A Celebration of Siblings on National Siblings Day — April 10th
Let’s hear it for our SIBS!! On April 10th, we celebrate National Siblings Day!
According to the Siblings Day Foundation, “Siblings Day follows the spirit of Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, an uplifting celebration honoring people who have helped in our development and who have shaped our values, beliefs, and ideals.”
At The Arc of Snohomish County, we celebrate siblings every day! Through our Sibshops program, we support kids and teens, ages 8 through 18, who have a sibling with a developmental disability. The concept of Sibshops was founded through the work of the Sibling Support Project, a national program “dedicated to the life-long and ever-changing concerns of millions of brothers and sisters of people with special health, developmental, and mental health concerns.” (Learn more about the Sibling Support Project at siblingsupport.org.)
The Arc of Snohomish County currently offers Sibshops for siblings ages 8 to 12 and a Teen Sib program for youth ages 13 to 18. For information about upcoming Sibshops, visit our online event calendar at arcsno.org/calendar.
Additional support and resources for the siblings of children with disabilities can be found on the Sibling Leadership Network website: siblingleadership.org; and in the books and publications of the Sibling Support Project: siblingsupport.org/publications.
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Whitney Stohr is a Parent to Parent Coordinator at The Arc of Snohomish County. She is passionate about advocating for medically complex children and children with disabilities and their families. She is a mom and medical caregiver herself, who is energized by working closely with other parent/family caregivers. She lives with her four-year-old son Malachi and husband Jason in Lynnwood. Connect with her on Instagram @rollin.w.spinabifida. Contact: whitney@arcsno.org.