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Conferences and Events
CONFERENCES
PRISMS is proud to sponsor international educational conferences where families and professionals can come
together to learn and support each other. Our conferences are typically held every 2-3 years. These conferences are a major
program for our group. Please make every effort to attend these important events.
Mark your calendars! The 6th Annual International Conference "Building Bridges of
Hope" will be held September 17-20, 2009 at the Reston Hyatt in Reston, VA (same location as in 2007).
The conference is just around the corner - we hope you have all marked your 2009 calendars for the conference and are planning to attend. The conference is a unique opportunity to meet other families who have a child with Smith-Magenis Syndrome and share stories and strategies. You will also attend presentations from our Professional Advisory Board and invited speakers regarding the latest research on SMS and pertinent information for your child and family. This is an educational conference for parents and professionals. In order to receive the maximum benefit, we encourage you to arrange local child care for your kids. We will again have daycare available for a limited group of SMS children at a reduced cost, provided by Corporate Kids, for children from ages 3-18. We hope to see many returning families as well as first-time attendees. There is so much to gain from attending the conferences, and you will leave with as much support and encouragement as our families and professionals can share!
We are looking for conference sponsors. If you're interested in sponsoring the 2009 conference please download and and submit a completed sponsor form (PDF format).
Registration is now open! Click here to register.
Conference information:
Date: September 17-20, 2009, (Thursday-Sunday)
Thursday - Parent "Meet and Greet" 2-4PM, Registration 4-7PM with Welcome Reception held 5-7PM.
Sunday - Conference concludes at 11AM.
Location: The Reston Hyatt, Reston, VA
Transportation: Accessible from Dulles Airport, IAD (6 miles). Free shuttle service to/from IAD and the Reston Hyatt.
Hotel Costs: $125 single/double occupancy, (Thurs, Fri, and Sat rates) and $169 (Wed, Sept 16th rate only)
You may reserve rooms at the Hyatt now by calling 1-800-233-1234. Please mention PRISMS when you are making reservations. There will be more information to follow and plenty of time to make reservations this spring and summer.
Registration Fees:
| Up to 9/01/09 | After 9/01/09 | |||
| Adult (18+) | $175 | $225 | ||
| Child (17 & under) | $75 | $100 | ||
| SMS Individual | $75 | $100 | ||
| Professional | $250 | $300 | ||
| Professional In-training | $200 | $250 |
Scholarships for the conference are very limited, so we encourage families to seek local agencies for monetary assistance.
Our Fifth International Conference, "Buliding Bridges of Hope", was held May10-13, 2007 in Reston, VA. The conference was attended by 300 family members and professionals; our largest turnout yet. The conference began with a welcome reception on Thursday, filled with dancing, singing and magic tricks! It was a wonderful kickoff to he busy days ahead in conference sessions. The conference ended with the conclusion of the Silent Auction and our Mother's Day breakfast on Sunday. Thank you to all who supported the conference with their hard work, dedication and enthusiasm.
Our 4th International Conference "Building Bridges of Hope" was held on April 29 - May 1, 2005 in Cincinnati, OH. The parent conference was preceeded by a Research Roundtable held on April 28th. The Research Roundtable was co-moderated by PRISMS PAB members, Ann Smith, MA, and Sarah Elsea, Ph.D. We want to thank the Office of Rare Diseases and the National Human Genome Research Institute (SMS Research Unit at NIH) for their generous funding support of this conference.
AUDIO AND VIDEO TAPES
Audio and video tapes of past PRISMS conferences are available for purchase or loan for a nominal fee. For information on ordering our 2002 audiotapes, please see page 6 of the Winter 2003 edition of Spectrum. Our 2000 videotapes are also available for ordering. We are grateful to Caroline Pope, the PRISMS tape coordinator, for helping families obtain tapes. If you need help with tapes, please contact her.
Caroline Pope
411 Longfellow Dr
Williamstown, NJ 08094-3205 USA
Email: cpopern@aol.com
Home: (856) 875-7040
From time to time, SMS parents will gather on a regional basis to support each other and share common experiences. In the past, folks have had picnics in the park, backyard BBQs, etc. We will post a list of these events on our website. In addition, we'll post the pictures after the event in our media gallery. If you plan to host an event or know of an event, please contact us (email: info@prisms.org) and we'll post your information on this site, email area families and publish it in our next newsletter. Please consider hosting an event - they're fun and a great way to contact with other area families.
5K Run/1 Mile Walk & Family Carnival - Springfield, OH
Date: August 17, 2008
Contact Information: Tina McGrevy
email: cmcgrevy@yahoo.com
Fun event for the whole family. Camp sites available at the state park and local hotels near by. Contact Tina for more information.
Northern California SMS Picnic - Pleasanton, CA
Date: May 10, 2008, RSVP by May 1
Contact Information: Laura Clegg
email: amoreverodesign@hotmail.com
phone: 925-931-0513
Lots of fun things for the children. Please bring the one favorite dish of your SMS child/family member.
Directions: 580 freeway, exit Santa Rita, south on Santa Rita. Left onto Mohr, which turns into Irongate Court. Right onto Stone Canyon Court to 1334 Stone Canyon Court.Annual SMS Picnic - York, PA
Date: TBA 2008
Contact Information: Sandra Tome or Jeanne Mitchell
email: tomestead@comcast.net
phone: (717) 757-6600
Annual SMS Picnic - Houston, TX
Date: Nov 8, 2008
Place: Bear Creek Park, 3535 War Memorial Drive, Houston, TX
Contact Information: Cecilia Poole
email: foxwxgal@hotmail.com
phone: 713-823-4401
Click here to see the slideshow of pictures from the Baylor College of Medicine Parent's Night Out event that was held the evening before the Houston SMS picnic. This event was hosted by the Pediatrics Student Association and the Dept of Molecular and Human Genetics at BCM where they do fun events with the kids while giving the parents some time away at a local restaurant.
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