Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living

Girl Talk Returns for Spring!

Anna Dusbiber-Gossage — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:12:36 +0000

Girl Talk returns in spring! Girl talk is a social support group for young women with disabilities ages 14 – 26. Come and join us every Tuesday for six weeks starting April 17 until May 22 and join in on the fun with the girls! Share what’s on your mind and make friends at the same time. Contact Anna with any questions at anna@aacil.org or (734)971-0277 Ex 17.

Topics include:
Journalism
Being Proactive
Healthy Living
Cooking Lesson
Working Together/Diversity

Girl Talk Publication Spring 2012

The first ‘Better Together’ garden planning meeting of 2012

ahaberko — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:07:21 +0000

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

- Les Brown

To garden is to cultivate relationships. Through the gardening process, one becomes more familiar with the earth; with oneself; and with being part of a community. For example, through growing food, one can have a more intimate relationship with what they eat; through planting seeds one can grow plants that will benefit a wide variety of people for many years. Thus, it is around the theme of relationship building, that we are organizing our community garden this year.

In 2011, much of the gardening season was focused on the expansion of our gardening space. Therefore, it is only fitting, that our vision now becomes more clearly focused on how this space can best serve you. We would like to invite all interested community members to participate in a conversation about the development of our community garden and the subsequent programming for the 2012 season.

The garden planning meeting will be on March 5, 2012 from 1 – 2:30 pm at the Ann Arbor CIL in conference room A. Discussion topics include:

1) An introduction to the Ann Arbor CIL gardening program.

2) Creating a shared vision for the upcoming season. Here, we will be discussing questions like how can the ‘Better Together’ garden best serve you? What classes would you like to see offered? How would you like to contribute to the ‘Better Together’ garden?

3) Gardening logistics. Here, points of discussion will include questions like, what types of plants do we want in the garden? Do we want to buy our plant transplants or do we want to start them from seeds? Will our plots be for community use or personal use?

4) The 2011 gardening season. Discuss your experiences and what you think needs to be improved for the 2012 season.

Please come and be a part of the conversation. One does not have to have any previous gardening experience to have a voice in the planning process.

For more information and/or to RSVP for the meeting contact Ava HaberkornHalm (Sports and Recreation Coordinator) at 734-971-0277 x-55, or at ava@aacil.org

An Awesome Day to be a Superstar

Anna Dusbiber-Gossage — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 14:20:02 +0000

Our wonderful volunteers from the University of Michigan, Motley Crew Student Organization, had a an afternoon full of star-studded fun with Ann Arbor CIL Youth! Youth had the opportunity to strut their stuff on the red carpet in costume. There were so many games to choose from, including: “Guess Who You Are”, a character guessing game, which turned the gathering place into a rowdy place; decorating cookies; art projects and board games. Thanks again to Motley Crew for making this fun afternoon possible!

If you missed out on the fun, mark your calendars for March 17 and 31st, when Motley Crew will be back to entertain you. Contact Anna at anna@aacil.org or (734) 971-0277 x 17 for more information.

State Representatives Visit CIL

Carolyn Grawi — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:30:28 +0000

On Friday February 3rd the CIL was host to a visit by three distinguished

Representatives mingling with CIL Participants

members of the Michigan legislature. Representative Rick Olsen of District 55, Representative David Rutledge of District 54, Representative Jeff Irwin of District 53 came to the CIL for meet with the department of advocacy and education to discuss upcoming legislation regarding employment and people with disabilities. They started off their visit, meeting with constituents that were participating in a weekly clay workshop. The workshop they were visiting is a partnership between the University of Michigan’s School of Art and Design and the CIL. This partnership pairs up University of Michigan students with CIL participants, with the participant being able to learn about art, while the student is able to learn about people with disabilities.

After observing the participants ceramic work, and having a pretty lively chit-chat, the representatives continued their visit with a tour of our facility. We educated on them on the programs and services offered at the CIL such as Nursing Home Transition, Career Services, Youth Programming, and Michigan Gifts. The legislators were impressed to find out about many services we provide that they had not previously known existed! The tour led to a very engaging conversation with the representatives asking many questions and coming away from the tour very informed about what we do at the CIL.

Lastly, we had a short meeting with the representatives where we shared our concerns with them regarding current and upcoming issues in the Michigan Legislature. We had a good dialog with them regarding Freedom to Work legislation, and other matters regarding employment and funding. We asked them to support amendments to the Freedom to Work legislation and to work to prevent Michigan from becoming an order of selection state. If you are interested in taking a tour of the CIL like the one the representatives took, feel free to contact us. 734-971-0277

Representatives with CIL staff and interns

Accessible Garden Grant Award from NGP

Stephanie Stiles — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:39:38 +0000

A special thanks to a local group of engaged community members interested in supporting non-profits called “Next Generation Philanthropists – NGP, a giving circle at the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation” for awarding the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living a grant for $3,000 in the fall to create an accessible garden. The garden is now complete and will last for many years and create a whole new series of fully accessible learning and social opportunities for children, youth, adults, and seniors with disabilities.

Thanks to the grant awarded, the Center was able to construct an accessible shed, automatic sprinkler system, retractable awning and seeds for vegetables and flowers. The accessible garden provides vegetables for various courses at the Center including: cooking, strategic gardening, and canning. Our Career Services recipients and entrepreneurs can facilitate a booth at a local farmers market to learn how to generate revenue from planning a garden. Many program areas and staff will be able to utilize the garden to help feed the community and for other educational purposes.

Power of a Positive Attitude

Stephanie Stiles — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 15:25:18 +0000

Nick Suino of SEO Ann Arbor presented on the “Power of a Positive Attitude” on Tuesday, February 7th at the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living. Through his personal journey, Nick reached the crowd by providing specific key examples on how to take action to be happy. The most important thing that an individual can do, Nick declares, “is to take action. Action is the key to happiness.” You have to set yourself on fire and get moving.

The workshop left guests inspired to take action and make a positive difference in their own lives.

Guests learned how to:

Decide to be happy
Decide to overwhelm negative thoughts
Decide to practice
Decide to get help
Decide to replace your friends
Decide to dwell on your success
Decide to enjoy the feeling of success

State Senator & State Representatives to Host “Spring Gathering”

Stephanie Stiles — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 03:18:53 +0000

Last year, over 300 guests including: lead co-chairs Dick and Norma Sarns, 30 table hosts, community leaders, dignitaries, sponsors, program recipients, board members staff, and new faces to the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living gathered at Kensington Court for a breakfast event last May to learn about the ways that the organization defined moments for thousands of people with disabilities at home, at work, at school and in the community.

We are honored to officially announce that Senator Rebekah Warren and four local State Representatives: Mark Ouimet, David Rutledge, Rick Olson, and Jeff Irwin will be speaking on behalf of the Ann Arbor CIL and serve as lead chairpersons for the event. The representatives have been involved in a variety of crucial programs at the Center from youth advocacy education to teaching interns about policy changes in Lansing.

SAVE THE DATE for 2012!

Spring Gathering – Defining Moments
Friday, May 18th
7:30 – 9:00 am.
Kensington Court
610 Hilton Boulevard
Ann Arbor, MI 48108

CLICK HERE to RSVP!

For more information, please visit www.annarborcil.org/spring-gathering.

* There is no cost to attend. At the end of the event, there will be an opportunity to make a charitable donation.

To Volunteer:

Contact Stephanie at Stephanie@aacil.org or (734) 971-0277 x 21

For Information on Sponsorship Opportunities:

Contact Tom at Tom@aacil.org or (734) 971-0277 x 18

Card Class Canceled

msartori — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:10:43 +0000

Unfortunately, the card class scheduled for February 9th had to be canceled. It will be rescheduled. Please check http://www.annarborcil.org/offices/recreation/ for the latest information as it becomes available.

Weekly Career Services Update

Stephanie Stiles — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Dear Job-Seekers,

The Power of a Positive Attitude
Coming up next Tuesday, February 7th is “The Power of a Positive Attitude” from 10 -11 am. Nick Suino of SEO will be leading the session and teaching the 7 things that you can start doing today to transform your attitude and your life! E-mail Michelle@aacil.org to RSVP.
Tell Us When You Land a Job!
We like share your success stories with our team! Let us know when you land a job and share your testimony with staff! E-mail Stephanie@aacil.org to share your personal story whether it be part-time, temporary, or full-time employment.
Upcoming CIL Program Tour
Wednesday, February 1st from 5:30 – 6:30 pm. Learn about other programs that you can benefit from at the Ann Arbor CIL! RSVPs are not required.

* Coming up on February 28th will be a session on LinkedIn and Social Networking for your job search from 4 – 6 pm!

We look forward to seeing you soon! See our online calendar for the full schedule.

Best regards,

Stephanie

Career Services Coordinator

Additional Programming:

Power of a Positive Attitude
Facilitated by Nick Suino

Tuesday, February 7th

10:00 am – 11:00 am

How to RSVP:
E-mail Stephanie at Stephanie@aacil.org

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LinkedIn & Social Media
Facilitated by Shannon Beeman

Tuesday, February 28th

4:00 pm – 6:00 pm

How to RSVP:
E-mail Stephanie at Stephanie@aacil.org

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Employer Connect
Facilitated by Edward Wollmann

Join us for weekly focused activities designed to get you in front of employers in the shortest time possible so that you can tell your story to those who have the power to HIRE!

Every Wednesday

2 pm – 4 pm

How to RSVP:
E-mail Michelle at Michelle@aacil.org

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Toastmasters

Toastmasters is HERE at the Ann Arbor CIL! Join us to improve your speaking skills to land a job.

Toastmasters International (TI) is a nonprofit educational organization that operates clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their communication, public speaking and leadership skills.

Thursday, January 5th

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

How to RSVP:
E-mail Stephanie@aacil.org

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Ticket To Work
If you have a Ticket to Work, you can MAKE MORE MONEY to supplement your income!
The Ann Arbor CIL is a registered Employment Network and can now offer supplemental
income when you land a job! If you already have a job and have not assigned your
ticket, e-mail TTW@aacil.org to receive extra follow-along support and extra income
earnings.

How to Sign-Up
E-mail TTW@aacil.org to set-up an appointment!
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Computer Tutors
We have tutors that can assist you with LinkedIn, your resume, navigate the Ann Arbor CIL resources and other career related items. RSVPs are not required.
*If you would like to volunteer, please contact Michelle@aacil.org!

Tuesdays from 10 am – 12 pm
Thursdays from 12 pm – 2 pm
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Sandler Training Presents on Communication Skills

Stephanie Stiles — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:10:30 +0000

Last week, Rich Austin of Sandler Training Ann Arbor taught attendees at the Ann Arbor Center for Independent Living how to improve their communication with others. Participants learned how to identify four different styles of behavior, also called DISC:

Dominant
Interpersonal
Steady
Conscientious

By understanding how other people think and behave, we can adapt how we communicate to better suit their style. Rich gave famous examples of people who fall into each category, and shared what things might motivate or worry people like them.

Participants also took a survey to see which of the DISC personality styles best describe them. They then discussed with other people what their motto, voicemail message and favorite car would be, based on their personality style.

Rich concluded the session with a give away, a copy of the book, The Sandler Rules, to one lucky winner of the business card drawing!