Local Chapter Updates from July 2006 to January 2007
People First of Denver attended The Whiz play together on July 28, 2006. People First of Denver had a volunteer weekend on August 26th and 27th where they divided into two groups and volunteered at the Denver Public Library and at the Denver Rescue Mission. This supports our goal to involve members in the community and educate our community that we are fully capable people that are contributing to society. On October 13th and 14th People First of Denver asked for donations for some children’s books at several King Soopers in the Denver area as a fundraiser and made $453.00. People First of Denver has representatives on the Self-Advocates’ Advisory Council and the Self-Determination Subcommittee. Members also participate in the monthly Speaking for Ourselves conference call. In October, eight members went to the new Denver Art Museum. In November, Phil Hamon was recognized with the John Bear Award as Denver’s outstanding self-advocate for 2006. Twelve members earned $400 for the Speaking for Ourselves treasury by assembling 1250 conference packets for a medical management conference held in Denver this past December. People First of Denver had a Thanksgiving Turkey Banquet and a Holiday Celebration and gift exchange. New officers were elected in November. People First of Denver meets regularly and has regular board meetings. They are very productive and want to focus more on volunteering in the community.
People First of Jefferson County is very involved in working with the DDRC and also in volunteering in the community. Members meet every other week for a formal People First meeting to discuss self-advocacy and on the alternate week they meet for an informal “coffee house.” Members participated in the Harvest Walk and placed in the top three. They are starting a fundraiser to raise money for the Speaking for Ourselves annual retreat. They are selling cookbooks for $20 each.
People First of Weld County has held several fundraisers. They had a duck race on August 19th. They continue to sell Speaking for Ourselves t-shirts. They also had a talent show on September 22nd. At their membership meeting on November 24th, they discussed items for an advocacy meeting with the board of directors of their local CCB. They went to the CCB on December 1st and showed them the anti-label quilt that was produced at an Arc of Weld County workshop. They thanked them for beginning to remove the words “Developmentally Disabled” from their fleet of vans and asked again that they also remove those labels from all other signage, letterhead, etc. They have worked on this issue for 2 years. They also submitted a list of questions about services so that the CCB could reply in writing. They also asked to receive written documentation of what the CCB considered to be the current rules since there was so much confusion and change. Members have continued to work on their roles in Project Illumination. This project presents plays to area schools and service clubs about sexual abuse and labeling. They had a Holiday party in December and continue to host dances twice a month. These social events have been drawing new members and volunteers to People First of Weld County. They have raised $1,200 from dances, dues, and fundraising events and received about $2,000 in donations last year from various sources. They meet regularly and are one of the most enthusiastic and productive chapters.
Boulder SABE local chapter has just been starting up and is excited to work with Speaking for Ourselves this year. So far, they have been meeting and voting on officers, providing training on self-advocacy for members, discussing legislation and Medicaid changes, and training on how to vote and ballot issues.
Colorado Springs SAAL chapter has participated in several activities. In July, they hosted the quarterly membership meeting at their local country buffet. They also created a skit for Developmental Disabilities Awareness day on September 1st at the Westside Intergenerational Learning Center and at the East Library in Colorado Springs. They have held meetings in order to discuss how to get along with one another and how to plan a fundraiser. On December 16th they held a “Chili Wrap” fundraiser where S.A.A.L members wrapped people’s gifts while guests enjoyed a hot bowl of chili. The wrapping paper was donated and the chili from Wendy’s was discounted for the fundraiser. They raised $210.50.
People First of Arapahoe-Douglas had an award dinner in August. In September they had a retreat at Peaceful Valley where they talked about how to relax, not stress out so much, get along with others, and just getting to know everyone. In October they worked on a community project at Englewood High School. On November 11th, they had a meeting and a talent show. Eight volunteers cooked and served Thanksgiving dinner. On December 9th they had a Holiday party. On December 16th, they helped the Elks put together Christmas food baskets. After delivering the baskets, they helped the Elks stuff Christmas stockings for a children’s party. People First of Arapahoe-Douglas also manages the Speaking for Ourselves phone line.
People First of Alamosa is doing very well. They meet the first Wednesday of every month. They have been working on goal setting for each of its members – working on individual issues that are important to each member. Goals include seeking community employment, housing, learning or improving on skills such as driving and working on the computer. Advocacy efforts include working on writing a letter to the CCB-Day Services Supervisor who seems to want to control the group and is not in favor of them meeting. The group plans to send the letter to the CCB director as well to let him know what is going on. Each group member contributed a hand-made item for a fundraiser and each week they have been selling raffle tickets for the items in order to raise money. They have partnered with the Green Spot Garden Center, which allows them to host bake sales and sell raffle tickets inside. They are planning to sell most of their tickets on March 24th because the town is hosting an Art Walk that day which draws hundreds of people. In early April they will announce raffle ticket winners. Funds are being raised so that members can attend the Speaking for Ourselves retreat in October. Two new advisors are planning to come on board in the next few weeks.
People First of Grand Junction has 3 advisors and 4 other helpers managing 75 members! They have recruited 4 new members over the last two months. Right now they are putting together a prom for People First members, because many members did not have prom at their schools.
People First of Glenwood Springs remains very active and attends every conference call. In October they discussed energy saving tips with the cold weather starting. They discussed how much it costs to heat houses during the winter and listed ways they could help stay warm and reduce their heating bills. They also discussed ways to get to a State meeting and assigned a committee to work on this. In November they hosted a voter information night and filled out their ballots. They discussed the return of bus service to Mountain Valley and made a list of questions to ask the City Transportation Coordinator about accessibility under the new plan. They also ordered People First T-shirts. In December they enjoyed a holiday party and decided to make a donation to Heifer International from People First of Glenwood because it is an organization that, like ours, promotes independence. In January they set goals for this year. They want to concentrate on putting together a film showing the obstacles people with disabilities face on a daily basis. This will be used to increase awareness and hopefully encourage more focus on accessibility in the community.
People First of Pueblo currently has two part-time volunteer advisors, but they are looking for a full-time advisor for their group. However, members are still having fun and participated in several activities and fundraisers this past year. They include: a bowl-a-thon which raised $423.00, a fishing trip to Westcliff, several dances, and a talent show contest. The top three contestants from the talent show performed at The Arc’s Christmas Dinner in December. The events are open to anyone who wishes to participate.