Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


A program that supports children who have a sibling with a disability is returning to Livingston County.

The Arc Livingston is bringing back “Sibshops” as part of The Sibling Support Project - the first national program dedicated to recognizing, promoting, and addressing the life-long and ever-changing concerns of millions of siblings of people with developmental, health, and mental health concerns.

Arc Family Advocate Kasey Hilton told WHMI Sibshops offers kids who have a sibling with a disability the chance to meet new people, make connections, and have a safe space to share their thoughts and feelings while playing games and eating food.

Hilton said they’re bringing back the program and hope to share it with more families in Livingston County. She noted that 1 in 6 children from kindergarten to 12th grade in the county have a disability and most have siblings.

The program is geared toward children age 7 through 13. For that range, Hilton said 7 is usually a good age for kids to be able to share their feelings and make connections. For the older kids, they can have conversations with others around the same age while also playing games and having fun.

Sibshops is held on weekends, once every other month. It’s completely free but registration is required. The sooner people can register the better, for pizza planning purposes.

Hilton said she felt it would be good to do the events every other month, that way the kids have something to look forward to and they’ll do different types of celebrations.

The first program on October 20th from noon to 3pm will have a spooky twist featuring a costume party, Halloween theme, and fun activities. Being a former teacher, Hilton said she likes to incorporate learning into the events so kids will learn about what Halloween looks like around the world. December will feature a New Year’s Eve Party with a countdown and give kids a chance to dress up.

Hilton said she’s focused on different ways to make the programs engaging and fun for kids but also being able to talk about their sibling and hopefully create new friendships along the way. The program runs through June.

More information about Sibshops and how to register is available in the provided links.