THING #1
Apply for the Dine’ Barclay Scholarship!
It happened almost 4 years ago… My daughter Kelsi and I applied for and were awarded the Dine’ Barclay Scholarship to attend the National APSE conference. Kelsi was in high school at the time and was going out one day each week for community based work experience. It wasn’t long that she decided that work wasn’t such a bad thing after all… BUT if she was going to work, she wanted to get paid! We talked about getting a job and what it REALLY meant to have a job. She was sure, ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE, that she wanted to get a job. So we started on a new journey. I knew that we would need to learn about the supports that Kelsi may need to get and keep a job, so I started looking around and discovered the Dine’ Barclay Scholarship to attend the 2012 National APSE Conference (The Association of People Supporting Employment First).
It was AMAZING the things that we both learned! Kelsi attended Students for APSE and learned everything from how to dress for an interview to soft skills. I sat in the back of her sessions a couple of times and learned from that and the general sessions too.
After we got back from the conference we signed up to attend the Full Life Ahead Family Weekend. On the way down Kelsi and I talked about all that we had learned at the conference. I encouraged her to practice the networking skills she had learned. So whenever she met someone at camp she would say, “I am Kelsi and I want a job.” The LAST thing we expected happened! Yep! She was offered the opportunity to interview for a job at Taziki’s! She had her interview 2 weeks later and this August she will celebrate her 4th year of employment there!
APPLY! You will be so glad that you did! The scholarship is awarded annually to a self-advocate or their family member to attend the National APSE conference. Applicants should complete this application and return to: Byron White, DMH, 100 North Union Street, Suite 486, Montgomery, AL 36130, 334-353-7713. You can also email the information to byron.white@mh.alabama.gov
HURRY UP! THE DEADLINE TO APPLY IS: April 30, 2016
2016 Dine Barclay Scholarship Application
THING #2
Attend the next Full Life Ahead Weekend June 10-12, 2016
Before I became Executive Director of The Full Life Ahead Foundation, my family attended several family weekend retreats. Kelsi absolutely loved going and matured right before our eyes. As a family we learned things that helped and continue to help us as we strive to make Kelsi’s life as full, productive, purposeful and happy as possible. If you have never gone, I HIGHLY recommend it! You will want to come back again and again!
