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SPECIAL
POINTS OF
INTEREST:

Know your
rights

Houghton
College Trip

SANYS
Recap #4 and
#5.

June Chicken
BBQ

Upcoming
Events
VOICE is
currently
seeking new
members.
Please email
or call
(585) 593-5700
ext. 550 for
more
information.
Sneaker Drive
VOICE NEWS
VOLUME 2, ISSUE5
MAY 2015
Know your rights.
As citizens of the United
States, we all have certain
inherent rights. Persons
living under the support of
Allegany Arc maintain all of
those same rights.
Knowing your basic
Human Rights, standing up
for your rights, taking
responsibility for your life,
and ask i ng for help
because you want it or need
it.
Know your rights.
Individual Rights # 9
I have the right to own
personal property and to
receive assistance in the use
of money.
To receive information about
how much money I have and
how it is spent.
My Responsibility is:
To respect my property and that
of others. To spend my money
wisely and to help develop a
budget for myself.
purchase. “
-Ed Sweet
“I have the right to
my own money.”
-Judy Alger
(From Individual Right Book)
“I have the right to spend my
money in my account.”
-Randy Tyler
“It is my responsibility to
know where my money is
being spent.”
-Brian Daley
“I have the right to spend my
money after my bills are
paid.”
-Holly Harrington
“I have the right to receive
my own money. If I want
something I let staff know
and they help me with my
To download Human Rights
booklet, please go to:
http://alleganyarc.org/wpcontent/uploads/human-rightsbooklet.pdf
If you would like a paper copy of
this booklet please contact
Brain Daley or Penny Chudy.
Houghton College Presentation
By Shawn Ordiway
Donation
Tracker:
48 pairs
On April 7th the VOICE
group went to Houghton College to
educate the students who are
studying to become future teachers
on how school was for a person with
a disability.
We had questions printed
for the students to ask us. We picked
volunteers and asked that each
student come in front of the class to
interview a member of VOICE.
They also asked us if we
ever had any struggles with anyone
that picked on us during school. I
told them “No”. Other members of
the group did experience being
picked on and were able to share
their stories with the students.
A new member joined us
for the presentation this year, Foch
Russell. Foch was a great addition
to the trip. He had a lot of good
information to share with the
students.
We also shared a video
that was created for the Arts
Experience. The video highlighted
s e v e r al a r e as o f e v e r y d ay
life.
Volunteering, Healthcare,
Recreation and Work. The students
really enjoyed seeing everyone in
motion.
At the end of the
presentation we got to mingle with
the class and got to know each other
and talk about hobbies and interests.
The students and VOICE members pose for a quick picture
after the presentation.
PAGE
2
SANYS U #4 and #5 Update
By Shawn Ordiway, VOICE President
Sophia Roberts,
Supervising Coordinator of the Self
Advocacy Association of New York
State, continues to instruct VOICE
Members on the SANYS U course.
This month we worked
on Chapter 4 and 5.
In Chapter 4 we learned
tips for being strong self advocates.
We need to be able to speak up for
ourselves and to voice our opinions.
We also learned tips for having a
strong self advocacy group.
We
learned it is important to have a
regular meeting place and time. Let
everyone know by advertising, and
help people to get there. The officers
should have an officers’ meeting
before the actual meeting. Plan what
things will be talked about and find a
way to get everyone involved. We
were told about the 3 R’s. Remind,
Restate, and Repeat. This makes sure
everyone
understands what has
been talked about. Groups do better in
bigger numbers, and networking is a
good way for people to work together.
In Chapter 5 we learned
about what it means to be a leader. We
learned to be a leader, we need to be a
teacher, communicator, problem
solver, listener, coach, facilitator, and
a cheerleader. To be a teacher we need
to teach everyone in a way
each me mber understands. A
Communicator understands when
people talk or use sign language, and
is able to use good eye contact and
good posture. To be a good listener
we need to be able to read body
language and what each person is
saying. I think the most important part
is being a problem solver. This means
we need to make sure everyone wins
and we are able to find common
ground. To be a coach we need to
encourage and take care of each other.
Being a cheerleader means to
encourage everyone and celebrate
good things. The last thing we learned
in this chapter is to lead by example.
Chicken BBQ
By: Randy Tyler, Fundraising Chairperson
VOICE will be
hosting a Chicken BBQ on
Thursday June 18th from
11am to 1pm. Deliveries are
also available on orders of six
or more dinners. Pick up will
be in the Shine parking lot.
The Dinner will include
1/2 Chicken
Baked Beans
Salt Potatoes
Dinner Roll
Dessert
The suggested
donation for each meal is $8.
The suggested
donation for chicken only is
$5.
You can purchase
tickets from any VOICE
member or by calling
Lifeskills.
Proceeds from this
sale will go towards the
Witkowski Development
project.
Questions? Contact
Carina Miles or Randy Tyler
at x 525.
Trivia Question of the Month
By: Holly Harrington, Vice–President
Last
month’s
question was: Name 2 political
parties that you could be a part of
if you exercise your right to vote?
The most common answer was
Democratic and Republican.
The winner of the drawing is
Belinda’s Wed. PM Mens group.
Congratulations!!
This month’s trivia question is:
True or False: It is my right to
know how much money I have. It
is my responsibility to create a
budget to spend it wisely.
VOICE encourages everyone to
participate, the winner will be
chosen from our peers who give
the correct answer.
Please send your answers to
VOICE at Shine Down or email to
[email protected].
Correct answers will be put in for
a drawing for a free Lifeskills Café
lunch or pack of gum.
VOLUME 2, ISSUE5
PAGE
May 2015
Volunteering
Chairperson:
Shawn Ordiway
Support Staff:
Courtney Cole
3
Advocating for
Rights
Chairperson:
Brian Daley
Support Staff:
Penny Chudy
Monthly Focus:
-Schedule
volunteers for the
Chicken BBQ
Monthly Focus:
-SANYS U
-Individual Rights
sent to all programs
-Schedule
volunteers for
planting Arc Acres.
- Transformation
Agenda
-Monitor Seeds in
Greenhouse
-Albany Trip
Fundraising
Chairperson:
Community
Marketing/
Recruitment
Chairperson:
Randy Tyler
Support Staff:
Carina Miles
Jennifer Calabrese
Support Staff:
Shirley Wigent
Monthly Focus:
-Lifeskills Café
Monthly Focus:
- Passing out cards
with Skype
information listed.
-June Chicken BBQ
All proceeds will go
towards the Arc
Acres garden
project.
A New Way to Stay Connected
VOICE is starting a new project, as a way for all self advocates to stay connected. Every Tuesday from
1:30-2pm starting May 5th Brian Daley, Chairperson for the Advocacy Committee will be live on Skype. The
agenda is open during this time. Self–advocates are encouraged to join the conversation, and help answer questions
others may have. If a topic comes up that Brian is not able to answer at the time, he will make a note and contact
the person back.
Skype can be downloaded on a smart phone or computer and is free to use. VOICE will provide an
overview training of Skype and how to use this service. Please contact the group to schedule a training. If you
already have Skype and would like to become a contact, please search the information below.
We look forward to getting to know more self advocates and working together.
Account Name: voicegroup1
Profile Picture:
Contributing Members:
Shawn Ordiway ~ President/Chairperson
Holly Harrington ~ Vice-President
Ed Sweet ~ Secretary
Ryan Shoff ~ Computer Secretary
Judy Alger ~ Sergeant in Arms
Randy Tyler ~ Treasurer/Chairperson
Brian Daley ~ Chairperson
Jennifer Calabreese ~ Chairperson
Maureen Driscoll ~ Committee Member
Jason Kneeppel ~ Committee Member
Thomas Romesburg ~ Committee Member
Marlena Bialy ~ Committee Member
Sue Lanager ~ Committee Member
April Kozlowski ~ Community Committee Member
Rec Club Participants
For more information on VOICE, please contact
Kim Clark (585) 593-5700 Ext. 550 or email [email protected].
Upcoming Events/
Meetings
Friday, May 1st
SANYS U Training # 6
David A Howe Library
(Wellsville) 10-11am
Friday, May 8th
Representative from group
Albany Trip
Tuesday, May 12th
Lifeskills Café
See menu below
Friday, May 15th
SANYS U Training #7
David A Howe Library
(Wellsville) 10-11am
Wednesday May 20th
Self Advocacy Collaborative
of the Finger Lakes Monthly
Planning Meeting
Leaving Shine at 11 am and
returning 4:30 pm. Please RSVP
by 5/14 if you would like to attend
with the representatives.
Wednesday, May 20th
Allegany Arc
Annual Meeting
Can you use a hand?
President of VOICE to give a short
speech. Group attending as guests.
Please join us for the next
Community Meeting.
Friday, May 22nd
David A Howe Library
(Wellsville) 10-11am
Presentation on Internet
Safety from 10-10:30 am.
Thursday, May 28th
All Day Trip
DD Day Buffalo
Please RSVP by 5/21 if you would like
to attend with the group.
Are you a non-profit
in need of some
volunteer assistance?
We can help!
Contact us and learn
about the many ways we
can assist you with your
volunteer needs.
Contact a VOICE
member or email
[email protected]
for more information!
Lifeskills Café will be serving Mexican Lasagna, with a side of black bean salad and corn chips and Sweet
Mexican Cheesecake for dessert on Tuesday, May 12th, 2015. Suggested donation for each meal is $4.50.
Please RSVP to Lifeskills by calling (585) 593-5700 Ext. 525. Deliveries are available.
VOICE
Mission:
Helping the
community to
create change.