Fourth Quarter 2004 Newsletter
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DAWN, Inc. (Center for Independent Living, Inc.) Dawn is a non-residential center for independent living (CIL) committed to providing the resources to enable people with disabilities to remain independent. Dawn is federally mandated to provide free of charge the following core services
Recreational activities are also provided at a cost. Thank You! We would like to say a special thank you to the following grantors and the companies and individual donors for their continued support throughout the year. Their assistance has helped not only make our events more pleasurable but in some instances donations are all that make an event possible. Your consideration is greatly appreciated.
Thanks also go out to our members who contribute through their membership renewals. From the Executive Director's Desk On behalf of the DAWN Board of Directors and staff, I will like to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year. The end of 2004 closed on a very positive note with our Holiday Gala. This year it was held at the Mount Olive Senior Center with our largest attendance ever. The location and food were great. We were fortunate to receive an enormous amount of food donations from local businesses. We have listed those donors in the newsletter. Please be sure to support their businesses as a way of thanking them for their generous support. There are many new and exciting things on the horizon for DAWN and its members. We continue to address our long-range plan to help us be the best we can be. As always, we would love to have input from our members. If anyone is interested in being a part of the planning process or becoming more active in the Board of Directors, please let the Board members or myself know. We are very interested in increasing our board membership and are especially looking for representation from residents of Warren County as well as parents of our young adults. It is important that our board have a cross representation. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who supports this organization through financial donations, membership dues, participating in our fundraisers and giving of their time in a volunteer capacity. Without all of that support, we could not accomplish our goals. In this issue, we have included some important information for you. First, there is a list of advisory meetings within each of the counties we serve, which are important for you to be involved in. These committees play an important role in the ways local resources are allocated and it is imperative that we educate and inform the officials in our communities of the needs and desires of persons with disabilities. It is up to all of us to play a part. No one will do it for you. Get involved! Your voice is needed! Second, we have included a fundraising form that was created by our fundraising committee to gather ideas from all of you about potential future fundraisers. If you have any ideas for us, please send them in to us on the form. We are looking for our members to take a more active role in our fundraising efforts. I am sure with your support, we can come up with some exciting and innovative ideas. Finally, a list of all activities for the year is included. As per the member's requests, the format for our membership meetings is changing. We will be cutting back on the number of meetings held each year, however, the meetings will be held for a longer time, they will be held in various sites within the three counties and food will be served at each. We are hoping that the changes will entice more individuals to attend. In closing, I would like to thank you all again for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you at some of our activities. Brain Injury Association of NJ, Council for the Head Injured Community (CHIC) invites you to attend a SOCIAL EVENT Sunday, April 3rd from 2:00-5:00 p.m. at Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, NJ and; Do you want to meet new friends? Learn about subjects that are important to the brain injury community? Get involved with a group that empowers people with brain injury? If so…. You must come to this event! Food & Beverages will be served. CHIC is a group of brain injury survivors organized by the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey to address various brain injury topics. If you have a brain injury-related concern and/or want to voice your opinion on any brain injury topic. CHIC is the group to join. Contact Tom Grady, Director of Advocacy & Public Affairs of the Brain Injury Association of New Jersey, to reserve a seat or for more information call (732) 738-1002 ext. 233, or e-mail: tgrady@bianj.org Seating for the Brain Injury Social Event is limited. Please respond by March 16th for the Morristown event. Please respond by April 16th for the Toms River event. HOME MODIFICATION PROGRAM DAWN, Inc. is pleased to announce that we have received funding from the Henry H. Kessler Foundation to provide Home modifications, for people with disabilities living in Morris, Sussex and Warren counties. We have also received funding for Sussex County residents for people with disabilities and the frail elderly. Home modifications are structural changes to an individual's home to make it more accessible as a person ages or becomes disabled. Ramps and widening of doorways are the most common modifications to a home. Interested parties must complete an application and provide two estimates and photographs. Applications are available upon request. If you or someone you know is interested in the Home Modification Program or other DAWN, Inc. services, please call the DAWN office at: (973) 361-5666 (V) or (973) 361-6032 (TTY) Home Repair/Improvement Christian Outreach Project will again be offering home repair / improvement services for Elderly, disabled and low-income homeowners in Sussex, northern Warren, and western Morris counties. Although repairs are at no-cost any donated or discounted building supplies are greatly appreciated. Homeowners and worksites are chosen by a committee based on need for repairs, ability of the homeowner to perform the repairs themselves, and the capabilities of the work crews. Work that has been undertaken in years past include:
If you are a homeowner who would like to request a crew during the two weeks scheduled for work this summer please contact DAWN, Inc. at: (973) 361-5666 (v) or (973) 361-6032 (TTY). Prescription Drug Assistance Assistance is available from member companies. Each individual pharmaceutical company has its own eligibility criteria. The criteria may include one or more of the following:
Use the form on the website to get started and to see if you qualify for assistance or call the RX4NJ program to find out if they can help connect you with low-cost prescription drugs. Website: www.rx4nj.org Toll-free number: (888) 793-6765 Abilities Expo The Abilities Expo will be held April 15 - 17 at the NJ Convention and Expo Center, 97 Sunfield Avenue, Edison. Expo is a consumer trade show for persons with a disability, PT's & OTs, caregivers, family & Spec.Ed teachers. There is a workshop program that takes place at the same time as the exhibits. For list of the workshops: www.abilitiesexpo.com If you are interested in going, we have 25 tickets call us: (973) 361-5666 County Public Meeting Schedule Morris County: web site - www.co.morris.nj.us The following are held in Room 127, Administrative & Records Bldg, 340 West Hanover Avenue Morristown
The following are held at 30 Schuyler Place, 4th Floor Conference Room, Morristown
Sussex County: web site - www.sussex.nj.us
Warren County: web site - www.co.warren.jn.us The following meetings are held in the Rutgers Cooperative Extension Room of the Wayne Dumont, Jr. Administrative Building
DISCRIMINATION? Have you had trouble getting a reasonable accommodation in a store, restaurant, or other public place? Do you know how to file a complaint about a public accommodation? How is the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination different from the Americans with Disabilities Act? Join us at this informative presentation about the new Law Against Discrimination being held on Wednesday, March 2, 2005 from 6:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 32 Main Street in Sparta, New Jersey. The speaker will be David Popiel from the Community Health Law Project. RSVP to DAWN, Inc., 888-383-DAWN (3296) V or 973-361-6023 TTY. For accommodations please call before February 21, 2005. STATEWIDE PARENT ADVOCACY NETWORK The conference will be held on March 18 & 19, 2005 at the National Conference Center at the Ramada Inn in East Windsor, New Jersey. Topics covered will include: Successful Inclusion; Health Care; Violence Prevention; Children's Mental Health; School Improvement; Public Policy and Parent Involvement. For more information go to: www.spannj.org or call 1-800-654-SPAN (7726) WHATEVER WORKS II A symposium on creative practices to meet employment challenges for persons who are deaf, deaf blind, hard of hearing, or late deafened will be held on March 21-22, 2005 at: Bergen County Community College, Technical Education Center, 400 Paramus Road, Paramus, New Jersey. (No registration fee!) For more information, contact: RRCEPII at (716) 829-3934 or e-mail wquarles@buffalo.edu or moehler@buffalo.edu Earned Income Tax Credit The United Way of Morris County has launched an Earned Income Tax Credit awareness campaign. The EITC is a federal /state tax credit available to the people who need it most-low-to-moderate income working families and individuals. You or someone you know could be eligible! To find out if you qualify for the federal and New Jersey state EITC, please visit www.uwmorris.org or dial 2-1-1-. For specific tax question contact the Internal Revenue Service at 1-800-TAX-1040, or the New Jersey Department of Taxation at 1-888-895-9179, or visit www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation. Handicapped Parking/Curb Cuts-Snow Removal Any obstruction to handicapped parking is illegal - $200-$500 fine!! The "Snow Removal Bill" was signed into law on August 16, 1999. Ice or snow must be removed from the handicap parking space, curb cut or other improvement within 48-hours after snow stops. This law is not limited to winter-applies to debris, carts and other obstacles in handicapped parking spaces or blocking curb cuts. Any questions contact NJ Motor Vehicle Commission (609) 984-7577 or go to www.njmvc.gov DAWN Programs - This year the membership has decided to only have six monthly meetings instead of our usual ten. However, the six meetings planned for 2005 will run longer from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. Because we are spread out over three counties the meetings will be held at different locations; and since meetings will now run longer, food will be served at each meeting for a nominal charge of $2.00 per person. General Members Meetings 6:30 - 9:00 p.m.
March 2 - 1st Presbyterian, Sparta General Members Recreation 6:30 - 8:30 pm unless otherwise noted.
Wed., Feb. 23rd -Shopping/Dinner @ Rockaway Mall; 6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. Board Meetings 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. 4th Thursday of the month in the Conference Room at DAWN Inc., Dawn is seeking new board members. If interested please contact the office for details.
DAWN Programs - Young Adult Recreation Monthly - 2nd Friday 7:00 - 10:00 p.m. Montville Rec. Site
Friday, Feb 11 - Valentine's Day Dance at the Montville Senior Center Deaf Senior Citizens of North West Jersey Starting April 2005 meetings will be held the 1st Friday of the month from 1:00 - 4:00. The new meeting location is: St. Peters Episcopal Church Flyer's with topic information will be mailed prior to each meeting. Meeting information is also listed in the Communicator. |
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