often a accompanied by other co-morbidities or health conditions like ADHD, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia.   Autism is characterized by a set of certain behaviors. Some of the behaviors are obvious or recognizable like a fascination with wheels spinning on toy cars, lining up objects by color, or rattling off obscure facts, but many behaviors are invisible to most people in everyday situations or persons unfamiliar to the Autist.  Struggles in school and with learning social skills and making friends all make life even more complicated.  These challenges impact each individual differently and to varying degrees which it is why it is known as a “spectrum” condition.  “If you’ve met one person with Autism, then you’ve only met one person with Autism,” is a popular and true adage.

Owning a Service Dog can be the keystone in making a significant impact on sensory management, aid in developmental success, and give the ability to feel secure due to bonding with the animal.

Specially trained Service Dogs provide many essential daily tasks, including:

• The Service Dog will rest his head on the child’s lap. This can calm or interrupt an unwanted behavior, flip on a light switch, mitigating a child’s fear of the dark
• Use of the "My Lap" command which is can be given while the child is seated in a chair, to give the sensation of deep pressure to help with sensory integration or the dog barks on command, alerting the parent that the child needs assistance
• The Service Dog is trained to reduce the resistance going to medical, dental, orthodontic appointments or other professional appointment, and calming the child(ren) during medical appointments (drawing blood, shots, etc.); assist with therapies

·         Tethering, stay with the family member in public; Aid in reducing elopement issues

·         Aiding in longer and better sleep

·         Addressing fine motor skills like dexterity and  gross motor skills like daily Exercises Aiding in needed behavioral, life, self-care and social skills in the public/school

·         Assisting with learning eye contact and aiding in conversational skills

 

A recent article discussed the costs on raising a child on the ASD.  The financial strain is estimated to range from about $85,000 to $107,000 annually (depending on age and needs) or over $2 million for the lifetime cost to cover things like speech, occupational, and physical therapies; lost or reduced wages from parents’ productivity losses, medical expenses special education, pharmacy, and various out-of-pocket costs.  This cost estimate is for one child with special needs.  Can you imagine the life-time cost for a family with three children that have Autism?  Over $6 million needed for their care! 

 

Donations on behalf of the “Henderson family” can be made online at FirstGiving.com/Fundraiser/Holly-Henderson-1/HelpForTheHendersonFamily or mailed directly to The Service Dog Institute: 655H Fairview Rd, #173, Simpsonville, SC 29680. All donations and gifts made to TSDI are tax deductible. 

Visit:  http://www.TSDI.org or connect via Facebook or by e-mailing Melissa@tsdi.org.

About The Service Dog Institute

TSDI located in Greenville, SC, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to enriching the lives of those with special needs by providing trained service dogs to boost confidence, provide comfort and perform skilled tasks that enable partners to lead more independent lives.  TSDI committed to making the best possible match between a family and dog, extensively training both the family and dog, and providing ongoing support, to ensure a long-term successful partnership.  TSDI provides services dogs to Children ages 5-18 years old, Adults and Veterans.

About World-Wide Training, Investigations & Consulting Services LLC

WWTICS has over 300 years of combined experience in law enforcement and is fierce in its ability to expertly train and mobilize individuals, groups, and companies in the latest best practices in the security arena. WWTICS provides superb state-of-the-art training, investigations, security and consulting services based on integrity, transparency, and accountability by professional Subject Matter Experts (SME) with federal, state and local experiences.  Visit: WWTICS.com for more information.

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You Need a Budget Now!!

 

                    You Need a Budget Now!!

 

 

1 Amazing Tool X 4 Genius Rules =

Why You Need a Budget Now!!

Sigh… Budget the dreaded word in most households today.  This one word evokes pain, sadness, and guilt. Or does it?  You don’t have to be held captive by F E A R of your F I N A N C E S anymore… First and foremost, You NEED an amazing budget tool to help you.  You NEED budget rules to help you…

An Amazing Budget Tool!

Enter YNAB or “You Need A Budget.”   YNAB is a popular and amazing online budget tool and platform for you to become a BUDGET MASTER! Master your own destiny today with YNAB’s mobile app.   Another way to find out more about YNAB is on their Facebook page here.  This app allows you to check your expenses on the go and keep you and your spouse on track and on the same page of your financial goals.

YNAB has four genius main Rules for you to follow:

1. Rule One – Give Every Dollar A Job
2. Rule Two – Embrace Your True Expenses
3. Rule Three – Roll With the Punches
4. Rule Four – Age Your Money

This Amazing Budget Tool Helps Me to Rule my World

I started using the “Classic YNAB” tool about a year ago.  Of course it took me a good three hours to enter EVERY SINGLE BUDGET LINE ITEM.  Just that action item alone will make you not want to spend any money!  Seriously, money is no laughing matter!  No doubt, that not having enough money planned to pay your bills or being charged $35 bank overdraft fees is enough to make you cry.  YOU can do this budget thing!  YOU can learn to live within your means.  Look to your financial future with hope!  But — you know there is always a catch — YOU must be proactive DAILY.  You must monitor your finances CONSTANTLY!  Just last week I averted two $35 bank fees.  Why?  Because I logged into my bank account and saw the *pending* bank transactions.  All things considered, I was able to transfer money from my savings account to cover the needed amounts.  YAY!  Score!!  Double Score!! 

LIFE HAPPENS

My usual daily routine is to check my bank balances first thing in the morning.  However, last week I was in the midst of 3 kids having the 24-hour stomach bug. The 24-hour bug x 3 kids = at least 7 days of cleaning and carpet shampooing.  Well, you get the picture.  Nevertheless,  because my mind was on these sweet children, I lost track of time and routines and life.  So, by the time Saturday rolled around, I thought my hubby was late for work.  Yet, it was Saturday NOT Friday.  My point is, I normally check my all of my bank accounts for any activity.  I forgot.  Life happened.  LIFE could have cost me if I was not paying attention.  You know mishaps cost you money all.the.time!

For this reason, I suggest that you ensure that your financial house is in order.  The latest YNAB version offers a free 34-day trial, then it is about $5/month.  What another fee?  I was a little salty about paying the $5/mth fee at first.  Then I realized that this online tool, pays for itself, by giving me real-time information at the click of my fingertips.  You KNOW Need a Budget NOW.  Like, yesterday!  Check it out.  It *may help you to* Save your financial future.  Did you catch my monetary play-on-words there?  You can bank on it that my humor is priceless.  I guarantee it  ;0)

 

 

The Journey Home, from Anglican to Catholic

 

The Journey Home, from Anglican to Catholic

 

In January 2012, history was made to allow Anglicans and Episcopalians to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter was established to enable Anglicans and Episcopalians to enter the Church while retaining elements of their own liturgical and spiritual traditions.

Originally an Anglo-Catholic parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, St. Luke’s was the first Episcopalian parish to be received and confirmed into the Catholic Church on October 9, 2011, by the Archbishop of Washington, Donald Cardinal Wuerl. St. Luke’s fully upholds the teachings of the Church.

My Destined Journey Home, from Anglican to Catholic

I say it was my destiny to be Catholic. I was baptized at St. Luke’s on Ephinany Sunday 1975 as an Anglican. My husband Mike and I were married by Anglican priest, Fr. Ed Meeks, at Christ the King, in Towson, Maryland on May 6, 2006.  Christ the King also joined the Catholic Ordinariate in 2012. Over thirty-five years later, I was Confirmed along with Mike in the Catholic Church at St. Luke’ by Fr. Mark Lewis!

 

 

First Generation “Cradle Catholic”

Happy Baptism Day to my sweet daughter, Phoebe! Remembering the Baptism of Phoebe Marie Henderson three years ago today.  Phoebe was my first child to be Baptized in the Catholic Faith. Thank you Godparents Karen King and Randy King for the reminder and thinking of Toni Bruno and family too ;0) — thinking about friends and family at St Luke’s Ordinariate Community.

 

Phoebe was an answer to prayer for her older brother Paul. Who asked me in 2013 if I would have another baby, specifically a girl. My response was, “Ask your Dad and pray to God.”  The following month, Paul asked me there was a baby in my belly.  I said, “No,” but unbeknownst to me, I *was* expecting.  Mike and I kept the gender of the baby a surprise until delivery.  I had researched both boy and girl names starting with the letter “P.”  {I adore the letter “P”, can you tell?}  In my ressearch I found a special Biblical connection with the names Paul *and* Phoebe;  they were friends!  And Paul tasked Phoebe to personally deliver his Letter to the Romans! How cool is that?

Phoebe’s older brother, Paul, received his First Communion at St. Luke’s in 2013 and will be Confirmed in the Catholic Church in a couple of years. And middle child, Preston, will receive his First Communion in two years  ;0) 

WATCH: Ordinariate Choir Sings Beautiful Rendition of “If Ye Love Me”

This rendition of Thomas Tallis’ “If ye love me” performed by choir members of St. Luke’s Ordinariate Community {my home parish-yay!}.    This is the kind of liturgical music you will find at Ordinariate parishes.  Enjoy!