Happy new Year Everyone!!!!!!!!!!! Wow a new year is here, I cannot believe it. This month’s news comes from Eric Forest, the Ottawa Friendship house Representative. He is also the president of Strike For A Better Change.
Our Principles
- We deserve to run our own lives
- We deserve to be respected
- We have our own opinions
- We need your trust
- We are there for you
- We deserve to be treated with kindness
- We have the right to choose what we want to do in the community
Amy Sadnck and the rest People First of Illinois Valley are preparing for their membership dinner. The purpose of the dinner is to reflect on what the group did last year and also to introduce what they hope to achieve this year. People can also sign up to join this advocacy group at the dinner. This group, was made up of and run by people with disabilities, has shared their accomplishments with us. These are:
- Sponsored workshops to educate people with disabilities and their families on self-advocacy issues
- Attended state-wide rally to advocate for choice and a greater voice of people with disabilities in selecting services an supports;
- Met with their State Representative to advocate for new legislation that would increase respect for people with disabilities;P
- Presented a PowerPoint training program on self-advocacy to graduating students at a transition fair
- Given cash rewards to people who speak-up-and-speak-out as self advocates;
- Requested a voters education project at Horizon Industries and supported members in voting;
- Raised over $1,000.00 for self-advocacy training and formed a new fund raising commitee to enable them to expand self-advocacy efforts
- Had a pizza party for members
WOW this group has lived up to its Purpose Statement. “We are here to learn to speak up for ourselves. That is what a self advocate does. We will also help people with disabilities.” So if your in the Illinois Valley on the evening of Monday January 24th, 2011 stop by and find out what this amazing chapter of People First is all about11
Keep us the fantastic work! Remember if another group has any thing to share, please e-0mail us and we will put it on the website!