Fall 2011 Issue - Community Resources for Independence

A Donation that Saves Lives
NONPROFIT
ORG
www.crinet.org
US POSTAGE PAID
ERIE PA
PERMIT NO. 352
3410 West 12th Street
Erie, Pennsylvania 16505
On Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 10:15 a.m., CRI
received a donation of four Resusci Anne CPR Training
Mannequins from the National Automotive Dealers
Charitable Foundation and Bianchi Honda at the dealership
in Erie.
National Automotive Dealers Charitable Foundation
donates CPR mannequins to organizations to help promote
safety training to the public as a way to give back to the
community. CRI would like to thank Denise Benim who
brought this opportunity to our agency as well as the
National Automotive Dealers Charitable Foundation to
allowing our employees to train on these mannequins.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR INDEPENDENCE
FA LL 2011
CONNECTION
VOLU ME 1 ISSU E 5
1st Annual Golf Outing
On September 23, 2011, the CRI Erie Office held their 1st Annual Golf
Outing. All proceeds from the outing were for the benefit of the CRI Hospice
Wraparound Program. The Hospice Wraparound Program at CRI provides end of
life care to those participants in need. The program gives participants the option
to stay in their home for the remainder of their lives, while receiving the care that
allows them to maintain independence and dignity. CRI coordinates with local
hospice agencies to make sure that all of the participants needs are met during
this difficult time in their lives. CRI has a hospice team of direct care workers
that are trained and have experience working with Hospice. CRI developed the
wraparound service to assure terminally ill consumers receive attendant care in
their homes along with end of life care without having to wait for the program
eligibility process to be complete.
Want to play?
Here we are again. It’s basketball season. Unlike some leagues,
the National Wheelchair Basketball Association is not having a
lockout. What does this mean? It means the CRI sponsored Bay
City Lightning are actively practicing with a purpose in mind
- going to Denver. Why Denver? Denver is host city of the
Division III National Wheelchair Basketball Association 201112 championships. Have I got your attention yet?
Established in 1975, the National Automobile Dealers
Charitable Foundation (NADCF) is a tax-exempt, nonprofit organization that raises funds from franchised
new-car and -truck dealers and friends, and donates
them to emergency medical and economic educational
organizations and private-sector colleges and universities.
For over 30 years, through the NADA Foundation, newcar and -truck dealers have contributed nearly $10 million
to communities throughout the nation in such ways as:
saving lives by donating CPR mannequins to train more
than 2 million people in lifesaving techniques; supporting
ethics programs at colleges and universities with the
distribution of grants; providing emergency relief to
dealership employees victimized by hurricanes, floods and
other natural disasters; promoting financial literacy with
grants to worthy organizations throughout the country;
helping alleviate students’ financial hardships by donating
to college emergency funds; ensuring personal mobility by
supporting organizations such as Canine Companions for
Independence and aiding 9/11 survivors with $1.7 million
in donations.
CRI’s 2011-2012 Bay City Thunder and Lightning
basketball team has a chance to be something special this season.
The players have been working hard since the summer and are
ready to see some big changes this season. They are now familiar
with the “system” their coach, Marc Keller, is running and the
teams commitment is at an all-time high.
With the compilation of Bay City’s returning players and
the new additions that were brought aboard in the off season; the
stage is set for Bay City to make a run at the NWBA Division
III National Title. Tim Finegan, Executive Director of CRI, has
been extremely supportive of the team and understands what it
takes to build a competitive program.
We are not building for just this year, but Bay City is
building a team that will be a powerhouse for years to come.
Marc Keller, Bay City’s Head Coach, has been presented with a
unique opportunity to bring his coaching experience to CRI and
is nothing but enthusiastic about what the future holds.
The expectations are clear and simple for this year, learn from
each practice, execute in each game, and watch the scoreboard
take care of itself. By the time nationals come, if Bay City can do
those things and play within themselves it will be interesting to
see what happens. No one nationally expects anything from CRI,
that’s the way Bay City likes it because then the players have to
live up to no one but their own internal expectations.
Community Resources for Independence, Inc. sponsors a
wheelchair basketball team and are always looking for new team
members. If you are interested in playing, please contact CRI’s
Erie Office at 814-838-7222 or visit us via the web at www.
crinet.org.
Pictured are: Matt Rhodes, Western Regional Manager PPA; Alice Benny,
Mentor and Hospice Wraparound Leader, CRI; Derek Lawrie, Attendant
Care Program Mgr., Erie Operations CRI; and Jason Porreco, General Sales
Manager, Bianchi Honda.
Community Resources for Independence, Inc. would like to thank all of our
sponsors for their generous contributions in making our 1st Annual Golf Outing
such a success.
Prime Sponsors
Crotty Insurance
Home Renewal by Dore’
Veterans Day: Remembering the Armistice
On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, was declared
between the Allied nations and Germany in the First World War, then known as “the Great War.” Commemorated as Armistice Day
beginning the following year, November 11th became a legal federal holiday in the United States in 1938. In the aftermath of World
War II and the Korean War, Armistice Day became Veterans Day, a holiday dedicated to American veterans of all wars.
Originally, the word veteran meant a person who had long experience or skill. Sometime after the American Revolution the word
veteran came with the association of an individual who was a former solider of a certain age of which had fought for independence
for our country. Today, the word veteran is used to describe any former member of the armed forces or a person who had served in
the military.
Veterans Day is still observed today on November 11th as a national holiday honoring all Veterans of the United States Armed
Forces. Throughout our great country, Americans participate in a variety of events such as ceremonies, parades, and observances in
order to pay their respects to our former servicemen and servicewomen.
“A hero is someone who
has given his or her life to
something bigger than oneself.”
-Joseph Campbell
Major Sponsors
Highmark
McCarty Printing
UPMC
Wedgewood
Major Donations
Citizens Bank
Gold Sponsors
Doug Yaple’s Vacuum Cleaner Center
Plyler Overhead Door Co.
Silver Sponsors
CRI - Good Neighbor Fund
Hower Smith Sales
Quinn Law Firm
TJ & S Insurance
“One of the most fascinating things
about golf is how it reflects the cycle
of life. No matter what you shoot the next day you have to go back to
the first tee and begin all over again
and make yourself into something.”
-Peter Jacobsen
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Hole Sponsors
American United Life
- a OneAmeria Partner
B&B Realty Co. - John Baglier
- Hermitage, PA
Blackburn’s
Creative Imprints
Emergycare
In Memory of Debbie Finegan
In Memory of Wellie Yaple II
Larese Floral Design
Mar-Mac Farms
MetLife
Michael Stewart Painting
Plyler Overhead Door Co.
Tee Sponsors
Elks Trivia Players
Gillette Family
McDowell Girls Basketball
Michael Grab Architect
Paragon
Parsons Copier Care
Russell Concrete
“CRI Hospice Wraparound Program is
a concept of care that provides comfort
and support to patients and their families
in facing life-threatening illnesses. CRI
Hospice Wraparound is also able to
provide the patients the one-on-one care
that is needed for the patients and their
families.”
-Alice Benny, Mentor and Hospice Wraparound Leader
MISSION STATEMENT
Community Resources for Independence, Inc. is
committed to preserving, enhancing, and enriching
the quality of life for all people with disabilities.
VISION STATEMENT
By embracing our mission, Community Resources
for Independence, Inc. will strive, in partnership
with others, to empower people with disabilities to
become fully integrated into society.
Donations
Campbells Pottery
Doug Yaple’s Vacuum Cleaner Center
Riverside Golf Club
Utz Chips
CORE VALUES
Consumer Control
Consumer Education
Consumer Empowerment Independence
Equal and Full Access
Individual and Systems Advocacy
In the News
Aseracare Hospice presented a $1,000 check to Warren/Forest Eldercare Council
on Sept. 7 to support the Honor Bus Tour. Local Vietnam veterans traveled to
Washington, D.C., Sept. 13-15 to visit national monuments, including Arlington
Cemetery. The donation was made through the Golden Living Community Support
Initiative Grant Program, in which charitable contributions are given in support
of worthy non-profit community or regional organizations. Since its inception in
2005, more than 1,570 grants totaling almost $1.5 million have been given to local
communities in which Aseracare serves. Pictured from left, are Lisa Winger, Provider
Relations Manager; Jeff Berdine, Co-chairman of the Eldercare Council; Pennie
Potter, Aseracare Executive Director; Dr. Ronald Simonsen, Aseracare Medical
Director for Warren and Venango counties; and James Witherington, Spiritual
Care. Aseracare Hospice provides hospice, end-of-life care in four regional counties
including Warren.
In the News
Gannon University and Community Resources for Independence (CRI) have announced
a scholarship honoring the memory of Ted Koenig, a long-time Board Member with CRI.
Koenig was a founding Board Member of Erie Independence House in 1975 and was one of
Board Changes
Please see the following
list of newly elected
Board Members for
Community Resources
for Independence:
Gerald J. Kimmel,
President
Gregory M. Fisher,
Vice President
Timothy Doyle,
Treasurer
Nancy Makay,
Secretary
Cynthia Carter
Richard Fickes
Renee Filson
Andrew Glass
Kevin Kapsar
Kenneth Kessler
David Renner
David Rhodes
Daniel Shuffstall
~ CRI’s Board of
Directors is composed
of 51% of individuals
whom have a severe
disability ~
the first resident board members until 1989, when he was designated board member emeritus.
Medal of Honor in War on Terror
by Matt Griffith
On July 12th 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed
a bill passed by congress authorizing the nation’s highest
Military Honor for Valor, The Medal of Honor. Since then it
has been bestowed upon a select group of individuals who
have distinguished themselves by gallantry in battle. Since the
beginning of WWII until today, 860 Service members have been
awarded the medal, with just 330 being alive to receive the award
from the President of the United States. Almost a hundred and
fifty years since President Lincoln signed the bill establishing the
award, the rich and colorful history of our military willing to
go above and beyond the call of duty continues today. On July
12th 2011, SFC Leroy Petry stood in front of President Barrack
Obama and became the 3,457 recipient of the Medal of Honor
and the first living recipient in the War on Terror.
SFC Petry received the award for actions in Afghanistan on May 26th, 2009 in Paktya Province,
Afghanistan. The Official Citation is as follows:
Last year, CRI recognized Koenig for more than 20 years of service to our organization, which
provides services to individuals with disabilities in order to maximize their independence and the
accessibility of communities in which they live. Timothy Finegan, Executive Director of CRI,
Inc., recently presented a $25,000 check to Keith Taylor, Ph.D., President of Gannon University.
Being a
Good Neighbor!
CRI and the Good Neighbor
Fund donated a total of $1000 to
the Multicultural Community
Resources Center of Erie for the
purchase of a new wheelchair lift
platform.
Join the CRI Family!
Become a Direct Care Worker! (PCA)
Open Interviews: Tuesdays 9 AM - 12 PM and Thursdays 1 PM - 4 PM
Visit www.crinet.org for more information!
CRI is accredited by the Community Health Accreditation
Program (CHAP), an independent, non-profit accrediting body for
community-based health care organizations in the United States.
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As a Weapons Squad Leader with D Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Staff Sergeant Petry
moved to clear the courtyard of a house that potentially contained high-value combatants. While crossing the
courtyard, Staff Sergeant Petry and another Ranger were engaged and wounded by automatic weapons fire from
enemy fighters. Still under enemy fire, and wounded in both legs, Staff Sergeant Petry led the other Ranger to cover.
He then reported the situation and engaged the enemy with a hand grenade, providing suppression as another
Ranger moved to his position. The enemy quickly responded by maneuvering closer and throwing grenades.
The first grenade explosion knocked his two fellow Rangers to the ground and wounded both with shrapnel. A
second grenade then landed only a few feet away from them. Instantly realizing the danger, Staff Sergeant Petry,
unhesitatingly and with complete disregard for his safety, deliberately and selflessly moved forward, picked up
the grenade, and in an effort to clear the immediate threat, threw the grenade away from his fellow Rangers.
As he was releasing the grenade it detonated, amputating his right hand at the wrist and further injuring him
with multiple shrapnel wounds. Although picking up and throwing the live grenade grievously wounded Staff
Sergeant Petry, his gallant act undeniably saved his fellow Rangers from being severely wounded or killed. Despite
the severity of his wounds, Staff Sergeant Petry continued to maintain the presence of mind to place a tourniquet
on his right wrist before communicating the situation by radio in order to coordinate support for himself and his
fellow wounded Rangers. Staff Sergeant Petry’s extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with
the highest traditions of military service, and reflect great credit upon himself, 75th Ranger Regiment, and the
United States Army.
After hearing such accounts of heroism and sacrifice, many may ask themselves what kind of person can
disregard his own injuries and safety to save the lives of his soldiers. They may ask what kind of man is
SFC Petry? Fortunately, I can say from first-hand experience that he is a great man who carried the ideals of
putting his men before himself long before he performed the acts which awarded him the Medal of Honor.
I know this because I had the opportunity to work with him when we deployed together to Iraq in 2007
when he was weapons squad leader in 2nd Platoon Alpha company 2nd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger
Regiment. I feel fortunate to have had the honor to serve with SFC Petry and so many others who have
served their country with a willingness to do whatever it takes to save others and defend this Nation. It is
with a humble sense that I look back on time served.
In honor of Veterans Day, SFC Petry and all of the men and women who are serving or have served, I
would like to extend my utmost gratitude for your service. For those men and women who have given
their lives for the preservation of freedom, I pray that you and your sacrifice will never be forgotten.
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I walked among giants,
Creatures of renown,
Great ones they were.
These men of might,
Walked the earth,
Communed with us.
They were brave when bravery
Had to make a difference.
Daily, they die.
They fade away by the thousands.
Soon, they will be extinct.
They left their mark, though,
For all time.
During the great world disruption,
They performed gargantuan feats.
These titans saved the planet,
Preserved a way of existence.
Daily, they die.
Some served behind the lines.
Some were killed in the fight,
Others captured, tortured.
The remains of some were
never found.
Some were maimed in body,
others in brain.
Most lived to see a new day,
a new world.
Now, these colossal ones
Serve as pallbearers for their own.
They can barely carry the load.
Some hobble with canes.
Some are bent over with years.
Some can only watch
With dim eyes from wheelchairs.
Their eyes see three colors blur
And slowly descend into the dirt,
Dust to dust.
Daily, they die.
They are almost a lost breed.
Some are written about,
Most are not.
Some, were my uncles Others, my countrymen.
One was my father.
I can tell my children
And my children’s children:
That for a time on earth
I was privileged,
To walk among giants.
Paul Chrisstarlon Wesselhöft
CRI is committed to helping our communties’ Veterans through unfamiliar
processes and supporting any endeavors they wish to take on with resources
referrals. The Veterans Outreach Program is designed to assist all Veterans,
young and old, with disabilities and without, from all eras and branches of the
US military. The Veterans Outreach Program gives Veterans options within their
communities as well as provides them guidance through the different obstacles
that they may face as a result of their call to duty.
Tragedy to Serve Purpose:
Disabled Easy Victims
The recent discovery of four adults with intellectual disabilities chained
and starving in a Philadelphia basement sparked national headlines. This
tragedy highlighting the potential for the abuse of people with disabilities
is prompting a perplexing question. Now that Pennsylvania has an
Adult Protective Services Law, what more has to be done to get a system
operationalized that will help stop this sort of horrifying abuse and suffering?
Unfortunately, Pennsylvania has dropped the ball on this issue. Until the
General Assembly acted last October, Pennsylvania was one of only five states
without an adult protective services law. While the Commonwealth is moving
in the right direction, advocates across the state are demanding that efforts to
implement the law be accelerated sooner than later.
The Disability Rights Network examined the fact that it took seven years
to finally get an adult protective services bill signed into law in October 2010.
However, shockingly there has been absolutely no funding designated to fund
a protective services system which would include a hotline to report abuse
and workers trained to investigate reports of abuse and get people to safety.”
Numerous cases of abuse and neglect take place every year in
Pennsylvania, resulting in the suffering and sometimes death of people with
disabilities, yet there is currently no system in place to report and stop the
abuse. In recent years, there have been many shocking cases of abuse in the
Commonwealth, including a young woman with intellectual disabilities
who was found starving and locked in a basement with her deceased sister.
Another woman with multiple sclerosis was being raped by her husband
and his friends; two brothers with disabilities were routinely beaten into
submission by their emotionally disturbed and abusive mother - and no one
knew what to do or where to call.
The horrific events recently revealed in Philadelphia have focused
attention on Pennsylvania’s failure to protect vulnerable adults between the
ages of 18 and 59. One way we can all honor the victims in this case, and
all the others who have lacked protection, is to urge the Governor to include
startup funding for APS in his 2012-13 budget. Together we can channel our
outrage and disgust into something constructive and create a change. We
urge you to please write to the Governor and ask him to begin funding APS.
Other formats of the Connection are available upon request.
Please contact CRI at 814-838-7222.
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