Lawrence County Connection

10/29/2026

10/29/2026

Join us tomorrow to discuss Managing Uncertainty as a Caregiver!

Thursday, October 29th at 6:30 pm
Register Here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/JSmm8MSHTcCFto3PvfyGGg #/registration

Caring for a loved one with an intellectual/developmental disability and/or autism comes with a lot of uncertainty. Dealing with this day in and day out might cause a lot of stress and anxiety that can make the journey more difficult. Join us virtually as we explore healthy ways to manage uncertainty as caregivers.

10/29/2026

⭐ UPCOMING TRAINING OPPORTUNITY! ⭐
Road to Resilience: Supporting Our Self-Advocates Through Trauma

As part of our "Complex Behavioral Health Series", the goal of this training is to use trauma informed approaches to best support our self-advocates through their trauma history. We will do this by learning what trauma might look like, how trauma can affect our individuals and how to use a trauma informed approach to best support them.

For more information or to register, scan the QR code, or visit: https://qrco.de/roadtoresilience-trauma

10/24/2026

A new handicap pool lift for the downtown New Castle Lawrence County YMCA campus is scheduled to be installed soon.

10/24/2026

🧭 Navigating the ODP service system can be overwhelming, but the newly updated Gold Book is designed to help. Learn more this week on our blog! https://blog.hcqu.org/?p=6823

10/22/2026

Fall is in full swing! Sometimes it can be difficult accessing all of the fall festivities so we’ve made a list of some of our favorite accessible spots.

Everybody’s accessibility needs are a bit different, especially at farms, so calling ahead is a good idea. We’ve included phone numbers below!

Where are your favorite accessible fall activities?

🍂 LIST OF ACCESSIBLE FALL ACTIVITIES 🍂

🎃 Jack O’Lantern Extravaganza

📍Pittsburgh Zoo | October 2 - November 1

https://www.pittsburghzoo.org/event/jack-olantern-extravaganza/

🎃 Phantom Fall Fest

📍Kennywood | September 12 - November 1

https://www.kennywood.com/discover-the-park/events-shows/phantom-fall-fest/

🎃 Keystone Safari

📍Keystone Safari | October 23, 24, 30 & 31

*Wheelchair accessible safari rides

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18WAJUAW2b/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🎃 Hayrides

📍Simmons Farms | Monday-Thursday 9am-6pm | Fri, Sat and Sun 9am-5pm

*Activities are outdoor and maybe on hills or uneven ground

https://www.simmonsfarm.com/hayridesfallactivities.html

🎃 Fall Festival

📍Freedom Farm | Every Saturday and Sunday in October

*TBD if it has a wheelchair lift on hayride

https://www.freedomfarmspa.com/fall-festival

🎃 Fall Flower Show

📍Phipps Conservatory | Three weeks - through Sunday, Nov. 1

https://www.phipps.conservatory.org/calendar/detail/fall-flower-show

🎃 Fall Festival

📍Soergel’s | Every weekend from September 19th to November 1st

724-935-1743

https://soergels.com/fall-update/

🎃 Fall Festival

📍Trax Farm Market’s | Every weekend from September 19th to October 25th

412-835-3246

https://traxfarms.com/fall-festival-2026/

🎃 Pumpkin Fest

📍Renshaw Farms | Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday in October

724-294-0061

https://shorturl.at/llCDb

[Image Description: Graphic on a black textured background with yellow autumn leaves in the corners. The white NextStep Pittsburgh logo is at the top center. A beige paper card, held by a paperclip, reads “LIST OF ACCESSIBLE FALL ACTIVITIES” followed by “Fall taste test, fright night, trick or treating, safari rides and more!” Below that, text reads “Check the caption and start planning your fall activities.” An illustration shows a person with a dark ponytail in a wheelchair hugging a large orange pumpkin. A yellow badge with a small pumpkin and the repeating words “Fall Season” sits on the left edge of the card.]

10/21/2026

Please share ❤️

Right now, I’m booking mostly by word of mouth and by reaching out to people personally—which is hard to do consistently when I’m doing like 108202 things at once 😮‍💨

When my page got hacked, I lost over 5,000 followers, so I could really use help getting the word out. I plan to take flyers to daycares and schools in all the nearby districts.

I’m the first to tell someone that businesses don’t last in this town because people just don’t support them. I stepped out on faith with HOPE, so I’m going to see it through. I can already see it growing beyond my current space. Right now, I could really use some help getting there.

If you or someone you know has come to a workshop, please go to my page and leave a review. Tag a family whose child would enjoy one, or send this to relatives and daycares you know. Anything helps.

Tomorrow, I have no bookings yet, but I’ll be at the studio from 4:30–6:30, set up for water-gun splatter painting. If you need something fun for your little one to do, message me and I’ll send you the booking link.(it’s in my bio)

Thank you all in advance. ❤️

10/19/2026

There are only a couple opportunities left in 2026 to take our Making Employment Work training! Don’t miss your chance to gain the knowledge and skills essential to providing high-quality Supported Employment services, plus earn a basic ACRE certification. Sign up now for our November training: https://thearcpa.org/training/acre-training/