Prairie Independent Living Resource Center, Inc.
The Voice of PILR
December 2015
Volume 14, Issue 4
Chris Owens, Editor
Jessica Hutchison, Design Layout
*Picture of a little girl elf wearing a Santa hat and dragging a bag full of presents
2016 is just around the corner. On January 15, 2016 PILR will celebrate 19 years of serving
Kansans with disabilities. Back then we provided the five core Independent Living Services in
three counties. Today the center serves over 50 counties and has a variety of programs and
services designed to assist and empower people to live full inclusive lives. We have a dedicated
Board and staff, the majority of which are people with significant disabilities. It is our wish that
2016 brings each of you the desire to set new goals; the drive to achieve those goals and make
2016 your most successful year ever. If we at PILR can be of assistance, please contact us. We
will be there to provide as much or as little help as you request. On behalf of the Board of
Directors and the Staff at Prairie Independent Living Resource Center, Inc., have a blessed
holiday season!
*Picture of a banner that says Happy New Year
New and Improved!
PILR’s website has a new look. Thanks to a Recognition Grant from the Kansas Health Foundation,
pilr.org has been redesigned and is now quite easy to navigate using your smart phone, tablet or personal
computer. Our new site has a blog; check it out frequently to see what’s being posted. We’ll try to make
it interesting, informative, and fun; and knowing the PILR staff, there will be some humor too. Let us
know what you think.
Thank you from the FMS Department
We would like to thank all of our consumers who chose us as their Financial Management
provider over the years and we hope that we have served you well. We have appreciated your
support, cooperation and patience throughout all the many changes over the years with the
HCBS waiver programs. We hope that your transition went well and if we can serve you in the
future, please do not hesitate to contact us here at Prairie Independent Living Resource Center as
we will continue to work with people with disabilities.
You will be missed and we wish you the best with your new provider.
Happy Holidays!!
Jessica, Tyler, Madison, Tammie, and Andy
*Picture of Several blue snowflakes in various sizes
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
December 2015
8th Peer Support Group, 2:00PM-4:00PM, 400 S Main, Pratt, KS
9th Low Vision Support Group, 1:30PM-3:00PM, 101 W. 1st, Hutchinson, KS
22nd Peer Support Group, 2:00PM-4:00PM, 400 S Main, Pratt, KS
24th Christmas Eve, All PILR locations closed
25th Christmas Day, All PILR locations closed
January 2016
1st New Year’s Day, All PILR locations closed
5th PILR Board Meeting, 3:00PM-5:00PM, 17 S. Main St., Hutchinson, KS
12th Peer Support Group, 2:00PM-4:00PM, 400 S Main, Pratt, KS
13th Low Vision Support Group, 1:30PM-3:00PM, 101 W 1stAve, Hutchinson, KS
18th Martin Luther King Jr. Day, All PILR locations closed
26th Peer Support Group, 2:00PM-4:00PM, 400 S Main, Pratt, KS
February 2016
9th Peer Support Group, 2:00PM-4:00PM, 400 S Main, Pratt, KS
10th Low Vision Support Group, 1:30PM-3:00PM, 101 W 1stAve, Hutchinson, KS
23rd Peer support Group, 2:00PM-4:00PM, 400 S Main, Pratt, KS
Loan Closet
Are you in need of a walker, rollator, shower chair or other piece of durable medical equipment?
If so, give PILR a call as we might be able to meet that need. PILR has durable medical
equipment available to loan to people. Some available equipment may include Toilet Seat Risers,
Walkers, Wheelchairs, Commodes, Shower Chairs, Cain’s, video magnifiers, etc. We also take
donations of gently used equipment. The equipment is loaned to individuals free of charge and is
available as long as there is a need. All equipment is not available at all times; please contact our
offices for equipment availability. PILR also has limited personal hygiene items available in the
Hutchinson Office.
K-LOAN
PILR offers an Alternative Finance Program through K-LOAN…formally known as KATCO to
our Consumers. Heather Jones has completed her training as the South Central Regional Loan
Representative and is located in the Hutchinson Office. The program offers low interest Loans
on a variety of Assistive Technology devices and equipment as well as recreational, sports, and
much more! Contact Heather at extension 240 for more information.
DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT
Do you have health equipment you no longer need that could be useful to someone else? If so,
consider donating it to PILR. Our consumers need wheelchairs, walkers, rollators, shower seats,
CCTVs, video magnifiers, and canes. If you have any of those items you’d like to donate, please
call 620-663-3989 or you may drop items off at 17 S Main, Hutchinson. Your donation will be
greatly appreciated!
WE WOULD APPRECIATE A HELPING HAND!
As a non-profit 501(c) 3 organization, PILR relies on generous donations in order to provide
services for our consumers. Donations made to PILR go towards providing services, youth
projects, and assistance with purchasing equipment for people with disabilities including
wheelchairs, ramps, home modifications, and other assistive devices to name a few. As PILR
looks to the future, we could use your help to help others. Making your tax deductible donation
is easy! You can do one of the following:
Visit our website at www.pilr.org and make a donation through PayPal
Mail your donation
Bring it into the Hutchinson office
Name:
Address:
Telephone:
Please make your tax-deductible donation payable to Prairie Independent Living Resource
Center, Inc. and send to:
Development Office
PILR
17 S. Main
Hutchinson, KS 67501
Support PILR through:
PayPal at www.pilr.org
Register with Good Search, Good Shop, or Good Dining
Register your amazon account with us on Amazon Smile!
Register in our Dillons Community Rewards
Thank you!!!
A Trip worth Taking Part IV
By Roger Frischenmeyer
So we are finally on the last leg of our journey and this is where people with disabilities
begin to get their voice. Many people with disabilities and allies of people with disabilities were
involved in the civil rights movement of the 1960’s, yet when the civil rights act was passed,
people with disabilities weren’t protected. What we learned though was that at least under the
law, we could have our rights guaranteed. It would take another 25 years before people with
disabilities had their rights fully protected by law, but I guess I am getting ahead of myself, so I
better put this train in reverse and go back a little so that I can introduce you to a few people who
played major roles in this journey.
First, I want you to meet Ed Roberts. Ed Roberts was living the normal life of a teenager
in the early 1950’s when he became ill with polio. Within earshot of him his mom asked the
doctor if Ed was going to live or die and the doctor told her she should hope that he dies because
if he didn’t, he would be a vegetable the rest of his life. Ed tried for a while to kill himself which
was really difficult since he was in the hospital and paralyzed, but there came a point where he
decided he wanted to live. He finally left the hospital and at first attended school by phone, but
finally his senior year he started attending in person. He then found out that he wasn’t going to
get his diploma because he hadn’t taken drivers education or physical education at which time he
and his mom went to the newspapers and got that decision reversed. He then wanted to go to
college and again had to advocate for himself as the VR agency told him that they couldn’t help
him because he was too disabled to work. Ironically, 15 or so years later, he was the director of
that agency. While I could spend a lot more time talking about Ed Roberts I want to introduce
you to a couple more people. So here is in my opinion what you need to know about Ed; he did
go to college and eventually helped found what we know today as centers for independent living.
If you want to know more about him go to YouTube and search for Ed Roberts, there are some
good videos there.
The next person I want you to meet is Wade Blank. Wade was working in a nursing
facility which had a lot of young people as residents. He decided to take some of them to a
Grateful Dead concert and was fired from that facility. Wade then started what he called the
Atlantis Community which was an early example of a system that provided personal care
services in the community. What he found upon starting Atlantis, was that there was no
accessible transportation, which led to the formation of the group ADAPT, Americans Disabled
for Accessible Public Transportation. On July 5, 1975, the group staged a protest at the corner of
Colfax and Broadway, one of the busiest intersections in Denver. Eventually, because of
ADAPT, Denver equipped their busses with wheelchair lifts. While ADAPT worked throughout
the 1980’s to get accessible public transportation, after the passage of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, their focus changed to personal care attendants. ADAPT is now known as
American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today.
While there were many people who played major roles in working for the equality of
people with disabilities, the final person you need to meet is Justin Dart. Justin Dart came from a
wealthy Chicago family and he too had polio. He graduated from the University of Houston, but
they refused to give him his teaching license because he had a disability. From his graduation
until 1967 he founded three different companies, but starting in 1967 he spent the rest of his life
in Disability activism. Justin and his wife, Yoshiko, toured the United States twice, at their own
expense, asking people with disabilities what they wanted out of their government and country.
This information was a large part of what was used to write the Americans with Disabilities Act.
While there is so much history that we didn’t event talk about, I hope this trip has helped
you realize how fascinating disability history can be. We have made a lot of progress toward
equality, but we still have a long way to go. Spend some time on the internet looking at the
history of people with disabilities and then decide what your part in that history will be.
Dodge City Lunch & Learn
On the 19th of November, the Dodge City office was able to hold a Lunch & Learn in the
Hampton Room of the Victory Electric building. This was a great opportunity for our small PILR
office to network with some great resources in the Dodge City area. It was also a great
opportunity for those local resources to really get to know about PILR and what we can offer.
We had a total of 15 people attend. During the event Erica, Tasha, Mignon, Chelsey, and Toni
were all able to present on various services that PILR offers. There was lots of great discussion
afterwards and what seemed like a lot of interest from some of the community members. Every
single person that was there wanted to start receiving our quarterly newsletter and most wanted
follow-up information from us about PILR services! This was an awesome turn out for us and I,
along with the rest of the staff, am so pleased with the interest and support that we are starting to
receive from the great community of Dodge City. I cannot wait to see what kind of opportunities
this opens up for PILR and our past, present, and future consumers! Thank you to all that were
able to attend!
*Picture of a snowman tangled up in Christmas lights
Dillons Community Rewards
A big THANK YOU goes out to Dillons for making this possible! By simply registering your
Dillons Plus Card and selecting Prairie Independent Living Resource Center, Inc., as your
community partner, Dillons will donate a percentage of your purchases back to PILR!
If you already have your card set up to donate to PILR please re-enroll after January 1, 2016! If
you are not currently enrolled we would love for you to enroll today!
It’s easy to do! Just follow these steps:
1. Go to www.dillons.com/communityrewards and create a Dillons.com account by clicking
“Register” in the upper right corner. Enter the requested sign in information – this will require a
valid email address, and click “Create Account.” Add your Dillons Plus Card or ALT ID to your
account. (Enter the 12-digit number from the back of your Plus card or your 10-digit phone
number.) If you already have a registered Dillons Shoppers card, sign in.
2. Once signed in to your Dillons Plus Card account, you can enroll your Dillons Plus card in
Community Rewards by scrolling to the bottom of your account summary and clicking ENROLL
under Community Rewards. There you can search for Prairie Independent Living Resource
Center, Inc. and choose us as your community partner. Once you have found us, click "Save."
3. START SHOPPING!!
That’s all there is to it! Just be sure to scan your Dillons Plus Card every time you shop!
If you have any questions or need any help enrolling, just call us and we will help you!
PILR’s Star of the Month
Congratulations to our PILR’s Star of the Month
October Star Employee of the Month: Tasha Konrade, the Services Coordinator in the Dodge
City and Pratt offices. Tasha has done an excellent job involving PILR in her communities!
Thank you, Tasha!
November Star Employee of the Month: Chris Owens, our Executive Director. There are so
many reasons Chris deserves to be our Star of the Month and PILR would not have been able to
accomplish all it has without her! Thank you, Chris!
*Picture of Christmas gifts placed with holly and berries, followed by a red bicycle, followed by
more gifts with holly and berries
The Bicycle Story
By Mignon Luckey
When I was about 8 years old my sister and I both received bicycles. The difference
between the bicycles was that my bike had training wheels and hers did not. I felt left out
because my sister and the other neighbor children could ride their bicycles in the street and I had
to ride mine on the sidewalk. Some of my friends tried to use their bikes to try to teach me how
to ride a bike with no training wheels. They were unsuccessful. One day when I was 11 years old
my father took the training wheels off of my bicycle. He and I were determined that I was going
to learn to ride a bicycle like my sisters and my friends.
One day my parents and my sisters and I were out in our back yard. My father decided
that he would show us how he could ride a bike backwards. We all watched him ride the bike
backwards down the hill by our house. We all thought it was funny. I asked him if he would
teach me how to ride my bike. He helped me on the bike and gave me instructions on how to
keep the bicycle wheels straight for my first ride. After many tries and falls off of the bike, I
learned how to ride the bicycle. My parents suggested that I just ride the bike around the block. I
am sure that the neighbors had a good laugh watching me trying to keep my wheels straight and
at times falling off of the bike.
When I was 13 we celebrated Christmas with my mother’s parents. After everyone had
received their gifts I was given a note to go into the kitchen. When I went into the kitchen I
found a brand new red bicycle without training wheels. I was allowed to ride the new bicycle in
my grandparent’s neighborhood; their street was made of sand and gravel. That was a different
experience when I fell off of the bicycle. My bicycle skills improved and I was able to ride my
bicycle several blocks to my friend’s house. One day the tires on both of our bicycles were low.
We went to a gas station down the street from her house to get air in our bicycle tires. She rode
her bicycle back home. I rode my bike back home on Wyatt Earp Blvd., which is a major
highway through Dodge City. I made it home without falling off my bike.
The moral to this story is, if you fall, get back up and keep on trying because you can
make it.
Giving Thanks
PILR would like to thank the employees from ALCOA for their generous donation of time and
money to assist us with furthering our mission of working for the inclusion of people with
disabilities. ALCOA staff assisted us with a Delta Dental Grant by putting together bags of
toothbrushes, toothpaste and floss. Other staff have volunteered to participate in 3rd Thursday,
and even helped our consumers move. We greatly appreciate the support of ALCOA and their
employees.
PILR would like to thank the members of the Volunteer Center of Reno County. The volunteers
help us so much and always do it with a smile; we couldn’t do as much as we do if it weren’t for
them!
PILR would also like to thank every person that has donated to us this year. Your donation, no
matter the size, helps us further our mission and is greatly appreciated!
Another Successful Disability Mentoring Day!
Prairie Independent Living Resource Center would like to give a huge “thank you” to the
following business and people for donating money, promotional items, and acting as mentors for
our Disability Mentoring Days in Hutchinson and Pratt. Your help allowed almost 300 high
school students with disabilities the opportunity to learn about a career they may pursue after
graduation and we appreciate your support!
Conrade Insurance
Amerigroup
Sunflower
United Health Care
Brian Teichmann, AHIS
1st National Bank
Pools Plus, Inc.
Stephanie Guthrie
Betty Pinkston
Frances Garcia
Roger Frischenmeyer
Chris and Dan Owens
Diane Marshall
David Sieg
Carrellen Lewis
Kohl’s Associates in Action
RSVP
K-Mart
Target
City Beverage
Nex-Tech Wireless
Sugar Sweets Baking
Taco Johns
Delta Dental
Hutchinson Community College
KFC
Wendy’s
McDonalds
Hutchinson Regional Medical Center
Hutchinson Clinic
People’s Bank & Trust
Walmart
Rona Cellers
Chrisi Cobb
Ray and Edith Wingert
Kanza Coop
Sanford’s Computer works
Walmart
Dr. Todd Esau, DDS
First United Methodist Church
Dr. Jon Austin, Hutchinson Small Animal Hospital
Gale Wall Photography
Hatch Studio
Kathy Moore
Dale’s Northgate
Dillons Marketplace
The Alley
Tractor Supply Company
Westlake Hardware South
Lucky Kid, Ad-Aspera Radio
K-HUT Radio
The Hutchinson News
Reno County Landfill
Performance Auto
Sutton Kaufman
Hadley Daycare
HCC Athletic Department
Mrs. Johanning, South Hutchinson Elementary
Mrs. Krehbiel, South Hutchinson Elementary
Luke McConnaughy, Upper Edge Realty
Miller Home Builders
SADVC
Ward Davis Builders
Sidney’s Hairdressing College
Mrs. Pappenfus, Plum Creek Elementary
Thomas Stanton, Deputy District Attorney
Applebee’s
Carlos O’Kelly’s
Cool Beans
Hutchinson Animal Shelter
Hutchinson Zoo
Pizza Ranch
Serendipity Cupcakes
Golf Pro Shop
Hutchinson Fire Department
Hutchinson Traffic Department
Hutchinson Water Treatment Plant
Hutchinson Police Department
Ken’s Pizza
Candy Lane Preschool
Reno County Head Start
Electrex
Strataca, Kansas Underground Salt Museum
Mid Kansas Cooperative
Shep Chevrolet
Good Vibrations
Midway Chevrolet
Midwest Ford
Mike’s Auto
Hastings
Kmart
Hutchinson Public Library
Mrs. Justice, Hutchinson High School
Mrs. Fairbanks, HMS-8
Mrs. Baldetti, HMS-8
Mrs. Hollinger, Holy Cross Grade School
Mrs. Dennison, Morgan Elementary
Mrs. Frederick, Morgan Elementary
Mrs. Hard, Morgan Elementary
Mrs. Winters, Morgan Elementary
Dr. Chambers, CKVC
Reno County Health Department
Reno County Appraiser
Wild Mustang Program, Hutchinson Correctional Facility
Reno County Area Transportation
Spangles
Emanuel Lutheran Church
If only we were like Rudolph
By Roger Frischenmeyer
The weather has recently turned from comfortable fall to less comfortable winter. Much of this
area is now recovering from a major ice storm. It is also the holiday season and my favorite time
of the year. I love almost everything about this time of year, from the hustle and bustle of
shopping, to the food, so much good food, to my favorite part of the holiday season, the music.
Though there is so much good music this time of the year, one of my favorite songs is Rudolph
the Red Nosed Reindeer. You remember the story about Rudolph, because he was different,
everyone made fun of him and wouldn’t let him play the reindeer games. The song didn’t
mention this but if you watched the movie, his parents hid his red nose and tried to make him just
like the rest of the reindeer. Eventually, according to the movie, he was so ashamed of his red
nose that he ran away to the island of misfit toys. In many ways, Rudolph was very much like
many people that we work with here at PILR. He was ashamed of being different. He was
ashamed of his disability. I have done a lot of training over the years with youth and the one
thing I almost always find is that they, because of sometimes hidden and other time’s not so
hidden messages, are almost always ashamed that they have disabilities. Often times they, just
like Rudolph, try to escape and hide their difference. For Rudolph to begin accepting himself he
needed support and someone to tell him his difference was ok. He found that in Santa. Not only
did Santa help Rudolph accept his difference, but he gave him a way to use that difference to
improve his community. PILR tries to be that Santa for people with disabilities. We try to help
them understand that their disability is only one part of who they are and they should be proud of
every part of them. We also try to assist them to find ways to get involved in their community if
they would like. We can learn a lot of lessons from Rudolph, about accepting differences,
respecting others, and tolerance, but the most important lesson we can learn from Rudolph is that
no matter the difference, everyone has something they can offer to their community, and their
community is better when they accept that contribution.
*Picture of Santa and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer standing arm in arm
Welcome to PILR!
Please help me welcome two new members to PILR’s Board of Directors. Bonnie Loyd and Cammie
Rumback have just joined the Board. I am excited to begin working with them as we move PILR into
2016.
Our offices have also had the pleasure of working with the local SER programs. We have Faye
Harrison in Pratt and Roberta Whitebread and Sharon Flemming in Hutch. It is a pleasure to
work with this program and we are pleased to welcome these women into our offices and we are
very grateful for all they do!
PILR Staff
~Hutchinson~
Chris Owens, Executive Director
Andy Reichart, Assistant Director
Tammy Fuhr, Independent Living Specialist
Jessica Hutchison, Administrative Assistant
Lowell Schrag, Receptionist
Erica Rivera, Independent Living Services Coordinator
Roger Frischenmeyer, Independent Living Specialist
Heather Jones, Independent Living Specialist
Dan Owens, Employment Specialist
Sharon Engelland, Receptionist
Cindy Daniels, Employment Specialist
Tammie Fletchall, Accounting Coordinator
Tyler Patterson, Payroll and Billing Specialist
Megan Hayse, Independent Living Specialist
~Pratt~
Stan Hendershot, Independent Living Specialist
Chelsey Rose, Employment Specialist
Linda Adelhardt, I&R Specialist
~Dodge City~
Tasha Konrade, Services Coordinator
Mignon Luckey, Independent Living Specialist
The Board of Directors
Dave Mullins-President
Stephanie Guthrie-Vice President
Carrellen Lewis-Treasurer
David Sieg
Frances Garcia
Carlota Ponds
Betty Pinkston
Bonnie Lloyd
Cammie Rumback
Prairie Independent Living Resource Center, Inc.
17 South Main
Hutchinson, Kansas 67501
PHONE:
(620) 663-3989
1-888-715-6818
FAX:
(620) 663-4711
VIDEO PHONE:
(620) 860-0140
E-MAIL:
Website:
info@pilr.org
pilr.org
PILR - PRATT
103 West 2nd
Pratt, Kansas 67124
PHONE:
(620) 672-9600
PILR – Dodge City
2601 Central #LL19
Dodge City, KS 67801
PHONE:
(620) 371-7690
Letters to the editor are welcome. Please mail to Chris Owens at:
PILR, 17 South Main, Hutchinson, Kansas 67501
The editor reserves the right to edit or omit letters. Views stated in this column are not
necessarily the views of PILR. PILR receives funding from Rehabilitation Services
Administration, U.S. Department of Education, grants, contracts, and fees for services. Private
donations are welcomed. PILR is an Equal Opportunity Employer and Service Provider.