How might families grow more connection and belonging?

Be part of a local-led movement to build community alongside people with developmental disabilities and families. Learn a new way of discovering, activating, and freely sharing the gifts of your community - and begin your family’s journey to more belonging.

Connect with us using the form below and please check out our blog!

 
 
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Interested In Joining?

Here's everything you need to know:

Where is the Ohio Family Network (OFN) being spearheaded?

  • Three Southwestern Ohio counties: Clermont, Hamilton, and Butler. Families from surrounding counties are also invited and encouraged to take part.  

Who is the Ohio Family Network team? 

  • Team of dedicated parents who have done a project and stepped deeper into leadership to support other families in their journey of discovery 

  • Experts in building community and understanding what people with disabilities and families are up against  

  • Engage in outreach to local families

  • Host learning opportunities 

  • Offer monthly gatherings to support families, people with disabilities, and local citizens to design and grow good lives and stronger communities

Who should join?

  • The OFN is open to everyone. The more families who take part in this, the more momentum for this movement, so we encourage you to take the leap.  

Each family receives: 

  • A project budget 

  • Equity 

  • Mentorship 

  • Invitations to storytelling events, Community Design Sessions, trainings, and more!  

  • An opportunity to grow in leadership of building more connected communities. 

Who can I contact?
To learn more and join the OFN, contact Carol Combs at carol@starfirecouncil.org or complete the form below:

 

Stories

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Meet the Clincy Family

The Clincy Family host a festival of art and creativity at a local coffee shop to bring people together over strengths and shared passion. Mieke, the matriarch, is part of Starfire's initiative to put families at the center of community building… This means she was granted a small stipend and offered a mentor from Starfire, to help nudge and uncover her family's own wisdom around building community.

 
 
 

Get in touch

When you submit this form, you’ll also receive our email with invitations and updates from Starfire. You can unsubscribe any time via the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of all our emails.

 

What families are saying

 
 
“Since doing this community building project with my family, my son is now the one connecting me to the community.”
— Mieke Clincy, Family Leadership Participant
“For me, it’s like something has changed. We were told no Troy’s [son with disability] entire life. We were told no by a lot of disability services. We kind of withdrew and became isolated. But I think, maybe that was the wrong way to approach things anyway. Maybe we should have always been thinking about, ‘This is where we live, in Clifton. How should we be including Troy in Clifton?’ Looking to the neighborhood for support instead of looking to disability services for support. I think we’ve been happier here in this last year than ever and it’s because we included our neighbors…”
— Cassandra Clement, Family Leadership Participant
“We came to Starfire and started learning different strategies - taking people to lunch, taking other runners, birders, artists, taking even neighbors, just taking people to lunch and pick their brains, I just call it getting out of my own head. ”
— Tammi Stauber
“The most powerful thing Tim [of Starfire] said to me was that I had permission NOT to put my son’s disability first. It shook my world up in the most beautiful way. My son is terminal. The first thing I said to Tim is, ‘What happens if my son passes away?’ He said, ‘We’re living in the moment.’ And that’s what we’re doing - a year and a half later. Through the project grant from Starfire, our circle grew over the summer, we made over 30 new connections in the community. It was the first time Grayson [my son] was getting to play with peers. We’re going to continue to grow our story and warm our circle.”
— Carol Combs, Family Leadership Participant
“We will work the rest of our days to continue to learn and walk a path of belonging, community building, and Love. We are so grateful for Starfire’s planting seeds in our path as we navigate this journey that we have learned requires forgiveness, bravery, and a beautiful imagination for what could be. ”
— Ashley Hart