a monthly newsletter for families and friends of Easter Seals Wyoming June 2009

MISSION

TALES AND TIDBITS

Easter Seals Wyoming • 991 Joe Street • Sheridan, WY 82801 • (307) 672-2816 anitab@esgw.org • www.esgw-nrm.easterseals.com

At Easter Seals Wyoming we create solutions

that change lives forpeople with disabilities

and their families.

Groundbreakers dig in. (left to right) Jennifer, Gretchen, Jackson, Bart, Mistie and Dale

Easter Seals Wyoming par-ticipants and staff along with local dignitaries, financial supporters, and Easter Seals-Goodwill staff came together for a groundbreak-ing ceremony on Thursday, May 28 at the intersection of Turner Lane and Terra Avenue in Sheridan. The ceremoy marked the be-ginning of con-struc-tion for a fully accessible10-unit apartment complex and attached five bedroom supported living home, de-signed specifically for adults with developmental disa-bilities and acquired brain injuries. Eight Easter Seals participants enthusiastically did the “dirt work” for the groundbreaking ceremony, turning the extremely packed and resistant soil with gold painted shovels. The diggers: Gretchen, Bart, Jennifer, Wesley, Dale, Mistie, John and Jackson, stepped in to represent all

We’re diggin’ it! Apartment complex officially “under construction”

Guests stand and watch the groundbreaking ceremony, enjoying the warm sunshine.

Speakers at the ground- breaking included (top to bottom) City Councilman

John Bigelow with two city employees; Anita Badgett

with emcee Charlie Briggs; Dan Camron, Wyoming Field Office Director for

HUD; and Lynn Mavrakis, Executive Director for the Homer A. and

Mildred S. Scott Foundation.

of the adults with disabi-ites in the Sheridan com-munity who will occupy the housing when it’s completed. After the official breaking of ground, everyone was handed a bright red balloon and joined in a balloon release. The crowd then headed over to Easter Seals main center for lunch. Funded largely through a fed-eral grant from the Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) 811 program, the project will be a se-cure access residential complex. In addition to the one-bedroom apart- ments and five-bedroom home, the building also includes a large common area where residents can host community events and gather to- gether and with family and friends for parties, potlucks, dances and other leisure activities. The complex will be approxi-mately 10,000 square feet in size, and is scheduled to be ready for oc-cupancy late next spring. The pro-ject Contractor is Fry Construc-tion. In addition to construction funds, the HUD 811 program will also provide ongoing rental subsidies to quali- fying low-income resi- dents with disabilities. In addition to HUD, Easter Seals Wyo- ming wishes to especially thank the City of Sheri- dan for waiving more than $20,300 in fees, and the following private donors: Don and Stacy Roberts, who donated a major portion of the land, along with the Homer A. and Mildred S. Scott Foundation, Safeway Stores, MDU

Resource Foundation, Powder River Energy Corporation and Thrivent Financial for Lutherans.

“Tales and Tidbits” is published monthly by Easter Seals Wyoming for the friends and families of our participants. For questions or comments please contact Anita Badgett at 672-2816 or e-mail anitab@esgw.org

At left: Marian gives it her best in the long jumpevent. Below (left to right) Mary, Wes and

Jenniefer line up for an event.

Making a “klatter”in the kitchen

JUNE HAPPENINGS

2nd Tuesday Lunch Get Together at Community Access Center

9th Community Access Swimming at Kendrick Park 12th Community Access Picnic in Mountains at 4H Camp

12th ABI Participants Trip to Story Fish Hatchery 16th Community Access Swimming at Kendrick Park

19th ABI Trip to Ranchester Visit Connor Battlefield

22-25 Camp of Hope 2009 Summer Camp at 4H campground in the Big Horn Mountains

30th June Birthdays Celebration at Community Access Center

Easter Seals athletes bring home medals

On May 19 Easter Seals ABI participant Frank, along with his band the “Kitchen Klatter”, per-formed for the residents at West View nursing home. Front and cen-ter in the audience, clapping and tapping their toes, were the rest of Easter Seals ABI participants--there to cheer on their friend. Frank, who joined the band last April, plays soup base bucket drum with a wooden spoon. His mom

plays washboard in the band. Other band members play an assortment of traditional and not-so-traditional instruments, including piano, spoons, gourds, tambourine, and kazoo. The band has been perform-ing together since 2006. Some of the favorite songs that the band played for the nursing home residents were “When the Saints Go Marching In,” “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and “You Are My Sunshine.” Staff and participants alike jammed to the music, singing along with the band. Everyone enjoyed

the outing and said it was a lot of fun. Keith said “That was really cool!” and Dan agreed, saying “I loved it and my favorite part was watching Frank.” Outings like this one provide much more than entertainment for our ABI participants. They also provide opportunities to practice and develop social skills--something many individuals who have ex-perienced a brain injury need to relearn. Singing along with Frank’s band also allows participants to build cognitive skills by working to remember the words to the songs.

Top: Frank keeps the beat his on soup base bucket drum with a wooden spoon. Bottom (left to right)

Kitchen Klatter band members Sherry, Frank, Opal, Orel (Frank’s mom) and Dee

Here are the results from Special Olympics 2009 Wyoming Summer Games:Alice Carroll: 1st Place individual basket-ball skills; 2nd place 50 meter dash, 5th Place running long jumpMary Chiconski: 1st Place standing long jump, 4th Place women’s shotput, 7th Place individual basketball skillsRebecca Chiconski: 3rd Place women’s shot- put, 3rd Place individual basketball skills, 3rd Place standing long jump, 5th 5th Place 800 meter walk. Marian Floate: 4th Place women’s shotput, 1st Place running long jump, 4th Place 200 meter dash Andrea Harvey: 2nd Place 50 meter dash, 2nd Place 25 meter backstroke, 1st Place 50 meter back- stroke, 2nd Place 25 meter freestyle swim. Jessica McPartland: 2nd Place softball throw, 1st Place 800 meter walk, 1st Place running long jump, 2nd place individual basketball skillsMichael McPherson: 2nd Place 200 meter dash, 3rd place standing long jump, 1st Place individual basketball skills, 4th Place softball throw

Gretchen Schmaus: 2nd Place women’s shotput, 4th Place individual basketball skills, 2nd Place standing long jumpWesley Sikkenga: 4th Place 50 meter free-style swim, 5th Place 25 meter freestyle,Bart Tippets: 3rd Place running long jump, 2nd Place, men’s shotputJackson Ventling: 3rd Place 800 meter run, 1st Place 400 meter dashCurtis Vinzant: 3rd Place individual bas-ketball skills