Local Chapter Updates from August 2008 to January 2009

People First of Denver We had a Christmas party and a Thanksgiving potluck lunch. We have new officers. We were active in the Democratic Convention and sent 10 people to the national S.A.B.E. conference We are looking for a new advisor. 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 have participated in the Harvest Walk and placed in the top three. They have a fundraiser to raise money for the Speaking for Ourselves annual retreat. They are selling cookbooks for $20 each. They would like to thank everyone that supported Amendment 51. Their Treasurer, Jan Beckett, has been re-elected to sit on the DDRC's Board of Directors. It is a three year term as Consumer Representative. The group has ongoing issues with RTD-Acess-a-Ride.

People First of Weld County held their forth annual talent show Sept. 26th, 2008. There were about 25 acts including a group known as the Truth Troupe. The Truth Troupe does plays about sexual abuse, respect, and self advocacy. In June 2008 several of our members participated in the "Relay For Life", helping raise $3300 for cancer research. Yearly elections for the group were held in November. David Salazar was elected president. Weld County is very proud of having state officers, including Lynn Thompson as Recording Secretary, Doug Seery as Sargent of Arms, and Kathy Sargent as State Rep. Weld continues to hold it's twice monthly dances, often drawing over 70 members and community members. It is a great fundraiser. They will have a Holiday party on December 10th. 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. On December 13th they sold chili wraps and made $70.50. They will be attending the Arc Valentine Day Dance Friday Feb. 13th @ Colorado Springs Civic Auditorium from 5-8 pm. S.A.A.L. will be selling carnations and roses there. The cost will be $5 for members and $7 for non-members. St. Mary's Catholic Church is having a Celebration Service Pot Luck on March 8th at 2pm. Please rsvp by Feb. 27th It is at 22 west Kiowa, Colorado Springs, Co. 80903. On March 28th they will have Karaoke night at the Phantom Canyon Pub from 6pm to 9pm.

People First of Arapahoe-Douglas has not offered a current report.

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. All members would like to have different jobs other than the ones they have at Blue Peaks Day Services, so employment is a major focus. Blue Peaks is the CCB that serves the San Luis Valley which is a 6 county area that is over 8,000 square miles in distance. The group would like to invite new members but so far have had no luck in recruiting others to attend. One member, Karie Valdez got appointed to the Colorado Developmental Disabilities Council by the Governor and is currently serving a three year term. She has served on the membership committee and has been very vocal about the needs of people with DD, especially those that live in rural areas. Funds are being raised so that members can attend state meetings and the Speaking for Ourselves retreat in October.

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.