First In Families of North Carolina

09/24/2025

Join us Tuesday, September 30th at 12:00 PM for a special Pop-Up Story Hour hosted by our Partners In Care Grant partner, Starfire. This engaging event will highlight the first Family Project completed in North Carolina, sharing stories that celebrate inclusion, creativity, and community.

🌟 Pop-Up Story Hour 🌟

📖 Join us on Tuesday, September 30th from Noon–1PM for a brand-new story hour featuring the Torain Family!

Their “Wave Good-Bye to Summer” neighborhood party started as a simple gathering, but it grew into something more. It sparked joy, connection, and a true sense of belonging. Together, they created a way to contribute, celebrate, and be truly named and known in their North Carolina community.

✨ Don’t miss this inspiring story of how one small idea can ripple into deeper community connection.

👉 Register here: http://bit.ly/4gB485G

09/24/2025

We’re excited to share our updated website with you. Explore programs, resources, and ways to connect—all in one place.
Check it out here: www.fifnc.org

09/16/2025

Opportunity to connect tonight.

If you’re loving the Families at the Center of a Connected Community series out of North Carolina—or missed it—there’s still time to join our next virtual series:
Inclusion Seekers: Building Community

Each series offers tools, stories, and real-life strategies to help you create a more inclusive, connected world.
✨ What to expect:
✔️ Real stories & practical tools
✔️ Strengths-based approaches
✔️ Ideas you can apply right away
📅 NC Series: 6–7 PM ET | Every 3rd Tuesday of the month
🔗 Learn more & register at the link in bio. You can also visit http://bit.ly/44Qwrsp for the North Carolina series

FREE Monthly- Virtual learning Series You’ll dive into: Real stories that spark connection and collective action. Proven strategies to build inclusive, lasting community efforts. Fresh ways to recognize strengths... and shift narrative beyond disability. Creative tools to grow relationships and en...

09/04/2025

NC Sibling Leadership Network - September Meet-ups

The NC Sibling Leadership Network provides siblings of individuals with disabilities the information, support, and tools to advocate with their brothers and sisters and promote the issues important to them and their families.
The following is their event schedule for September:

In Person Meet-up
Sunday, September 7th at 2 p.m.
A Special Blend, 3900 W. Market Street, Greensboro, NC

Virtual Meet-up
Wednesday, September 10th at 7 p.m.
Join the meeting at https://meet.google.com/mtv-ywdi-pgo.

Statewide Virtual Themed Meet-up
Tuesday, September 23, 2025 at 7 p.m.
The Sibling Leadership Network, Executive Director, Kaitlin McNamara will discuss “The Sibling Movement,” and how siblings are becoming more visible in the world of disability. Join the meeting at https://meet.google.com/mtv-ywdi-pgo.

In Person Meet-up
Saturday, September 28th at 4 p.m.
Southern Peak Brewery, 950 Windy Road, Apex, NC

For more information about NCSibs or if you have questions, visit the NCSibs page at www.facebook.com/NCSibs or send an email to info@ncsibs.com.

NC Sibs is a network of adult siblings of people with disabilities living in North Carolina.

09/04/2025

NC Department of Health and Human Services
Hot Topics | September 4, 2025

National Recovery Month: Recovery Includes Whole Health

National Recovery Month, which started in 1989, is observed every September to promote and support new evidence-based treatment and recovery practices. With the right treatment, support, and resources, recovery is REAL (Restoring Every Aspect of Life) for everyone.

This week, we recognize that caring for mental and physical health is an important part of recovery. At DMH/DD/SUS, we promote access to integrated care, such as the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics that provide a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use services.

Tool Kit

With the right treatment, support, and resources, recovery is possible for everyone. Use this Toolkit to learn more about what SAMHSA is doing to support people in recovery and how to share this information with your audiences.

08/25/2025

North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities

Upcoming Online Event: The Council Presents
Topic: Emergency Preparedness
When: Thursday, August 28 at 1pm
Where: Zoom (https://bit.ly/NCCouncilPresents)

June through November is hurricane season, and September is National Preparedness Month. In this session, we will learn tips and strategies for people with I/DD or any type of access or functional needs to be prepared for any emergency that could happen, including tropical storms and hurricanes.

Presenters:

Sheri Badger - Senior Communications Specialist-Public Information Officer, King County, Washington - Government Office of Emergency Management, and former Disability Integration Specialist, NC Emergency Management

Lauren Howard - Director, North Carolina Office on Disability and Health in the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS)

Register here: https://bit.ly/NCCouncilPresents

08/25/2025

Work Together NC has a guide to help people with disabilities understand how to get around in North Carolina. The guide is called "Transportation in North Carolina: A Guide to Transportation Services, Problems, & Solutions."

This guide:
- Shows examples of how people with disabilities can get rides in different parts of the state from the mountains to the beach, and everywhere in between.
- Gives helpful questions to ask about getting transportation.
- Has answers and ideas you can use when talking to leaders about making transportation better.
- Includes a list of transportation words and what they mean.

Download the guide here: https://worktogethernc.com/resource/transportation-in-north-carolina-a-guide-to-transportation-services-problems-solutions/

08/05/2025

Have you ever wanted to give back, partner, or volunteer with FIFNC?

Here’s your chance! Our Annual Summit is typically invite-only, but this year we’re opening a very limited number of spots for our community partners, friends, and families to apply to join us in Durham, NC on September 11–12, 2025.
Together, we’ll celebrate 30 years of supporting families and explore new ways to make an even greater impact in the years ahead.

This special gathering is the perfect opportunity to connect, collaborate, and learn more about partnering with First In Families of North Carolina.
Click the link below to apply—spots are limited, and we’ll notify applicants regarding availability.

https://forms.gle/NG79Vpragwzw8wzu6

08/01/2025

Five County First In Families was honored to be awarded $5,000 from the first annual "Stomp the Stigma" 5K in Louisburg. These funds will go directly to support individuals and families with Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders in their community. Thank you to Maria Parham Franklin and Vaya Health for your continued support of First In Families!

07/15/2025

Hope to see everyone at 6! Prepare to be inspired by Starfire Council !

Calling all caregivers! Please join our wonderful partner Starfire Council for a free virtual learning series beginning July 15th at 6 p.m.

We invite you to come and learn about how we are working together to build community one family project at a time in North Carolina. Register by QR Code or at https://starfirecouncil-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/NzcYtBGoQNuYFa2pmZeRaw #/registration

07/14/2025

Governor Stein has officially proclaimed July 26, 2025 as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Day in North Carolina. The proclamation honors the 35th anniversary of the landmark civil rights law that prohibits discrimination and affirms the rights of people with disabilities to live, work, and participate fully in their communities.

The ADA Day proclamation recognizes the decades of advocacy that led to the law's passage and the continued efforts to remove barriers to inclusion and accessibility. It also reaffirms the state's commitment to advancing the goals of the ADA and promoting a more inclusive and equitable North Carolina for the one in five residents who live with a disability.

Read the full proclamation https://governor.nc.gov/governor-stein-proclaims-americans-disabilities-act-day.

Governor Stein Proclaims Americans with Disabilities Act Day Americans with Disabilities Act Day.pdf PDF • 1.57 MB - July 07, 2025 Proclamation

07/11/2025

Calling all caregivers! Please join our wonderful partner Starfire Council for a free virtual learning series beginning July 15th at 6 p.m.

We invite you to come and learn about how we are working together to build community one family project at a time in North Carolina. Register by QR Code or at https://starfirecouncil-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/NzcYtBGoQNuYFa2pmZeRaw #/registration