Chartering Success, The Rural Exchange, The Rural Institute: Center for Excellence in Disability Education, Research, and Service, Volume 20, Number 1, 2008
ENTRE Project Develops New AKtion Clubs
By Nancy Maxson, Project Director at The University of Montana Rural Institute
Two new Kiwanis AKtion clubs were chartered in Montana in the spring of 2008, successfully completing the ultimate goal of the Expanding Networks through Recreation and Empowerment (ENTRE) project at the University of Montana’s Rural Institute. The ENTRE project is designed to improve existing networks of Montana Kiwanis Clubs, Kiwanis AKtion Clubs, and People First Chapters and build the capacity of these organizations to support adults with developmental disabilities in community service activities. The project is funded by the U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration recreation initiative. ENTRE is based on the premise that community services is recreation because it is a worthy use of leisure time and builds social networks, social skills, and vocational opportunities for people with disabilities.
Kiwanis is an international service organization with an 80-year history, 8600 clubs, 300,000 business and professional members who annually invest 1.3 million volunteer hours in their communities. Kiwanis AKtion Clubs, part of the Kiwanis family of organizations, are community service groups for adults with disabilities with the goals of developing members’ initiative and leadership skills and integrating them into society. People First is a self-advocacy organization for adults with disabilities; in Montana, Kiwanis has used People First Chapters as a foundation for developing AKtion Clubs.
The Great Falls AKtion Club was chartered at a ceremony in May and the Hamilton Club in June, both using existing People First members and advisors to form their Clubs. Last year the Helena AKtion Club was similarly formed from a People First Chapter. ENTRE Project Director Nancy Maxson worked with the People First Advisors and Kiwanis Clubs in these communities to forge alliances, break down barriers, and establish the groundwork for expanding the number of Montana AKtion Clubs. People First Past President Jason Billehus and Maxson traveled the state, visiting with Kiwanis Club members and encouraging them to connect with People First groups in their communities. Project funds allowed them, and other AKtion Club members to attend state-wide Kiwanis meetings and present information on disability awareness and working with people with disabilities (see article on page 4 of this newsletter.) Additionally, since ENTRE’s inception, Jack Hanley, the Kiwanis Montana Division AKtion Club Coordinator, developed two AKtion Clubs in towns without People First chapters. This brings the total number of Montana AKtion Clubs to eight, five of which were formed from People First Chapters. Two other People First chapters have expressed interest in becoming AKtion Clubs, and the ENTRE project will work with their groups in the future.
Based at The University of Montana since 1979, the Rural Institute: Center for Excellence in Disability Education, Research, & Service, advocates and supports full participation in community life by rural Americans of all ages. Rural Institute Director, R. Timm Vogelsberg Rural Exchange Editor, Nancy Maxson The Rural Exchange is published by The University of Montana Rural Institute: Center for Excellence in Disability Education, Research, & Service, 52 Corbin Hall, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812; (800) 731-0323 (toll free); (406) 243-5467 (voice); (406) 243-4200 (TT); (406) 243-4730 (Fax). Subscriptions are free. While funds for this issue come in part from the Expanding Networks Through Recreation and Empowerment (ENTRE) project funded through the U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration (grant # H128J060004- 08) opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the funding agency. Visit our web-site for more information about the Rural Institute: http://ruralinstitute.umt.edu
Chartering Ceremonies
Kiwanis Governor Mary Brydich presided over the Great Falls ceremony; Governor-elect Bill O’Connor also attended. Great Falls Kiwanis President and Lieutenant Governor Connie Wedell presented Kiwanis pins to each of the new Great Falls AKtion Club members and Governor Brydich installed the officers and presented the club its charter, banner, and bell. There were drawings for prizes throughout the evening. Joe Osenbach is the new Great Falls AKtion Club President and Lorraine Jacobs is the Club’s advisor. The Hamilton Chartering dinner and ceremony took place during the Kiwanis International Convention; Governor Brydich and other state Kiwanis officials were unable to attend. Jenny Howard, President of the Hamilton Kiwanis Club presided over the ceremony and Andy Hughson, the Club’s liaison to the AKtion Club, presented members their pins, charter, banner, and bell. Mary Millin, the Club’s advisor, helped install the Bitterroot Valley People First AKtion Club officers. Lisa Howard is the new club’s president.
Don’t Babyize Me!!!
By Jason Billehus, Past President of Montana People First Excerpted from a presentation to Montana District Kiwanis, March 1, 2008
I want to thank you for inviting me to talk today. I’d like to talk to you about something that I believe in my heart. I believe: Disability is natural. I believe that, AND it is part of the law of our country. The ADA, the American with Disabilities Act is the law that protects the rights of citizens with disabilities. It says “Disability is a natural part of the human experience.”
If you don’t believe me, just look at the numbers. According to the US Census, 20 % of Americans have a disability. That’s 1 in 5 people. If 1 in 5 people has a disability, what could be more “natural?” Think about that and look around this room. Does every fifth person appear to have a disability? Sometimes it isn’t easy to tell.
That’s because people can get a disability a lot of different ways. Some people may be born with a disability. If you got your disability before the age of 22, the government would label you as “developmentally disabled.” Some people get a disability through an accident-- maybe a sports injury or they were injured at work. We are seeing more and more of our Iraq veterans return home with disabilities. Diabetes is a disability that is an example of serious chronic illness. It is an epidemic in America.
If you don’t have a disability today, wait a few years. Someday your doctor will say to you “as we get older …” and you’ll understand what it is like to have trouble walking or seeing, or hearing, or remembering. And then you, too, will be a person with a disability. It’s natural.
As you look around this room, the faces of disability are all around you. Remember, 1 in 5 people has a disability. But it may not be obvious who has one. Lots are hidden. Some people don’t say if they have a disability. Some people are ashamed and try to hide it. They can’t hear as well as they did. They have more trouble walking. And opening a pickle jar lid is a major challenge. But they don’t want to admit it.
You can’t just put a disability label on someone. You have this disability, therefore you are this way. It doesn’t work that way. You can’t fit people into neat and tidy boxes. People don’t like to be “labeled.” I’m not a can of green beans, so don’t label me. Instead of talking about what I can’t do, talk about what I can do and what help I need. The help you need opening a pickle jar is called a “support.” And we all need some supports. Words are very powerful and it is important to use words that are respectful when we talk about people with disabilities Like Mark Twain said “the difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and lightning bug.”
Some words can really hurt people’s feelings, like handicapped. This means to beg with your cap in your hand. Mentally retarded. This is like the “N”-word for African Americans and insults my friends. Birth defect. Saying someone is defective isn’t nice. Brain damaged. Nobody likes to be called damaged. And confined to a wheelchair. Wheelchairs free people who use them. Without their wheelchairs they would be confined to their homes and couldn’t enjoy the world. Don’t use these phrases when you talk about people with disabilities. They aren’t respectful.
And the best way to show respect to people with disabilities is to remember Don’t babyize me. I’m not a little kid. I’m not a baby. If you call me a kid you are insulting me. I am an adult. I may need your support to do a job. I may need more time to understand. I may not be as fast as you. But I’m not a BABY! Help me achieve my full potential as a citizen.
That’s why I like being a member of a Kiwanis AKtion Club. This is a picture of the Anaconda AKtion Club. They were the first club to be chartered in Montana, way back in 2001. The goals for AKtion Club are almost exactly the same as Kiwanis’ goals. They promote respect, pride, and dignity.
Here are pictures from the 2007 Kiwanis Midwinter meeting in Great Falls. The AKtion club women are photographed with the 2007 Kiwanis International President, Nelson Tucker and with 2008 International President Montana’s own Dave Curry. People will always be different from one another. Just because these guys are REALLY, REALLY tall, we should still treat them with respect and dignity. They can’t help that they are REALLY tall. They were just born that way. They deserve to be treated the way we want to be treated.
That’s the golden rule. And living by the golden rule is at the heart of Kiwanis. It’s in my heart too. Because I know that disability is natural. I treat everyone, even people who are REALLY REALLY tall the way I want to be treated.
ENTRE Project Funds Accessible Recreation Grant
By Mary Millin, Bitterroot Valley People First AKtion Club and Summit Independent Living Center/Bitterroot Office Transportation Advocate
Last May I attended a People First advisor training and Nancy Maxson told us about grant money available through the Expanding Networks through Recreation and Empowerment (ENTRE) project at the University of Montana’s Rural Institute, which she was directing. The ENTRE project was designed to improve existing networks of Montana Kiwanis Clubs, Kiwanis AKtion Clubs, and People First Chapters and the funds could be used for an accessible community recreational service project. The $5,000 grants were an incentive to encourage People First and Kiwanis members to work together.
One of the Peer Advocates for Summit Independent Living Center, Susan Butchart, had been talking about making fishing more accessible for people with disabilities ever since I joined the Summit staff four years ago. The main obstacle was funding. The Peer Advocates have been great supporters of Bitterroot People First ever since I became the advisor two years ago. They have provided transportation and other supports for our activities. So I thought if we combined all three organizations, People First, Kiwanis, and Summit Peer Advocates on a project, it would be a good thing for everyone.
We felt the first step would be to choose a location for the accessible fishing access. Since the Peer Advocates and the People First members are knowledgeable about what works well for people with disabilities, we decided to choose the location. We settled on somewhere on Forest Service property because they have areas that have been dedicated to accessible recreation, they just don’t always have the funding to develop them.
We contacted the person in charge of accommodating disabilities for the Bitterroot National Forest, Abby Kirkaldie. She gave us some suggestions and we checked them out. Most of them would have taken an elevator to get a wheelchair from the campground to the creek. We finally settled on the Spring Gulch Campground. We chose it because it was already an accessible campground, with the proper outhouses and special campsites. It also has an accessible fishing deck that was built several years ago. We would only have $5,000, so we felt it could best be used to expand the existing access.
Andy Hughson, with Hamilton Kiwanis Club, volunteered to be our liaison with the Kiwanis Club. I told him about this project and asked him if we should go ahead with it. At that time he appointed a three-person fishing access committee. But we decided not to bring it in front of the whole Kiwanis Club until we knew more about what would be expected from Kiwanis and People First.
Susan contacted Abby again to see what the next steps were to comply with the Forest Service before we applied for the ENTRE grant. By this time Abby had contacted Mary Laws at the Forest Service about the project and they had decided they would like to sponsor the project for a Resource Advisory Grant, or RAC grant. That would give us more funds for the project. Abby and Mary prepared the application for the Resource Advisory Grant with pictures and everything. They helped us present the proposal to the Forest Service in August of 2007. In September we were awarded the $5000 for the project.
Since the project is on Forest Service land, it has to be done by Forest Service specifications and contractors. The first planning committee meeting was during Thanksgiving week, 2007 with another one in April 2008. Some People First members with disabilities met with Abby, Mary, the Sula Ranger, and the Forest Service biologist at the proposed site. It was decided at that meeting that since the campground is on a flood plain, the access would not be lengthened. The present fishing deck will be repaired, and additional fishing decks, big enough to accommodate a wheelchair, will be built. Also the present asphalt walkway, which is breaking up in spots, will be repaired.
The construction is scheduled to begin the first of September and end sometime in November 2008. It is not clear yet if volunteer labor will be allowed. If it is some of the People First members will participate and Kiwanis members will be invited to participate as well. When the project is finished, People First AKtion Club, Kiwanis, and Summit will all get the credit for the project in addition to the Resource Advisory Committee.
The ENTRE grant funds successfully achieved their purposes, serving as an incentive to bring together the People First chapter and the Kiwanis Club. Our new Bitterroot Valley People First AKtion Club was chartered in June 2008.
Why I like being in AKtion Club!
By Connie Lewis, Missoula AKtion Club Vice President (Editor’s note: Connie Lewis will be speaking at the National Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered conference in Indianapolis in September2008 about her experience with AKtion Club)
I have been a member of the Missoula AKtion Club since the very beginning, when we received our Kiwanis Charter in 2002. If I wasn’t in AKtion club I would probably not want to be around other folks and would not have many friends to do fun things with. It makes me feel good when I help with the AKtion Club instead of being a couch potato all the time.
I started out at being the Club treasurer; now I am the vice president. When I was treasurer I would handle taking care of the money, put it in the bank and tell people when dues were due for the next year. Dues were $2.00; now they are $5.00 a year.
I serve as the vice president and I like running the meetings when the president can’t make it. We have a meeting agenda we go by and I read the agenda for the group. Andrea Dahl, our Advisor, explains things in detail about the things that are on the agenda and answers members’ questions if they don’t understand. If someone talks at the same time as another person is talking, then I would hit the gavel on the table a few times to quiet people down. Before most meetings, I call people up to remind them of the meeting. I am always there for a meeting.
I have volunteered at the Kiwanis pancake breakfasts for several years. I rubber-band silverware together with a napkin around it and hand out milk or chocolate milk to people. Last year our advisor Andrea and I and two other members, Patrick and Wayne, worked together at the pancake breakfast.
I worked the Western Montana Fair with Kiwanis and stamped peoples’ hands when they come to the Fair and take tickets. Brian, another AKtion Club member and I would relieve each other when we did this.
Around the holidays, members Ken, Tiffany, Jason, Andrea, and I got together and bought things for the kids at the Watson Children’s Home. We bought underclothes, hats, gloves for them and we made Christmas balls for them to hang on the tree. We bought games for a little girl and she got a doll also.
At Thanksgiving time Andrea, Jason, Tiffany, Patrick and I went to the grocery store and bought turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and Jello for a family that needed help.
We wanted to help out Kiwanis members pick some garbage off the street and we were to meet over at Rosauers, but we did not connect with the Kiwanis members. We wanted to do that but weren’t able to at the time. I am ready to help out the cleaning crew anytime; next time we won’t get the connection mixed up.
Our AKtion Club is also a People First Chapter. People First teaches people with disabilities how to be self-advocates—to assert our rights, represent our own best interests, and exercise our own choices. I became a Senator for Missoula in the Montana People First Senate. I got to go out of town to Helena for meetings. One of the things we did in People First was hand out flyers before election day offering free transportation to the polls for people with disabilities. This was part of a Help America Vote Act (HAVA) project.
People First members have also gone to meetings on the Broadway Diet. The Broadway Diet is all about putting a light up on the busy Broadway Street so people can cross the road without being hit by cars. We’re making some progress; the light is up now.
THE RURAL EXCHANGE THE RURAL INSTITUTE 52 Corbin Hall The University of Montana Missoula, MT 59812