DYNA kids get set to chill

Friday, June 29, 2007

Dysautonomia Youth Network of America Inc., or DYNA, is an organization created by Waldorf residents Debbie Dominelli and her family and is regarded as one of the best resources for those suffering from the condition.

The ANS controls all the unconscious function in the body — cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and urinary systems — while regulating body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure and other functions. Those with dysautonomia and the common accompanying condition of postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, or POTS, are at the mercy of rocketing blood pressure and other health risks.

Dominelli’s daughter, Mandy, 16, was diagnosed with dysautonomia⁄POTS at the age of 9. She and her family founded DYNA after joining the National Dysautonomia Research Foundation.

‘‘We have grown so much past my capacity,” said Debbie Dominelli, who runs the organization from her Waldorf home. ‘‘But they’re such incredible kids.”

And far-flung. Not only does DynaKids have members in the United States, its membership reaches around the world. Dominelli is currently searching for a translator to speak to a Chinese member and enlists the help of a Spanish-speaking neighbor to communicate with a member in Venezuela.

While many school-aged sufferers are home-schooled due to health concerns, Mandy has recently delved into high school life to take a journalism course at Westlake High School.

Dysautonomia was recently brought into the spotlight when Greg Page, better known as the Yellow Wiggle from the children’s entertainment troupe ‘‘The Wiggles,” was diagnosed with a form of the condition.

Through www.DynaKids. org, a Web site the Dominelli family runs, others have found hope and information on a condition about which little is known.

‘‘DYNA is the source of reliable information regarding dysautonomia and children,” Karin G. Stemke-Baumann of Brookfield, Wis., wrote in a letter to the Maryland Independent.

Stemke-Baumann’s daughter suffers from dysautonomia, and Debbie Dominelli said the family visits Mandy Dominelli’s doctor in Maryland.

‘‘DYNA’s membership is composed of remarkably positively focused children and young adults who help one another at this vital juncture in their lives,” Stemke-Baumann continued. ‘‘DYNA has helped innumerable children and their families from all over the world — people who would otherwise have no help. DYNA’s motto is ‘A Ray of Hope,’ and they have truly changed the course for the future of anyone diagnosed with this condition.”

To find out more about DYNA, go to www.DynaKids.org.

Auditions on the horizonat Hard Bargain

Hard Bargain Players is holding auditions for the Brian Donohue-directed ‘‘Devour the Snow,” which will be staged in October.

The cast is made up of seven men, two women and a girl. Auditions, starting at 10 a.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday and 6 p.m. Monday, will be held at the Hard Bargain Amphitheater at 2001 Bryan Point Road in Accokeek. Auditions will consist of cold readings from the script.

‘‘Devour the Snow,” written by Abe Polsy, is a courtroom drama drawn from the Donner Party saga.

For more information, call 301-392-9901 or e-mail Suzanne_Donohue@hbplayers.org.

Unable to attend a scheduled audition? Call the theater to set up an appointment time.

CAP off your meal

A fundraiser for the Center for Abused Persons will be held Tuesday at the La Plata Applebee’s.

From 4 p.m. to closing, 20 percent of your food bill will be donated to CAP, an organization that helps those in abusive situations through counseling, protective housing and other means.

To ensure proceeds go to the center, mention CAP to your server and help the organization stay strong.

Applebee’s is at 10 Shining Willow Way in La Plata. For more information about CAP, call 301-843-1110.

Open heart gallery

The second annual Maryland Adoption Heart Gallery will open Monday at the Charles County government building.

Last year, the gallery was launched at the James E. Lewis Museum of Art on the campus of Morgan State University to showcase the plight of the more than 10,000 Maryland children living outside their family home in order to be protected against abuse and⁄or neglect.

The gallery, which features donated photographs of area children, has made several stops during a tour and will open from 3 to 4:30 p.m. July 2 in the commissioners’ wing of the government building at 200 Baltimore St. in La Plata.

The exhibit will remain there throughout the month.

For more information, go to www.charlescounty.org.

Express courage

Artists diagnosed with the neurological condition epilepsy are being asked to submit artwork for the National Expressions of Courage. Now in its fifth year, the contest is designed to raise awareness of epilepsy and illustrate the courage that so many draw upon when facing the life-altering condition.

Artists can express day-to-day struggles and their challenges in art, according to a press release.

The contest is being sponsored by Ortho-McNeil Neurologics Inc., in partnership with the Epilepsy Foundation.

Artwork — no larger that 8 inches by 11 inches — can be in ink, pencil, crayon or paint on paper or board. The deadline for entries is July 16.

For entry forms and more information, go to www.expressionsofcourage.com or call 800-224-4935.

Adventures for adultsat Greenwell State Park

The Greenwell Foundation in Hollywood is holding free outdoor adventure events for people between the ages 17 and 25.

The group is open to people with all abilities and will meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays.

Activities include movies, barbecues, kayaking, fishing, hiking, beachcombing and games.

In addition to holding the free program, the foundation provides adaptive equipment and transportation assistance.

The Greenwell Foundation develops programs for the public, but pays special care to those with disabilities.

For more information about the adventure group or other programs offered at the Greenwell Foundation, call 301-373-9775 or go to www.greenwellfoundation.org.

The foundation is at 25420 Rosedale Manor Lane.

Gallery seeking artworkfor community show

The 2007 Community Art Show will run from Aug. 1 to 25 at the North End Gallery in Leonardtown.

This is a nonjuried show. Artists in the tri-county area who are not members of the gallery are eligible to enter up to two pieces.

All work must be original in concept and created by the artist entering. Artists must be 18 to participate.

There is an entry fee of $5 per piece.

Work will be accepted at the gallery from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. July 27 and 28 and from noon to 3:30 p.m. July 29.

Entry forms and rules may be picked up at the gallery.

Call 301-475-3130.

Hospice to offer griefsupport group for kids

E-mail Sara K. Taylor at staylor@somdnews.com.