Lend a Hand
[SARN Memo for August 11, 2010]
Do you know self-advocates who do volunteer work? They are making a difference in two ways.
First, they help others. They help make the world better. Second, they help change attitudes. They show that self-advocates have a lot to give.
Here’s a good example: Brian Heuring of Litchfield, Minnesota just won an award for his volunteer work in the public schools (see below).
Self advocates do a lot of good in the community. Let’s celebrate the fact.
- Brian Heuring: Volunteer of the Year, Litchfield School District, Minnesota
- Discussion: Do You Know a Volunteer?
- Get Self-Advocates in the Spotlight
- Resource
Respond to this memo!1. Brian Heuring: Volunteer of the Year, Litchfield School District, Minnesota
Brian Heuring accepts the Litchfield 2010 Friend of Education Award from the nominating committee. Pictured l-r: Kris Haugo, kindergarten teacher; Brian Heuring; Janelle Green, 3rd grade teacher; and Cheryl Whitchurch, 3rd grade teacher.
Litchfield, Minnesota’s Brian Heuring won the 2010 Friend of Education Award, presented annually by the Litchfield school district. He was nominated by three teachers for his extensive volunteer work in the district’s elementary school classes. “Many have been touched by this man’s helpfulness and integrity,” said Cheryl Whitchurch, one of the nominating teachers.
Here’s an article about Brian Heuring in Access Press, Minnesota’s disability community newspaper: http://www.accesspress.org/2010/08/litchfield-man-gives-back-to-his-community/
2. Discussion: Do You Know a Volunteer?
Talk together about doing volunteer work. Invite each person to tell about ways he or she is helping in the community. Find out who would like to be volunteering and talk about how they can. Could your self-advocacy group be doing some volunteer work as a group?
Send your thoughts to SARN, and we’ll post them. Let’s share ideas.
3. Get Self-Advocates in the Spotlight
It’s our job to make our own publicity. Think of a way to nominate a self-advocate volunteer for some local award. Find someone who can help you to write a short article on the volunteer work a self-advocate is doing.
4. Resource
Access Press – Minnesota’s disability community newspaper
This paper is a great place to find out what’s going on in the state. It’s also a great place to tell others what your organization is doing. (Do you have a local paper like this in your area? Let us know, and we’ll help spread the word.)
Today’s Trivia Question:
Match these US birds with the letter below.
- crow
- loon
- cowbird
- turkey vulture
- house sparrow
- parrot
- First came from South America as pets; now live wild in cities like San Francisco
- A group of these birds is called a “murder”
- Does not raise its own young; rather, it lays its eggs in the nests of other birds
- Has no feathers on its head or neck
- First came to North America in 1851 from England
- Can spend up to three minutes underwater before coming up
(The answer will be published in the next Memo.)
Answer to August 4th Trivia Question: Seesaw
Question was: What’s another common word for a teeter-totter?
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