North Star Community Services Program

I am a self-directed volunteer as a peer community worker for disabled people in Toronto GTA. I am willing to speak with you, in groups or publicly any time about it. Nonetheless; when rough times have fallen upon my life and health in the past, I have always responded with humor and generosity since, my gratitude is the state of mind of thankfulness. Most people can describe me as being direct, humorous, down to earth and caring for the fellow humans. At this moment in time, I am the founder and manager of Peer Community Hub, as well as a social entrepreneur whose ideas, tasks and values are to build peer to peer community drop-in center for disabilities who are directed by disability people. History of street life, disability, and cornice

Family, friends, and religion fall into that category, and so does serving. Because serving is important Because I have a sister with a disability, I have had the unique opportunity to serve at a week-long camp created for kids and adults with disabilities two years in a row. Both times I worked there, I served food, cleaned bathrooms, cleaned dishes, and helped with the disabled children in any way I could. Not only do I have experience working with disabled children, but I also have spent time working with children and adults in Cactus, Texas on a Foreign Frogs mission trip last spring break, where we worked with adults who didn’t speak English and helped in ESL classes the days we were there and helped watch their children while their parents were in ESL classes. We also helped with an Easter egg hunt for the children, most of which had never been in one before, and we handed out gloves for the children because a lot of their families didn’t have enough money to buy them warm clothes. In addition to that, I have helped at Parkwood Village by serving food on Thanksgiving and have visited some of the residents and talked and made puzzles with

Everyone has their own set of strengths and weaknesses. Those with disabilities are no different they just have a different set then everyone else. I chose this project topic because in 5th and 6th grade I was part of a program called Peer Pals. Once a week during recess I volunteered in a special needs classroom. This work opened my eyes to the world of special needs and Peer Pals is one of the things I miss about elementary school. I realized that I needed to continue helping the special needs community. No solutions presented themselves and then one day the solution stared me in the face from it’s home in the Reston Community Center Program Guide. “Volunteer at the Adapted Aquatics Class,” I had found a solution to my problem.

Northeast Treatment Centers (NET), is a non-profit, licensed and accreditations organization. NET provide services for multiple populations based on the need assessed for the individual and or family. These services range from behavioral health, mental health, addiction, foster care, community-based, residential, and in-home social services to adults, adolescents, children and families. The agency has been in existence for over 40 years it was founded in 1970, NET is one of the largest behavioral health and social services agencies in both Southeastern Pennsylvania and the state of Delaware. “The organization is led by President and CEO Regan P. Kelly”. (Netcenters.org, 2016) In addition, NET President and CEO answers to a Board of Directors that help in the decision making for the organization. Approximately 800 staff members, including full-time and part-time employees, provide services to over 10,000 people annually. Depending on the staff member’s duties/role, there working station could be an office setting, individual’s/client’s home or facility/agency’s group room. Also if it is a matter of confidentiality the meeting /discussion would always take place in a private office setting. Most staff have their own private office unless your covering at a different site than you will have to borrow an office to work out of. Each person served is individually assessed and offered services at a level of care that best meets his or her needs.

In ninth grade, my mother suggested that I volunteer with peers at my high school who are special needs. She thought it would be good for me to meet other people my age who have their unique struggles in school, much like myself. I protested originally, but little did I know I would love volunteering with my peers, regardless of their disability. During this time, I signed up to volunteer with a local organization called Buddy Ball. At Buddy Ball, I had the opportunity to teach children with disabilities ages five through twenty-one baseball. When I volunteered with my peers, I mainly saw high schoolers with severe autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional disturbances, whereas with Buddy Ball most of the participants had severe autism, intellectual disability, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, epilepsy, or a multiple of disabilities. Both of these experiences allowed me to gain knowledge of a variety of special

For two years I worked as a camp counselor for the Western DuPage Special Recreation Association (WDSRA). In this time, I have worked day camps, inclusion camps, social program,s and even an overnight camp for children, teens, and adults with special needs. My responsibilities were to plan crafts and activities that were inclusive to the various needs and abilities of the campers. Most of all, being a camp counselor meant creating a safe and fun environment for each

After her time at the habilitation program, she moved to Colorado. Her first job in Colorado was at the Rise School of Denver, which “provides services to children with and without disabilities through an inclusive education model.” During her time at the Rise School, the executive director of Adams Camp reached out to her and provided a job description that immediately captured her interest. She rapidly transitioned into the Adams Camp environment and found her home. Jordan has the opportunity to serve 350 families every year in both Adventure Camp and other therapeutic programs that is offered by Adams Camp. But, it hasn’t all been an easy road for her at Adams Camp. She voiced, “With an aging population, we are tasked with creating age appropriate services for all. The other challenge is finding more empowering opportunities for our population.” Most people with developmental disabilities can live a long and fulfilled life, but their special needs vary by age. At the moment, Adams Camp prioritizes younger clients in order to prepare them properly for their futures. But because Jordan is so dedicated to improving the lives’ of others, she

I have always been energized by the opportunity to make a positive and tangible impact on my community. During my time at Georgetown, such excitement came from involvement in multiple activities ranging from student government to fellowships, and from on-campus advocacy to community service. Since graduating from Georgetown, I have continued my commitment to service through extensive involvement as a SERVE Leader at Fannie Mae. Still, I miss the opportunity to organize events and engage members of my community to the extent I did when I was in school. What’s more, I have found it difficult to continue involvement in the disability space since graduation, as my current employer has limited avenues for employees with disabilities to network.

The Center for Health Care Services (CHCS) operates a wide range of psychosocial and medical programs in Bexar County whose target populations include individuals with behavioral health disorders and intellectual disabilities. (The center for health care services, http://chcsbc.org/board-of-trustees/) The Center for health care services also offers care for the homeless population and those who are suffering and trying to recover from substance abuse. After searching the internet and comparing multiple agencies, I always found myself coming back to CHCS. I love that this agency offers all forms of help for people with special needs and those who are suffering from mental Illness. I have a brother who is special and suffers from both behavioral and intellectual disabilities. I feel like working for this agency, I would learn to understand my brother more, and be able to support him in ways I haven’t before. I also love that the CHCS works with veterans. As a (former) military spouse, I was always interested in the health and wellness of our soldiers who suffer from PTSD, and mental illness. One of the most fulfilling aspects of working in the mental health field is being able to provide support to others during the most challenging moments in their life. To me, it became apparent after researching that this agency offers everything I want

Working with people with disabilities and being the parent of a child with a disability has played a major role in my decision to continue my education. This past year that I have had the opportunity to work in the field I have seen firsthand the need for Certified Rehabilitation Counselors in our community. As I continue to work with people of all ages and all types of disabilities I have noticed the difficulty that most of them have in getting a job or returning to work. Most of my consumer have mentioned to me time and time again that their

Local public health programs are available in most cities around the United States to assist in identifying the needs of the disabled person. These health programs have practical strategies and recommendation to successful integration, including tools and materials for the disabled population, and can provide relevant information from partners to promote health in the disabled persons. (Tips and Strategies for Successsful Integration of People with Disabilities into Local Public Health Promotion Programs,

Targets populations that have experienced disease and focus limitation of disability and rehabilitation (Nies & McEwen, 2015).

There is a great amount of stigma around individuals with developmental disabilities. Unfortunately, because of this, I was originally apprehensive to begin volunteering at the House of Possibilities. I feared I would be unable to understand the individuals whom I would encounter. I am ashamed to state that previous to this experience I had very little engagement with individuals with developmental disabilities. I assumed some of these disabilities would include physical disabilities. I was under the impression that I would be volunteering with the children’s programs. Therefore, I was expecting to engage with people younger than me. I have a great deal of experience with children so this made me feel slightly more comfortable.

Most often, I would spend the day, from noon to five, with the residents doing normal daily tasks like grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, and going to places like the library. Primarily, I sought out this experience because I wanted to work with a different population. Through this experience I am more sure than ever that I want to work with those who have disabilities.

Community Family Life Services in Washington, D.C., founded in 1969, focuses on providing support to homeless families and children in the D.C. area (Community Family Life Services, 2017). Historically, the organization began providing services to assist men return to society after incarceration. However, they transitioned to primarily serving the homeless community with temporary housing, essential food and clothing, medical and mental health assistance, employment coaching and placement, life skills counseling, mentoring, and parenting training (Community Family Life Services, 2017). Recently, since late 2015, they have been expanding support to women being released from prison and transitioning