Abilities United Aquathon– Swimmers’ Goal is to raise $200,000 to Champion the Abilities in Disabilities

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Now in it’s second year in Sunnyvale, the Annual Abilities United Aquathon www.AbilitiesUnited.org/aquathon is likely to be another record fundraising day on Saturday, September 10, 2011 at the California Sports Center, Sunnyvale Swim Complex, Fremont High School, 1283 Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road in Sunnyvale. The event is scheduled from 8:30 am – 1 pm. This fun-filled event raises money for Abilities United services for individuals with developmental and physical disabilities.

Abilities United’s new Corporate and Foundation Giving Officer, Jo Bailard, is managing the 33^rd annual Aquathon which raises as much as $200,000 for the Palo Alto agency’s services for people with developmental disabilities. This year’s fundraising goal is $200,000. Collaborating with Ms. Bailard on this year’s event, which will be attended by over 400 swimmers and volunteers from throughout the Peninsula and South Bay, are Linda Chin and volunteer Vicki Yamaoka, of Los Altos. Joining Abilities United this year to present the event awards is KGO AM 810 Newstalk Radio personality, John Rothmann and former Olympic swimmer, Susan Roy. San Jose Sharks mascot, Sharkie will make his annual “splash”, delighting children and adults alike.

The hundreds of swimmers include employees from corporations throughout Silicon Valley, participants and staff at Abilities United programs, and local community residents. Long-time Abilities United supporter and Los Altos resident, Ann Hepenstal is the captain of the Intel Employees' Team has been involved with the Aquathon for nearly 20 years: “Organizing an Aquathon team has brought me a lot of personal satisfaction. Through very little effort, I make a huge difference. I bring together employees from across our company for a morning of fun and fellowship. By doing so, I help Abilities United provide their programs enabling people with developmental disabilities lead the lives they choose.”

The Abilities United Aquathon epitomizes the vision of Abilities United, a world where all people; of all abilities; live, work, and play side-by-side with mutual respect for each individual’s unique contributions. Abilities United strives to be a model of how society can be barrier free to enable the full participation of people with disabilities and their families. The Aquathon is a community and team-building event where people of all walks of life, all ages and all abilities, swim side-by-side to raise money to help fund the training, education, and support that Abilities United provides to people with developmental and physical disabilities so they can lead the lives they choose.

One of the star Aquathon fundraisers is recent Sunnyvale resident Bill Hall, a retiree, who receives Independent Living Skills training from Abilities United. Bill began fundraising in 2006 when he went door-to-door in his community and generated nearly $1,000 in donations. Each year he has increased his fundraising dollars and this year, his personal fundraising goal is $1,200. How does Bill motivate people to donate? “I take the flyers to companies and ask if they would like to give to the disabled. I don’t actually ask for money, I leave it up to them. If they want to give $1 or $5, it doesn’t matter, whatever they want to give is good. “ Bill is very humble about his prowess as a fundraiser but his efforts warrant recognition. He has received the “Client Fundraising Award” for two consecutive years. Bill’s success may be closely related to his realistic expectations, “Raising money is a lot of work but everything you do, you have to put your heart into it and do the best you can. Each year is different, you just have to keep trying. Every time I do it I learn more and more. I’ve learned to go with the flow, and be thankful for what I get.” He further stated, “I feel good about raising money for the disabled. It’s for a good cause and I know it’s being well used.”

Among the 2,500 Bay Area residents who benefit from the fund raised at the Aquathon is Palo Alto resident Mike Seiders. As this year’s honorary swimmer, Mike will kick-off the event with the inaugural swim. Mike has a lifetime of big aspirations and an "I can figure it out" attitude. His personal goals have enabled him to progress through the Abilities United Early Intervention program , graduating from the Palo Alto school system and Foothill Community College. As an adult, Mike has held various jobs through the Abilities United Employment Services program where he receives job placement and employment coaching. Today, Mike is an integral member of the Abilities United janitorial team and keeps the facilities clean and neat…all with a smile and positive work attitude.

Mike also learned to swim at the Abilities United Betty Wright Swim Center. Once a year Mike and his family organize a “Big Mike” team and swim in the Abilities United Aquathon. This is their way of saying “thank you for being there for us” and, of course, is a great opportunity for Mike to show off his swimming skills. Michael’s mother, an Abilities United board member, states: “Abilities United provides vital support to my son. I cannot adequately express the importance of Abilities United to Mike’s long-term maturity, mental and physical health, and community socialization. Life has not always been easy, but Mike’s positive attitude and the support of this community make it seem so".

Mike is the first one to say that he couldn't achieve all his goals on his own. He values the help he has received from his parents, his teachers, his coaches, the community at large and Abilities United. As Mike says: "I've been with Abilities United a long time - since I rocked the crib. Now I'm out there, living on my own. Abilities United has helped me be who I am".

Mike, along with his friends and family, are one of 50 teams scheduled to swim in the friendly, competitive, continuous swim relay to raise funds for Abilities United, a Palo Alto not-for-profit agency that champions people with developmental and physical disabilities.

Teams, made up of 6 to 8 people from all over the Bay Area, swim for 30-minute to raise funds. Corporate matches are added to team totals.

Sponsors of the Abilities United Aquathon including NVIDIA, Oracle, Lockheed Martin, MarketRiders, Webcor Builders, Intuit, Milk Pail Market of Mountain View, Montreux Equity Partners, Mulcahy Family Dentistry and SRI of Menlo Park. Media sponsors include KGO AM810 and the Palo Alto Weekly/Palo Alto Online.

If you would like to form a team, swim on a team, or make a donation visit www.AbilitiesUnited.org/aquathon or contact 650-618-3331 or jo@AbilitiesUnited.org

Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Ted Kennedy: A Commemoration

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To commemorate the second anniversary of the passing of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, we are posting this story written by Lynda Steele, ED of Abilities United and published in Parenting on the Peninsula, November 2009.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver is, for those of us who work with people with special needs, the ultimate role model. She is an example of what can be accomplished by one person with a passion for a cause. She was a woman, who for decades relentlessly pursued her vision of a just world for people with developmental disabilities. Her tenacity, commitment, and influence to forge a revolution to expand the rights and independence of people with developmental disabilities, inspires all of us to follow in her footsteps in whatever small or grand way we can.

Today, it is impossible to imagine what the lives of people with developmental disabilities would look like without the impact of Eunice. Would most of these individuals still be in institutions, provided inadequate medical care, or worse yet, abused at the hands of their so called caregivers? Granted, these injustices may still exist today but fortunately, only in pockets. The majority of individuals now lead lives that offer stimulation, challenge, education, employment, and independent living. The nationwide network of early intervention, after school and day activity programs, education, employment services, independent living, recreation, respite, and therapeutic services, give each U.S. resident with developmental disabilities or delays new opportunities to live their life as they chose. They are no longer a “victim” of society’s institutions or ignorance. Today, individuals with developmental disabilities are contributors to their community. They work at local companies as tax paying citizens. They “give back” to society as volunteers at local nonprofits. They collaborate with their classmates and teachers. They inspire others through athletics, arts, and leadership. They use their own talents and skills to live independently and make their own impact on the world. We still have progress to make to reach the ultimate goal of equal opportunities for people with disabilities but the drive of people like Eunice Kennedy Shriver and her younger brother, Ted, have gotten us very far along the journey. And though multitudes of dedicated parents, professional, volunteers, donors, caregivers and other community members have made this possible, at the helm was Eunice Kennedy Shriver.

Eunice taught all of us that we couldn’t go it alone, that this revolution, like all revolutions, is a community effort. She recruited many to help her forge her vision, even her own children and family members, as is so evident on the Eunice Kennedy Shriver website, where her son Timothy Shriver wrote: “… To this day, the mission of Special Olympics is rooted in the values of hope, love and opportunity. To create an opportunity for people with intellectual disabilities where they can compete, experience success and showcase their talents to the world. … I challenge each of you to further my mother's work and vision -- reach out to a person with intellectual disabilities who every day is looking for hope, love and opportunity. When we open our eyes to that which is around us it is so simple to do. Smile, reach out and say hello to those with intellectual disabilities in your schools and your communities. Get involved and volunteer with your local Special Olympics. I guarantee your life will be enriched and you will get back more than you give.”

Although Shriver is best known for establishing the Special Olympics in 1968, she spent decades changing the daily lives of people with developmental disabilities in countless important ways. As the executive vice president of the Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. Foundation in the 1950s, she established two major objectives for the foundation: to prevent intellectual disabilities by identifying its causes, and to improve the means by which society deals with citizens who have intellectual disabilities. Under her leadership, in 1961, the Foundation established The President's Committee on Mental Retardation. The next year, the Foundation developed the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development. In 1967 they created a network of university-affiliated facilities and mental retardation research centers at major U.S. medical schools. Centers for the study of medical ethics at Harvard and Georgetown Universities were created in 1971. The "Community of Caring" concept for the reduction of intellectual disabilities among babies of teenagers was launched in 1981 followed by sixteen "Community of Caring" Model Centers in 1982, and the "Community of Caring" programs in 1200 public and private schools from 1990-2006. Shriver founded the “Community of Caring” to create a school community to teach values across the curriculum in a safe and healthy learning environment in which all children, including students with disabilities, could succeed and prosper academically and ethically.

There is no doubt that Eunice Kennedy Shriver has changed the fabric of life for people with developmental disabilities as well as the lives of their families, friends, neighbors and coworkers. She will be missed but we all vow to carry on her mission and strive to attain her vision. Who could imagine the expanse of the meaning of her words when she convened the first Special Olympics on that sweltering July 20 at Chicago’s Soldier Field, “You are the stars and the world is watching you. By your presence you send a message to every village, every city, every nation. A message of hope. A message of victory.”

On August 25, we lost another great friend to people with special needs. But like his sister Eunice, Ted Kennedy’s spirit and the impact he has had on the lives of people with disabilities will forever be felt in our society. According to Disability Scoop, Kennedy was a chief sponsor of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the 1990 legislation that ensures people with disabilities equal access to public places and employment. The ADA culminated years of civil rights work to ensure the rights of people with disabilities to employment, appropriate housing and care, voting, air travel and protection from crimes. Kennedy was a co-sponsor of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, which later became the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). He was also instrumental in establishing government definitions for terms like “developmental disability” and changing the terminology from “handicapped” to “disability.” Andrew Imparato, president and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities spoke for all of us, “His legacy will be felt for generations to come, as millions of Americans with disabilities and our families recommit ourselves to his vision of equality and full citizenship for all people.”

Rest in peace Eunice and Teddy. You will long be remembered and cherished by the millions of individuals from all walks of life you have touched.

Lynda Steele, Executive Director of Abilities United in Palo Alto, has dedicated her 30 year career to improving and changing the lives of people with disabilities by developing and managing high

quality community services as an alternative to institutional care.

Eunice Kennedy Shriver and Ted Kennedy: Special Friends to those with Special Needs was written by Lynda Steele, Executive Director, Abilities United and published in the November 2009 issue of Parenting on the Peninsula

Project WaterWell final push to reach $425,000 goal!

Aquatic Services client Ron Cote and his wife and Abilities United board member Geri Hadley, and Linda Chin the Development Director of Abilities United were recently interviewed on On the Move, recorded by a local Mountain View TV station (KMVT). The video is available at on Youtube

Ron tells his inspirational story about his spinal cord injury and the progress he has made using the warm water therapy of the Betty Wright Swim Center located at Abilities United. Donna Yeager, host of the program, having learned to swim at the BWSC and a current client, also attests to the benefits this unique indoor warm water, wheelchair accessible pool provides to the community and those who can benefit from warm water exercise.

Ron, Geri and Linda also talk about Project WaterWell, our infrastructure and capital improvement campaign for the aging Betty Wright Swim Center. A recent $25,000 anonymous challenge gift was just matched by the Sheri Sabrato Sonsini's Foundation – Sheri used to volunteer/teach at the Betty Wright Swim Center. And longtime Abilities United friends, Julia and David Carver Colella also donated $15,000 to be matched by another $25,000 anonymous challenge grant! So as of August 3, we are proud to announce that we have $382,458 cash in hand towards our $425,000 goal.

We still have to raise the other $10,000 to meet the $25,000 challenge grant so we invite you to help in any way you can to help us reach our goal by the end of August. If you (or any of your friends, family or your company), could help us in this final stage, we would be ever so grateful.

Your Project WaterWell donations make possible the first phase of work in August when a new roof, thermal solar panels and new boiler will be installed. The next phase will be the installation of the HVAC system, new doors to replace the 40+ year old doors that are literally falling off their tracks, and training for new hydro/aqua therapists. You can donate on the Abilities United website.

Thank you so much for your support to help us reach the Project WaterWell campaign goal. And stay tuned to learn more about the improvements being made to make the Betty Wright Swim Center more comfortable and accessible to all community members who use it.

Written by Wendy Kuehnl

Abilities United Marketing Director