OSWEGO COUNTY EDITION Director: Sabine Ingerson
December 2015 What’s Inside: ARISE Groups
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Habilitation Dept.
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MSC Blog/Fall Ball
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Community Involvement & Advocacy
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Fun Page
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Calendar
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Employment
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ARISE Center for Independent Living ARISE Oswego 9 Fourth Ave Oswego, NY 13126 (315) 342-4088
ARISE Pulaski 2 Broad St Pulaski, NY 13142 (315) 298-5726
ARISE Fulton 113 Schuyler St, Suite 2 Fulton, NY 13069 (315) 887-5156
ariseinc.org /ARISEcny
Our Mission To work with people of all abilities to create a fair and just community in which everyone can fully participate.
HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE 2015 Friday December 11th from 1:00pm - 3:00PM at ARISE Oswego Office I truly cannot believe it but the holiday season is upon us - a time the retailers try to convince us that the more we spend on presents the happier our friends and family will be. Personally I feel that the commercialization of the holidays does not give justice to the reason why we give. We give because it makes us feel good. On behalf of the dedicated staff with whom I am privileged to work, I want to take time to say thank you. Some of you reached out to us in crisis, some have been with us for years and are part of our ARISE family, while others joined us as volunteers or collaborated with us to make our community a better place for all. Our annual holiday party gives us a chance to share the holiday spirit and say thank you. Please join us on December 11 from 1-3PM at our Oswego Office. As always, there will be the famous “Best Decorated Door” contest, along with delicious food and good company. Please accept my heartfelt gratitude. I hope to see you at the open house. Sabine Ingerson Page 1
ARISE Groups Oswego Social Club
Self-Advocacy Group
Wednesday, December 16th
Friday, December 18th
12:00PM - 2:30PM
11:30AM - 12:30PM
We will be bowling at the Oswego bowling alley. Price to be determined. Each person pays for two games & their shoes. If the weather is bad out, we will scheduling a snow day. This group is open to anyone who 18 years of age or older. Please contact KJ at 342-4088 X237 to RSVP or if you have any questions.
Self-Advocacy is a group for people who want to advocate for change. For additional information, or if you have an issue you would like the group to advocate for, please contact Jim Cronk at 342-4088 X211 or KJ at X237.
Teen Group, Sibshops, Community Connections
TBI Peer Support Group
Saturday, December 12th
Tuesday, December 8th
5:00PM - 7:00PM
6:00PM - 7:00PM
We will be together to enjoy Lights on the Lake
(This is a reoccurring meeting that takes place the 2nd Tuesday of each month)
After driving through Lights on the Lake, we will go out to have dinner together. Please call or email Vicki Affinati at 342-4088 X225 or vaffinati@ariseinc.org by December 9th to sign up. Reservations are required as we are taking a bus and need to make sure we have enough space. There will be pick-up points in West Monroe, Central Square, Fulton, and Oswego.
We will be focusing on how to deal with stress during the holidays. Meetings are held at the ARISE Oswego office. If you have any questions, please contact Shannon Morrell at (315) 342-4088 X245 or Christine Ward at X201 or cward@ariseinc.org.
Once you have signed up, we will let you know the time frames. We are planning to be at Lights on the Lake at 5:00PM and leave around 7:00PM to head home after dinner.
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Habilitation Department Randy Draughn has always had a dream of having his own art show. The only thing that stood in his way was his lack of confidence. Shannon Morrell (Randy’s DSP) worked with Randy to help him learn how to express his emotions and how to work on his coping skills. When she realized Randy had a hard time putting his feelings into words, she had him put his feelings into his artwork. The first
time he painted with Shannon was at Fort Ontario; he painted a picture of the lighthouse. The first feeling he learned to paint was “peaceful”. Every week Shannon asked Randy, “What are you going to do this weekend?” and Randy responded with, “I’m going to have an art show, at my house”. When Shannon asked him who would be coming, he responded with, “My family”. His first painting with Shannon led to many more. Over time, he was able to say how he felt, not only in is paintings, but with his words. Next, his confidence grew, which led to his very first art show. On November 12th, Randy’s dream came true. He held his first art show at the Barnes and Noble store on the Cayuga Community College Campus in Fulton. In attendance were his family, friends, ARISE staff, as well as many other business owners to whom Randy has donated artwork. We are very thankful to Dave Allinger, manager of Barnes and Noble in Fulton and his staff. We are also grateful to Shannon Morrell for encouraging Randy to learn how to express and incorporate his emotions into his painting. Not only did this dream of Randy’s come true; he now has the confidence to work to make all his dreams come true. Page 3
MSC Blog Julie Fowler, Medicaid Service Coordinator As we approach the season of challenging weather conditions…. I found a wonderful link at the National Grid website: https://www1.nationalgridus.com/ LifeSustainingEquipment. This site provides useful information and tools which all of us can benefit from for emergency planning during bad weather and power outages. It has many useful tools, such as My Emergency Plan, Power Outage Toolkit, Personal Emergency Planner, and Notification of Special Needs form. Notification of Special Needs is a form you can fill out and submit to National Grid to make them aware that you have life necessity equipment and/or that an individual who has special needs resides in the household. National Grid Customer Support Upstate New York phone number is 1-800-642-4272 and Hearing/speech impaired 1-800-642-4272 ext. 711. The phone number for National Grid gas emergencies is 1-800-892-2345. Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday along with mild weather conditions—but if the weather becomes challenging, remember: One of the best ways to be prepared for an emergency is to stay informed and have an action plan.
ARISE’s Fall Ball On November 5th, over 60 adults attended the first Fall Ball held at the Oswego Alliance Community Center, which donated space for the event. Members of the community worked together to make this event very special for the participants. Courtney Thompson and her staff at Courtney Couture volunteered their time to provide professional hair and make-up. Dayger Photography volunteered to take professional photographs “prom style” for the individuals to receive as souvenirs. Stephanie Benavidez graciously donated a cake for the event, and Cam’s NY Pizzeria generously provided dinner. Barlow’s Concessions made a wonderful contribution of decorations and refreshments, and disc jockey services were provided by Ms. Billie Griffin. Everyone had a fantastic time and we hope you’ll all join us again next year!!!!!
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Community Involvement & Advocacy In October, Parents of Special Children held their annual informational meeting. The night was based on inspirational stories from people’s lives. I was approached to see if I knew anyone in their early 20's who would be willing to speak at the event. I asked Beverly Humphrey, who agreed to be one of their speakers. Beverly shared her story of becoming homeless at a young age. Her three younger siblings were put into foster care, but she was too old and therefore had nowhere to go. In a few short years, she went from living with her family to being homeless through no fault of her own, to living with a family that took her in, to having her own apartment, learning how to open a bank account, working part-time, learning how to cook and keep her home nice and neat. She also shared that she still plays an important part in each of her siblings’ lives. They often come and stay overnight with her on the weekends at her apartment. All three siblings have disabilities. Beverly mentioned the support that she has received from staff at ARISE and members of the community. Beverly did a very nice job speaking at the event, and we are grateful she was willing to do so. Submitted by Vicki Affinati Each year the Pratt House in Fulton hosts a tree decorating contest in which the community can participate. This year, Gracia Thompson's class at the Fulton High School (where Vicki provides social skills training) decorated their tree with Minions. Their tree is truly a "One In A Minion Tree." The Parade of Trees is open until December 11th. All area schools, organizations, and businesses are invited to participate in decorating an artificial tree of their choosing for display at the Pratt House. Decorations are all handmade and are limited only by imagination and inventiveness. There are four different categories and everyone that stops in can vote for one tree in each category. The categories are Adult, Youth, Children, and Business. Please stop by the Pratt House at 177 South 1st Street during the museum hours to vote for the different trees on display. The museum is open MondayFriday, 9AM to 5PM or by appointment. Admission is free. Phone: (315) 598-4616. The John Wells Pratt House is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Please vote for the “Our tree is one in a Minion” Tree at the Parade of Trees. Submitted by: Vicki Affinati I am a participant in the 2015 class of New York State Partners in Policymaking, a joint project of Cornell University's Employment & Disability Institute and The Advocacy Center. Partners in Policymaking is an innovative leadership training program for self-advocates and parents/family members of individuals with developmental disabilities. We have modules where we learn many important topics associated with the disability community. Topics include disability history, creating community, inclusion, person-centered planning, legislative issues, and advocacy. It is a very interactive environment. We have a webinar once a week where speakers talk about different issues. Plus, we sometimes go into small groups for discussion. Each module has an activity where we discuss topics. In addition, there is a quiz at the end to see how much you understood. We went to Albany for a weekend where we did vision boards showing what we hope to achieve in the future, as well as listened to speakers. Finally, we did our own mock testimony where we discuss issues important to us and how legislation could play a role in making progress with the issue. It is a very rewarding experience. I recommend other people get involved with this. You can apply to the program for next year by going to: http://www.nyspip.org/class_application.cfm Submitted by: Michael Moss Page 5
Fun Page
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DECEMBER Sun
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TBI Support Group 6:00-7:00PM
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Fresh Food Giveaway Park United Methodist Church,Pulaski 3:00-5:00PM
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Fresh Food Giveaway St Joseph The Worker, Liverpool 3:30-5:30PM
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Oswego Social Club 12:00-2:30PM
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Fresh Food Giveaway Believer’s Chapel, Fulton 4:00-6:00PM
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1:00-3:00PM
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Teen Group, Sibshops & Community Connections 5:00–7:00PM
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SelfAdvocacy Group 11:30AM12:30PM
Office Closes @ 1:00PM
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Holiday Open House
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16 Fresh Food Giveaway North Syracuse Christian Church 3:30-5:30PM
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NON-PROFIT US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 25
ARISE 9 Fourth Avenue Oswego, NY 13126 Phone: Fax: TTY:
OSWEGO, NY 13126
(315)342-4088 (315)342-4107 (315)342-8696
ariseinc.org Address Service Requested Mailing Address Goes Here
Employment ACCES-VR (Adult Career and Continuing Education Services-Vocational Rehabilitation) is an agency in the New York State Education Department that has helped many individuals with disabilities find and keep employment. You may know the agency from it’s previous acronym: VESID. Over the past year, ACCES-VR has helped over 900 people in Central New York (including 80 in Oswego County) succeed in careers ranging from customer service to information technology. Services to help eligible individuals reach their employment goals may include, but are not limited to: job coaching, employment counseling, advocacy, as well as financial assistance with training, equipment, and work uniforms. If you or someone you know has a barrier to employment and is interested in applying, please call (315) 428-4180 to register for an information session or to receive an application.