On the very last day, people
came up to the “Before I Die” boards in Delhi’s Courthouse Square to post up
their personal dreams and aspirations…..like about 1,000 people before them
ever since the program was launched on 9/11…the National Day of Service and Remembrance. Started in New Orleans in 2011 by a young artist
named Candy Chang, who was troubled by a personal crisis and was seeking a way
to express her thoughts, Before I Die has spread to over 70 countries in 34
languages on over 500 boards throughout the world.
7 community organizations, representing a diverse group of
Delaware County people, joined together to support this program: The Delaware County Office of the Aging,
Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care, the Delaware County Veterans Service
Agency, Delaware Academy Central School District at Delhi, SUNY Delhi, The Arc
of Delaware County, the First Presbyterian Church of Delhi---plus the valuable
support of the Delaware County Maintenance Department.
The program allowed anyone to step up, pick up a piece of
chalk and share their goals, dreams and personal thoughts in a very public,
dramatic way. An earlier program last
year was successfully held on the campus of SUNY Delhi. “We decided that it would be much more of a
community program to move this meaningful idea into the community where everyone could participate,” said
Elizabeth Sova, SUNY’s Director of their O’Connor Center for Community
Engagement.
As the boards were being taken down last Friday, Amanda
Green, a resident of Delhi and part of the team that launched the program in
September at an assembly for Delaware Academy high school students, said “While
it was sad to see the boards come down, so many people had an opportunity to share
their dreams and thoughts. Today I
posted that my goal was to become a Teacher’s Aid in a local school---- it felt
great to share my dream”.
Each day members of the community support team stopped by
the boards to make sure there was plenty of chalk and room for people to post
up their dreams. Special kudos are due
to Justin Foster, the SUNY Delhi faculty member who led a team of his students
to construct the boards, install them in the Square on 9/11 and then remove
them last week. “It was a special
commitment to our community,” said Justin.
Members of the sponsoring team included Rev. Sarah Hooker
& Renee Maxwell of the First Presbyterian Church, John Boecke of the
Veterans Service Agency, Tammy Christman of the Catskill Area Hospice, Delaware
Academy Superintendent Jason Thomson and faculty member Abigal Oliver, Sally
Kauffman/Becky Townsend/Steve Finkel from The Arc of Delaware County, Wayne
Shepard of the Office of the Aging, Elizabeth Sova from SUNY Delhi, valuable support from the County’s Board of
Supervisors Chairman, James Eisel, Christa Schafer and the County’s Maintenance
Dept.’s Pete Montgomery, plus important technical help from SUNY’s Nicholas
Wagner. Everyone felt that “these are
the types of programs that bring our county together in a positive, caring and
productive way, and are very important
for the overall welfare of the county. During often challenging times, we all need to
work together for the best outcomes and results for everyone.”
For the 5th year, Beta Omicron, the local chapter of a
world-wide educators’ organization, is working with The Arc of Delaware County
to sponsor a contest open to all Delaware County school districts. The purpose of the county-wide grades K-8
contest is to help students understand the strengths and embrace abilities of
people with developmental disabilities.
Beta Omicron is part
of The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, a professional organization of
women educators. This local chapter has
40 members representing several of the Delaware County schools. Their mission is excellence in education, so
they have partnered with The Arc to bring awareness of the abilities of people
with developmental disabilities to school kids and their communities.
The theme of this year’s contest is “Everybody Can---Be
Included.” Students can describe in essay or PowerPoint format (grades 5-8) or
poster (K-4) how they would include in their lives people with intellectual or
developmental disabilities (I/DD). Kids likely have in their families, classes,
or communities people with I/DD, such as autism, Down’s syndrome, learning
disabilities, cerebral palsy, etc. The aim of the contest is to encourage kids
to explore how they can help others feel included and valued.
Prizes will be awarded in 3 categories:
Grades K-4 class poster Grades 5-8 individual essay or Grades 5-8 PowerPoint
projects. First, second, and third place winners of each category will be
awarded $100, $75, or $50 respectively. Each entry will
be recognized with a certificate.
The first year winner
of the contest was Erika Liddle’s South Kortright 6th grade class
which read the book 10 Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, by Ellen
Notbohm. Liddle recommends that other teachers enter the contest. “You need to do it: you have a chance to make
a difference in how children see things, and this is a great opportunity to
build compassion.” She said her students
made a connection to a former classmate by realizing why he had behaved certain
ways. They developed a new understanding
of his behavior and formulated ways they could have better included him.
For more
information about this contest or for entry forms contact The Arc of
Delaware County, Community Relations Department, Barbara Thompson (607)
865-7126 or email B.thompson@delarc.org
Information and details can also be found on The Arc’s
website: www.delarc.org
Russ Neale, a
community partner of The Arc of Delaware County, has shared his love of
woodworking by providing many classes over the past several years. Over a period of 8 weeks students learned about
the types and properties of wood and how they can be used as well as how to
operate and work safely with the tools and equipment in his workshop. Russ’s class is very popular and and when
students show their finished projects to friends,
co-workers, and family
members, the more people want to participate.
This summer Joe
Pantale, Tina Cawley, Robert Dircks, and Tracey Rossi enjoyed creating a variety of personal projects including small
wooden chests, bird houses, and a team project that Robert and Tracey worked
on, a fabulous park bench that was
donated to Resources for Industry in Walton, NY. The pride and enjoyment over their finished
projects can be seen on our Flickr site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/delarc/14935643034/
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| Dave Riordan and Bill Vagts enjoying a ride on the Delaware and Ulster train. |
Several folks from Community Living Skills- Arkville celebrated
the fall season with train rides; baking, hiking, and keeping our scenic highways
clean.
Kelly Piskacek and her guest Bill Vagts enjoyed a fall train
ride compliments of the Delaware and Ulster Railroad in Arkville, NY in
appreciation of the assistance Kelly gave to the train service. And, Garett Morgan, an avid outdoorsman, took
to the trails to take in the beauty of the Catskill mountains.
Helping to keep the scenery beautiful, David Greenwood and
Danny Woytowich volunteered to help clean along the parks and roadways in the “Adopt-a
Highway” program.
Enjoying the fall harvest, Cathy Ippolito and Roseanna
Starkweather used winter squash and honey to make healthy and delicious treats.
Everybody enjoyed the beauty of the season and the Catskill
area in their own way. We hope you did too!
On 9/11/14 James Eisel, Chairman of the Delaware County Board of Supervisors and Supervisor of the Town of Harpersfield, kicked off the opening of the“Before I Die” community project at noon today before a large group in Delhi’s Courthouse Square honoring the tragic events of 9/11 with a moment of silence. This project allows people in Delaware County to share their thoughts, dreams, and aspirations with the community.
Mr. Eisel introduced a number of people from the county including Tina Mole’, the Supervisor of Bovina and Vice Chairman of the County’s Board of Supervisors; Wayne Shepard, Director of the Office of Aging; Elizabeth Sova, Director of the SUNY Delhi O’Connor Center for Community Engagement; Jason Thomson, Superintendant of the Delaware Academy Central School District in Delhi, Reverend Sarah Hooker, First Presbyterian Church of Delhi, Tammy Christman of the Catskill Area Hospice and Palliative Care; and Steve Finkel from The Arc of Delaware County.
Mr. Finkel noted that “The 7 organizations supporting this program, including the Veterans Services Agency of Delaware County, the County Maintenance Department and the thousands of Delaware County people they serve and represent, have been very supportive of this unique program that started in 2011 in New Orleans with a young artist named Candy Chang.” The program has grown to reach out to over 70 countries in 34 languages, from China, Russia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, to South and North America, crossing all political, social, ethnic, religious and geographical
boundaries.
“Getting this program launched was a team effort, a real community program that included Justin Foster, a SUNY faculty member in their Building Technologies curriculum and 10 of his students that helped construct and install the Before I Die boards in the Square, and Nicholas Wager, who, with Rev. Hooker were the social media and technical wizards behind getting the word out to all, “ Finkel added.
Finkel concluded by thanking everyone….”for coming, caring and sharing….and importantly, giving back to your community on this very important national day of remembrance.
For more photos of this event visit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/delarc/sets/72157647484400742/
On the opening day of school Amanda Green shared her dream
of becoming a teacher’s aide with students at Delaware Academy High School. As part of a team of presenters which included
Rev. Sarah Hooker from the First Presbyterian Church of Delhi and Steve Finkel
from The Arc of Delaware County, Amanda helped encourage students to
participate in the upcoming “Before I Die” community wall that will be
available Sept. 11th- Oct. 17th at the Courthouse Square in Delhi, NY. By sharing her dream she hoped to encourage
others to share their thoughts, ambitions, and dreams.
Amanda told of the many steps she has already taken towards
achieving her dream including receiving her GED earlier this year and seeking classroom
experience by volunteering in Mrs. Coleman’s Kindergarten class at Delaware
Academy. She has updated her resume and
hopes to obtain a full time teacher’s aide position in the future. Amanda knows that dreams become reality only
when people are committed and patient.
She said that she worked toward her GED goal for 5 years. “The hardest part
is doing it every day, trying to schedule time to fit it in. It’s hard, but
don’t give up!” To view Amanda’s
previous story about earning her GED: http://arcstories.blogspot.com/2014_03_01_archive.html
And in the journey toward her goal
of becoming a teacher’s aide, Amanda has gained experience in public speaking
and really enjoyed getting to know the children in the Kindergarten class. “The kids are so much fun! “ She shakes her head
and laughs, “When my back is turned, (it is so funny) some of the things they
try.” She also shared that she hand selects a story to read to the class and is
amazed by all the questions they ask about the story.
The famous Chinese philosopher Lao-tsu said, “The journey of
a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Amanda is well on her way to
making her dream a reality.
Whether a graduating student plans to continue his/her education, join the work force, or pursue some other interest at home or in the community, the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) may be able to offer supports and services to ease the transition.
To help students with developmental disabilities and their families learn more about what supports and services are available following graduation, The Arc of Delaware County is hosting what OPWDD refers to as a Front Door (i.e. front door to services) presentation on September 24, 2014, from 5:00 until 6:30 p.m.
This free presentation will take place at The Arc of Delaware County, 34570 State Highway 10, Walton, NY 13856. To register or for more information contract Kim Shaw at 607/865-7126, ext. 104 or kshaw@delarc.org.
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