Volume 17 Number 2 • 2004
Liberating Ourselves by Learning
By Ann Van Loan, Executive Director Western
Resources for dis-ABLED Independence
Western Resources for dis-ABLED Independence (WRDI) hired me
two years ago. I knew I needed help from the first day, but to
what degree, I had no idea. My assistant director had been the
acting director for nearly a year, except for when a previous
director was briefly employed. Well, in walks Ann….Oops,
now I am wondering if I have made a mistake in choosing to work
at WRDI. My past experience was in county government, as co-owner
of a computer store, and as a member of the clergy at the hospital;
not quite the criteria for running a nonprofit organization.
But the Board of Directors assured me that I had the right credentials.
Within the first year I let go part of the staff and hired seven
new employees, wrote job descriptions, updated the personnel policy
manual, tried to figure out what Rehabilitation Act “Part
B” and “Part C” funding was all about, and realized
there was just not enough money to do the things we are directed
to do. I had a five member Board of Directors, yet I did not have
a quorum for the first three months. At this point, I was feeling
overwhelmed and I knew I was in desperate need. It was time to
look for grants.
I found out about the Rural Independent Living Leadership Mentoring
Initiative (RILLMI), free training offered to rural Independent
Living Centers by The University of Montana Rural Institute and
the Association of Programs in Rural Independent Living, and I
wrote to Mike Flaherty at the Rural Institute for an application.
Let me tell you, by the time I finished that application, there
were blood and tears all over it. I just knew they would not turn
me down—seventeen counties in western South Dakota, a Board
of Directors that needed training, a director and the employees
that needed guidance and training, lack of peer support training
and, as always, the lack of monies to support the programs. Now,
how could they turn me down? Well, they didn’t turn me down,
and Mike Flaherty came to WRDI as a shining light for our agency.
I was ready to roll up my sleeves and get to work. I knew it would
be hard work but I was up to the challenge. Mike was gentle with
us and never made us feel stupid. We were able to work our way
through some difficult issues. One of the trainings was on the
values, mission, and culture. He did a training session on communication
styles, which helped us to learn the different ways that we need
to focus when communicating with one another. On another occasion
we worked on conflict/negotiation, which helped us find the middle
ground when there are differences both with staff and consumers.
We also had a team building session that I think that every agency
should have from time to time. It just really builds cohesiveness.
Nelson Mandella taught us that:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not
our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am
I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and famous? …as we
let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission
to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence
automatically liberates others.
To ask for help is to liberate ourselves, our staff, consumers,
and anyone we come into contact with.
You can contact Ann Van Loan at Western Resources for dis-ABLED
Independence, 405 E. Omaha, Suite A, Rapid City, SD 57701 (605)
718-1930, (888) 434-4943 toll free.
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