Waves of Awareness - WOA it's A Podcast

Happy Holidays from Waves! This week we sat down with some important people involved with Waves. We had fun talking about different holiday traditions, holiday plans, and favorite Christmas movies! Waves wishes you a holiday full of love and good fortune. This podcast is made possible through partnerships with Spread The Positive, TN's Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the Community Foundation of Middle TN. If you like what you hear, share with a friend and leave a review on this streaming service. Got an idea for a guest, email us at [email protected].

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Waves, Inc. has plenty to be thankful for this year! We couldn't continue without our incredible employees, so THANK YOU for being a part of our team! We also wouldn't be where we are without our service participants, either. We have the extreme honor of working with these spectacular individuals every day. Listen along to this holiday episode that includes several interviews with Waves participants and employees. Waves wishes everyone a happy and safe holiday!

Trent and Staci had the opportunity to sit down with rockstar, Audrey Kidd from Saddle Up! Audrey Kidd is a force to be reckoned with as the Executive Director for Saddle Up! Waves and Saddle Up! have the blessing of serving very similar populations. This organization is so much more than an incredible non-profit but is such a vital part of our population's success stories. Saddle Up! started as a dream and launched as a one-night-a-week program – in daylight and good weather only – for 10 students. Saddle Up! is now a year-round program that will serve nearly 180 children/youth this year. Saddle Up! is the oldest and largest program of its kind in the region, and the only one exclusively serving children and youth who have disabilities. This episode includes the INCREDIBLE success story of Ephraim, a participant of Saddle Up! His story is truly something to be proud of and needs to be shared. Click on the link below to hear the touching testimonial, voiced by his own mother. Saddle Up! Is always looking for volunteers/advisory board members/donations, etc. The link to their website, to get involved will also be included below. If you're interested, please reach out! This podcast is made possible through partnerships with Spread the Positive, TN's Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the Community Foundation of Middle TN. If you like what you hear, share it with a friend and leave a review on any streaming service. Got an idea for a guest, email us at [email protected]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n03qHOWSV38 https://www.saddleupnashville.org/

Rachel LaRen makes a surprise appearance on WOA this week to collaborate with Matt on another musical episode! We talk about all the exciting things happening in her life and the success of her recent EP, Cowboy's Don't Change. You'll be able to stream her newest EP, the Cotton Candy Sky Sessions, on November 11th through any streaming service. Listen along as Matt & Rachel sing some of their favorite songs together!

This week Waves of Awareness had the pleasure of sitting down with Matt "Man" Moore and his Best Buddy, Mason Shank! If you have been following along with WOA, you know the familiar voice of Matt Moore and you also know he is very involved with Best Buddies. We invited Mason on to talk about his 7-year friendship with Matt and how Best Buddies TN brought them together. Chris and Trent go down memory lane with these two best buddies and hear some incredible stories about their adventures together. Matt tells a story about the time he shared the stage with Brett Eldredge (see link below) through a Best Buddies event. If you're interested in getting involved with Best Buddies, like Mason mentioned, please click the link below to learn more! This podcast is made possible through partnerships with Spread the Positive, TN's Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the Community Foundation of Middle TN. If you like what you hear, share it with a friend and leave a review on any streaming service. Got an idea for a guest, email us at [email protected]. Video Footage of Matt and Brett Eldredge: https://www.facebook.com/bestbuddiestn/videos/10155013297856098/ Get involved with Best Buddies TN: https://www.bestbuddies.org/tennessee/

This week we have a surprise guest, invited by Beth herself! Meet Vera, roommate, and close friend to Beth. Chris and Trent sit down with Beth and Vera to talk about their longtime friendship and their time together at Waves. Chris and Trent talk more about Waves Residential Program and what that entails. WOW – Chris sits down with one of Waves founding family members and longtime Waves participant, Roger Sullivan. Roger has been with Waves from the very beginning in 1973. As Waves approaches its 50th anniversary in 2023, we thought it would be fun to reflect with Roger! Listen along to learn more about him! This podcast is made possible through partnerships with Spread the Positive, TN's Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the Community Foundation of Middle TN. If you like what you hear, share it with a friend and leave a review on any streaming service. Got an idea for a guest, email us at [email protected].

This week we have a very exciting guest on WOA! Waves is happy to introduce you to Amber Ferguson from Camp Southern Ground! Amber is the Inclusion Director for this incredible non-profit organization. Chris, Staci, and Trent had the pleasure of learning more about Amber and her journey to becoming such an important part of such an important non-profit. Camp Southern Ground was started by Zac Brown with the intention that children of all abilities could grow and learn from each other while experiencing the magic of the outdoors. CSG is so much more than an all-inclusive summer camp, they are also a haven for children of family members serving in the military, as was as a respite for active and veteran service members. Listen along to hear more about everything happening with CSG and how to get involved. WOW – Eric Part 2. This week we learn more about Eric and his passion for music. He tells the unbelievable story of how Johnny Cash taught him how to play the guitar! This podcast is made possible through partnerships with Spread the Positive, TN's Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the Community Foundation of Middle TN. If you like what you hear, share it with a friend and leave a review on any streaming service. Got an idea for a guest, email us at [email protected].

This week's episode is all things early learning. This episode is full of pertinent information for any parent/caregiver looking for information on how to best support their child. Early Interventionists Gina Wilson, Jenn Choate, and Kate Harris join Eric Wilson, Johnny Sunshine, and Trent Denson to share more in-depth information about Early Learning and how developmental therapy works. The team discusses different developmental milestones parents/caregivers should look out for at different ages and how to seek support from TN Early Intervention System (TEIS). At Waves, developmental therapy (DT) can start as early as birth depending on the child. Services start with a referral through TEIS. Referrals can be made by doctors or caregivers. The team talks about what to look for in your child's developmental progress, how to talk to your doctor, and how to approach the TEIS referral process. If a doctor decides to "wait and see", our team suggests to "check and see". Getting into the TEIS process and developmental therapy are free to the family. In addition to discussing milestones and the referral process, the team also shares the progression of developmental therapy and how it has changed over the last 35 years. From a classroom setting to receiving services in natural environments, developmental therapy has become a support tool for parents/caregivers as much as it is for the children being supported. This week on Waves on Wheels you get to meet Eric! Eric is a longtime participant of Waves and has incredible stories to share. This will be Part One of Two segments diving into Eric's world and his love for country music! Links discussed in this episode: TN Early Intervention System: https://www.tn.gov/didd/for-consumers/tennessee-early-intervention-system-teis.html TEIS Referral Form: https://stateoftennessee-cvlyz.formstack.com/forms/teis_referral Extended Options Information: https://www.tn.gov/didd/for-consumers/tennessee-early-intervention-system-teis/extended-services.html This podcast is made possible through partnerships with Spread the Positive, TN's Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the Community Foundation of Middle TN. If you like what you hear, share it with a friend and leave a review on any streaming service. Got an idea for a guest, email us at [email protected].

We are excited to introduce you to Megan Jayroe on this week's episode! Megan is a powerhouse in the population we serve and the Program Direct for Move Inclusive Dance! She has taken her passion for dance and teaching and combined them to provide an incredibly impacting activity for all abilities! This week we get to learn about the non-profit Move Inclusive Dance, located in Nashville and Franklin. They are an inclusive dance studio that empowers individuals of all ability levels to learn life skills through dance, using movement and music to transform their students' lives. Listen along to hear about all the incredible things going on at Move! This podcast is made possible through partnerships with Spread the Positive, TN's Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the Community Foundation of Middle TN. If you like what you hear, share it with a friend and leave a review on any streaming service. Got an idea for a guest, email us at [email protected].