Director’s Letter
We at The Ability Center are excited to launch our first issue of Community Connections, our new monthly e-newsletter designed to help you stay current with what is going on at our center.
Each month we will celebrate community programs, stories, individuals and upcoming opportunities we feel are important to share. Please let us know how we are doing and if there are matters you would like to see addressed in future issues. And, as always, feel free to explore our website for expanded information. Enjoy!
Tim Harrington
Executive Director
tharrington@abilitycenter.org
90th Anniversary Recap and the Alva Bunker Memorial Dedication
by Dan Wilkins
For those of you who are friends of The Ability Center, you are aware that this year we have been celebrating our 90th Anniversary. What began December 19th, 1920, as a Rotarian dream, has evolved to become a premiere Center for Independent Living, working to improve the lives of people living with disabilities and their families in northwest Ohio and beyond.
Alva Bunker circa 1920
We began in January, 2010, with a large gathering of Community Partners and a Conversation for Change. The event featured Derrick Dufresne and Al Condeluci, two nationally known speakers who shared with nearly 200 attendees their messages regarding the Impact of Loneliness and the Importance of Social Capital respectively. From this came a concerted effort by staff and area Partners to build a more inclusive community, including the formation of Partners for Community Inclusion, a collaborative dedicated to improving access to all that community has to offer.
In July, we celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act at our 10th Annual ADA Awareness Day at the Toledo Zoo. With over 100 participating organizations, all sharing what they have to offer people with disabilities, this has become a premiere informational event in Ohio.
In September, the Center celebrated its 90th birthday by hosting a festive evening at The Pinnacle. We took advantage of their Twilight Thursday program, which helps non-profits to shine for their staff, members and community. For us, sharing food, music, artwork and stories, it was a phenomenal success, with well over 200 staff, friends and partners in attendance.
The Ability Center will formally end its year-long celebration with a poignant homage to our very beginnings. On April 7, 2011, the Center, along with our partner, University of Toledo’s Ward M. Canaday Library for Special Collections, will honor the memory and contribution of Alva Bunker, the man who inspired our existence, on his 110th birthday, with the placement of a headstone on his unmarked grave and a separate marker noting his contribution.
This dedication ceremony will be held at the Willow Cemetery on Pickle Road near the corner of Woodville Road. It is open to the public and no RSVP is necessary though we would appreciate knowing what kind of attendance to expect. If you plan to attend, please contact Lisa Justice at (866) 885-5733. For more details, see our list of Upcoming Events.
Wednesday Night Meal At Olivet Church Brings Friends Together
by George J. Tanber
Sandy Shuff (seated in center) and friends at dinner
Among the several hundred people who gather for the weekly community dinner at Olivet Lutheran Church are five good friends sitting at one special table. Sandy Shuff, Chris Rentner and Linda Miller have known one another for more than 20 years – dating back to their involvement in Lucas County Board of Developmental Disabilities programs. They’ve been attending the Olivet’s Wednesday evening dinners for about a year.
Bob Taormina turned up a few months later. “Tarp”, as he’s known to his many friends, is a 79-year-old retired football and track coach at Springfield High School and an unlikely addition to the group. Jessy Meeker, the private provider for Sandy, Chris and Linda who brings them to Olivet every week, saw him sitting alone one night in the church dining room and invited him to join her group. Both track and field lovers, they found an immediate common ground.
Tarp, a quipster and a poet, recalls the moment in verse: “I said hello, she said good-by, and we met.” Ever since, he’s rarely missed an opportunity to dine with the Olivet group he now counts as close friends.
The group’s newest member is Emmitt Abdoney. Emmitt, a native of Lebanon who fought in that country’s civil war as a teenager, lost his eyesight about six years ago. He was introduced to the others by Mark Armstrong, an Ability Center provider, who has known Sandy, Chris and Linda for years.
As usual, there is some friendly banter before a dinner of scalloped potatoes and sauerkraut is served. Tarp, the chattiest of the group, says a friend told him about the Olivet dinners, a community outreach effort by the church begun in September, 2009.
“I thought it would be nice to meet new people and get involved in a new social structure,” he says.
Jessy had gotten the ball rolling a year earlier. Linda, a longtime member at Olivet who sings in the choir, told Jessy about the Wednesday evening meals. Jessy thought it would be a great activity for the girls, who stay busy thanks to Jessy’s active calendar and roomy vehicle. For instance, on Mondays, they volunteer at the Toledo Northwestern Ohio Food Bank, and on Tuesdays, they work out at the YMCA. Wednesdays were open, and it fit the criteria Jessy was looking for.
“I just love the sense of community at these meals,” she says. “It’s something we’re really lacking these days. Not only a sense of community, but a connection between people.” There’s little doubt this group has connected.
“I feel comfortable around these people,” says Sandy. Her eyes fill as she recalls the death of her 51-year-old brother, Doug, a few weeks earlier. She continues: “I’ve been through a lot this year. They helped me a lot. They are caring people who love me.”
Around the table, Sandy’s friends voice their opinions about what makes this Wednesday night group unique. “Just being together,” says Chris, who possesses a high-voltage smile. “All of us have fun.”
Linda, more reserved and soft-spoken than the others, is clear about one thing: The friendship, she says, is most important to her. Well, and maybe the chocolate cake that awaits her after she finishes her dinner. Sandy helps Emmitt cut his food, giving him time to list the reasons why he’s here. It takes some prodding. Finally, he says, “Meeting new friends. Being with people. Good food. That’s enough, I guess.”
Tarp, of course, takes a more philosophical viewpoint. “It’s amazing how this group came together,” he says. “We have different mentalities, and different cultural backgrounds. And we came here and started to communicate with each other. And what happened was, everyone chimed in and had their say. And everybody has been appreciated for their knowledge and respect for one another.”
Time moves swiftly, and another Wednesday meal is over. Linda heads off to choir practice. Jessy takes Chris and Sandy home. Emmitt sticks around for a while. He’s perked up and chats freely about his days as a teenage militia member in Beirut. Eventually, he leaves with Mark. Tarp is already gone. His wife of 59 years, Jane, is ailing, and he wanted to get home early.
Before he left, he shared a poem he says he wrote for the group. In part, it reads: “Friendship doesn’t cost a damn penny. It’s free. It’s long. It’s lasting. It gives you great memories. Isn’t it nice that our paths have crossed in this short life we have to live?”
Join Us For a Special Book Signing
By Dan Wilkins
One of the wonderful products born out of the ongoing collaboration between the Ability Center and UT’s Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections, is a new book chronicling the history of and contributions to disability in Northwest Ohio.
From Institutions to Independence
This book is now available through the University of Toledo Press. Compiled and edited by Barbara Floyd, Director of the Canaday Center, “From Institutions to Independence: A History of People with Disabilities in Northwest Ohio” takes us from the asylums of the late 1800s through the present day Independent Living Movement, including a Chapter on our Center and its 90 year evolution. So much history happened here. Philosophies and movements started right here.
Please join us, Thursday, March 31, 2011 from 5:00 to 6:30 PM, for a book signing by Ms. Floyd, here at The Ability Center on Monroe Street.
We will have books here for purchase. $20 each. You can also learn more about the book or order it directly from University of Toledo Press. If you have any questions, please contact Dan Wilkins.
The Ability Center Expands Outreach Efforts
by Dale Abell
Amanda Gomez Neal and J Lyons
With funding from a federal stimulus grant, The Ability Center will expand its efforts to connect people with disabilities to their communities and resources for independent living. This will be accomplished through a partnership with the Y/JCC of Greater Toledo and Adelante Latino Resource Center. Two Community Outreach Coordinators will work with our community partners to increase the availability of independent living services.
J Lyons will have regular office hours at the Wayman D. Palmer Community YMCA, 2053 North 14th Street, Toledo, Ohio 43620. J has an Associate’s Degree in Legal Assisting, a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Criminal Justice, and a Master Certificate in Juvenile Justice. She has spent the last 3 years as a Family Advocate with FOCUS and has about 1 ½ years experience as a Youth Advocate for Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. in Toledo.
J Lyons can be reached at (419) 704-6614.
Amanda Gomez Neal will have regular office hours at Adelante Latino Resource Center, 520 Broadway, Toledo, Ohio 43604. Amanda is currently studying Spanish Education. Amanda speaks both Spanish and English. She has over 3 years of experience in Colombia, South America, teaching social skills, academics, outreach, and Spanish to youth with some learning disabilities. She also has over 3 years experience in customer service in Toledo.
Amanda Gomez Neal can be reached at (419) 704-5715.
For more information about programs and services available from the YMCA or Adelante, please visit their websites.
The Ability Center and Auxiliary Recruiting Scholarship Applicants
by Lisa Justice
Each year, The Ability Center, in conjunction with our Auxiliary, awards several scholarships to students with disabilities working toward a post-secondary degree or certificate.
The student must have a permanent address in our service area (Lucas, Wood, Ottawa, Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Williams counties in Ohio), plus Monroe and Lenawee counties in Michigan. However, there is no location requirement for the school attended.
They must have a 3.0 GPA, and have proof of acceptance to a school/program at time of application. For more information, and the application form, please visit the Scholarship page. The deadline for completed applications is April 15, 2011.
If you have any questions, please contact Lisa Justice, Assistant to the Executive Director.
The Ability Center Sets Disability Awareness Training Dates
by Dan Wilkins
Andrea Stoller provides demonstration regarding Cognition
The Ability Center has scheduled four future dates for Full-Scale Three-Hour Disability Awareness Trainings. These dates are for individuals and small groups wanting to participate in a full training. Registration is necessary. Numbers are limited to 40. For more information on the program, visit the Disability Awareness Training page.
Current Planned Training Dates
All training is scheduled for 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Registered participants are encouraged to arrive before 9:00 AM. Coffee, juice and lite pastry fare is available beginning at 8:30 AM. Dress casually. This is an informal setting meant to be both informative and entertaining.
To sign up for one of the dates, please contact Barb Manning, Information Systems Coordinator.
