March Madness!
Wow-it's been an incredibly busy month for me! A lot has happened that I want to share. First, the WBZ radio interview that I finally did at the end of last month aired and I got to listen to it which was cool. It was OK for my first radio interview; I know I'll get better as I do more. Second, I was profiled in the Quarterly Newsletter for the Spina Bifida Association of Massachusetts. I wrote a one-page story for them about the Ms.Wheelchair Massachusetts/America programs and how they work, and of course explained how I came to be involved with the program. As an adult with Spina Bifida, I was happy to do this and to be a positive role model for my community.
Third, with the SBA Mass, I attended their kick-off party for their First Annual Walk n Roll which will be on May 23rd in Dedham MA. For more information or to sign up as a team or individual walker, go to www.sbamass.org. This event was on March 11th at Boston Beer Works. Originally the plan was for me to speak at this event in order to get everyone excited for the walk, but the turn-out wasn't what was originally expected so I just went to enjoy myself, which was fun too. Instead, I will be speaking at the actual event, which I think is much cooler! I also hope to put together a team, whether it's with family and friends or co-workers from Horizons for Homeless Children where I volunteer. If you're interested feel free to let me know so I can sign us up; I'd be willing to be the team captain! Anyway, I got to meet Ellen Heffernan-Dugan who is the Director of the SBA Mass as well as other Board Members, and it was just a nice casual evening. I even played pool with some of the kids that came along with the adults which was comical to say the least! …I have photos of that, which I hope to post for everyone.
I also got connected with this woman named Krittiya Wongtavavimarn who is a graduate student at Emerson and also a news reporter in Boston. She is a journalism student doing a big project on women with disabilities and empowerment/inspiration and such, and she wanted to focus on Ms.Wheelchair Massachusetts as her project, which will eventually become a website providing inspiration and empowerment for women with disabilities. She describes it as "not just school work" as it will be on the Boston News website. She's had previous experience with people with disabilities in Thailand where she's from, and she then learned how grateful people with disabilities are for what they do have, which sparked her interest in this area. I believe Laurel and Ashley also helped her out-thanks! She came out to Norwood where I live which was really helpful for me, as I'm not super comfortable using the subway and didn't know exactly how to get to Emerson. What she did was she interviewed me regarding my life and my disability, as well as the Ms.Wheelchair Massachusetts program and how I came to be involved and some of the things I hope to accomplish while I have the title for 2010. Then we went out to the school playground next to my house, where she took lots of pictures as well. I thought this was nice and convenient as well as a huge open space to use while the kids were in school. I really enjoyed this and I can't wait to see the final product, which will consist of pictures, the interviews and of course her own text!
So this ends another month of my title…I can't believe how quickly it's going! This was a great month with lots of things going on…it will be hard to top it. Of course I'm still doing the usual fundraising for Nationals, which is going well. I'm hoping to put together a fundraiser soon to raise some big money, as my whole family still wants to attend the event to cheer me on. More details on that later though…Thanks everyone!
