News
Rosewood AKTION Club Members ‘Dream Big’ at State Conference
Eight members of Rosewood Services’ AKTION Club, along with two sponsors, participated in the Self Advocate Coalition of Kansas (SACK) Conference in late June in Topeka. This year’s theme for the annual conference was “Dream Big.”
Attending the conference for Kansans with Disabilities were Rosewood Miracle Worker members Dustin Alkire, Karla Franklin, Cheryl Mendenhall, Kandis Miskell, Rhonda Ravenstein, Kim Reynolds, Peggy Scott, and Josh Trimmer. Sponsors of Rosewood Miracle Workers who attended the conference were Regina Millenheft and Jennifer Stoddard.
The SACK Conference, held June 27-29 at the Ramada Inn, was an opportunity for people with developmental disabilities to meet, share and learn from each other and from experts in the field. Participants of this year’s annual conference had opportunity to choose from 15 workshops during five breakout sessions, held June 28. Miracle Worker members were awarded grants from Rosewood’s Roots & Wings Foundation, which partially paid for their SACK conference expenses.
“The SACK Conference provides an opportunity for folks to better understand issues that directly affect their lives,” explained Jennifer Stoddard, assistant director of services for Rosewood. “It also helps them put their own accomplishments into perspective and appreciate the opportunities they have. Each year the conference provides an awesome experience and we are all grateful to be able to attend.”
At the start of the conference, participants heard from keynote speaker Mike Oxford, leader and advocate the past 30 years for disability rights. He currently serves as a member of the Kansas Governor’s sub-cabinet for disability. Oxford led two sessions during the conference titled “Grassroots Advocacy,” which covered ways and strategies people can undertake to become effective agents of change within their communities.
Among the other workshops offered, Rosewood attendees took part in a session to learn more about effectively communicating with political leaders and candidates. In another interesting session, they learned about “Ms. Wheelchair Kansas: A Different Approach to Advocacy,” where they heard from the current title holder “Ms. Wheelchair Kansas” about the program that advocates for people with disabilities.
-------------------------------
For more information, contact Jennifer Stoddard, assistant director of services, JenniferS@rosewoodservices.com, 620-793-5888.
July 11, 2014
Story by: Michael Dawes, Marketing Director, Rosewood Services, 620-603-6502, MichaelD@rosewoodservices.com
