April 12, 2000
Program provides Access-Ability
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
"I like cleaning!"
So Marie Schumansky proudly exclaimed Monday afternoon while taking a break from vacuuming at the Grand Traverse Heritage Center. As a person with disabilities, in the past month Schumansky has morphed into a volunteer in demand.
Her schedule bursts with commitments to agencies ranging from the United Way to the Adult Work Center to the Special Olympics. With her newfound friend and volunteer coach, Jennifer Sutton, a Northwestern Michigan College student, Schumansky is keeping very busy and helping others in the process.
"I come here every week to clean," she said of the Heritage Center.
For much of their life, many people with disabilities like Schumansky have been on the receiving end of community support and volunteer generosity. Now some people with disabilities want to give back and contribute to others in need. They want to be a volunteer, too.
They have the opportunity to do just that thanks to the Access-Ability Volunteer Mentor program. This program matches a trained volunteer with a disabled person, allowing the disabled person to volunteer and help others. From delivering meals to cleaning to working with kids or the elderly, the enthusiasm and positive attitude of these volunteers are a winning combination.
"Everyone I work with is so excited about volunteering," said Yvonne Donohoe, a volunteer mentor with the program who works with three developmentally disabled people every week. "One client said he would volunteer every day if he could. It is not a paycheck to them, it is really helping people."
More than 15 human service agencies in the region have signed on to the Access-Ability Volunteer Mentor program, including Meals on Wheels, the American Lung Association, the Boys and Girls Club, the Grand Traverse Pavilions and the Adult Work Center. In March, the number of hours donated by disabled volunteers exceeded 250 and will continue to grow as more volunteers and people with disabilities sign up.
"The concept of volunteering, being connected and feeling needed, applies to people with disabilities, too," said Dayna Ryan, the AmeriCorps project site coordinator. "One of the reasons this program developed is that a lot of the disabled people we work with are very qualified in a lot of areas but there are not ongoing things for them to do as volunteers."
Ryan, a long time director of the Arc, Grand Traverse got together with GTP Industries two years ago to try and create such opportunities. Finding funding for their idea proved an obstacle as people and agencies were skeptical that a program like this could work. Finally last fall, the Arc and GTP Industries received a $70,000 grant from AmeriCorps to get the Access-Ability Volunteer Mentor program off the ground.
The grant allows the program to have 10 trained volunteers, each of whom work at least 15 hours a week in direct service with 4-6 disabled people. Currently, they have three volunteers and are looking for more. The potential of the program is huge, administrators said, noting that Access-Ability volunteers could proved more than 8,000 volunteer hours a year just in Grand Traverse County.
The Arc, Grand Traverse is one of only five Arc sites nationwide that received AmeriCorps funding. However, it is unique because it is the only program in the country that promotes volunteer activities for the disabled.
"Disabled people may work 10 hours a week and then what do they do with the rest of their time?" Ryan said. "This program give them a chance to get out and contribute."
Anyone interested in volunteering with the Access-Ability Volunteer Mentor program can contact Dayna Ryan at 935-1842 or Cathie Kovacs at 922-4886. Access-Ability volunteers do not have to be in the AmeriCorps.