Jane and Zamu - PDF document

1 Jane and Zamu “It feels good to be i
Jane and Zamu “It feels good to be in a citizen advocacy relationship. This is not something that I thought I would be able to do.” - Jane, Citizen Advocate When Jane and Zamu met she didn’t use sign language and he didn’t use words, but that didn’t stop Jane from understanding what could make life better for Zamu. She learned American Sign Language, used her connections to cut through red tape, and got Zamu enrolled in school. This was a huge commitment for them both. Zamu would be away from his family for months and Jane would be driving the three hour round trip to get him to school and back on breaks. They started their relationship struggling to communicate with one another, but along the journey they developed a friendship. When Zamu called Jane after his graduation, she was moved to tears. “It was the first time that we had a real conversation. I was finally talking to my friend.” B OARD OF D IRECTORS Rita Haggerty, President Rachel Platt, J.D., Immediate Past President Woodrow A. Hall, Fundraising Chair John B. Hammond, III, Secretary Bo Gaiason Gillian Grable Betty Thompson Zak Topor A DVISORY B OARD Don Bender Grover Hogan Marie Selby Ambassador Andrew Young S TAFF Derona King, Director Deborah Harnishfeger, Associate Coordinator C ITIZEN A DVOCACY : A valued citizen who is unpaid and independent of human services creates a relationship with a person who is at risk of social exclusion. The citizen advocate chooses one or several of many ways to understand, respond to, and represent that person’s interests as if they were the advocate’s own, thus bringing the person’s gifts and concerns into the circles of ordinary community life. What’s Worth Doing The most successful marketing strategies appeal to our desire for ease and convenience. Expediency has become a costly ingredient to what many refer to as “the good life.” Expediency feeds self absorption, but it does not nourish the soul. Citizen advocacy is not expedient, but it does nourish the soul. We invite ordinary people to do hard things, and to think beyond their own personal comfort and convenience. We invite people to challenge stereotypes and assumptions regarding disability, often their own assumptions. Along the journey advocates are encouraged to consider the social, political, or economic landscape that excludes some people from ever participating in this idea of “the good life.” What many citizen advocates discover once they move away from their own comfort zones is that acting courageously and compassionately on behalf of someone else might be difficult initially, but it ultimately builds strength in a relationship and nouri

2 shes the soul. Spring 2014 Newsletter
shes the soul. Spring 2014 Newsletter 404.523.8849 | 376 Oakdale Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 | www.CitizenAdvocacyAtlantaDeKalb.org | 501(c)(3) Richard and Samuel are experiencing personal transformation through citizen advocacy - literally. They spend several hours a week together at the gym - breaking down and building up more than muscle. They put in hard work which strengthens their bodies, and they know it is hard work that will strengthen their relationship, and strengthen their souls. “I’m enjoying building our relationship - physically, mentally, and spiritually.” - Richard, Citizen Advocate Kathi and Eric “I think it is a normal feeling to think if we know too much or go too deep we may lose our own secure space. This kind of volunteering is not for everyone. It is not the kind of work rewarded with a banquet or a plaque on the wall. People may even question why one would invest so much in one family, in one boy… But the truth is they are us. We are all only one fire, or war, or illness, away from needing someone else. By helping them, I help all of us. The message is in the process, not so much the outcome. It will never be easy. It will never be fair. This little African boy is helping me understand things about myself that I have never known. He is showing me how to fight for justice and not be afraid. He is teaching me that bold action is the only way to make a change. Fighting for his safety and happiness has made me more human.” - Kathi, Citizen Advocate NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID DECATUR GA PERMIT NO. 85 376 Oakdale Road NE Atlanta, Georgia 30307 R ETURN S ERVICE R EQUESTED 3 RD A NNUAL “D INING FOR C HANGE ” F UNDRAISING D INNER Thank you to our generous sponsors, donors, volunteers, and guests! Together you raised $10,000! Sustaining Community Sponsor: Greenberg Traurig Silver Sponsor: Radial Café Partners in Change: C.D. Moody Construction Company InsoPac Coast Dental Cascade LUSK & Company H.J. Russell Company Russell Professional Group Fricke & Associates The Platt Law Firm Music for Change: Justina Mason (vocals) Jay Hammond (tenor sax) Silent Auction Donors: Beauty is Joi M. Cary & Daughters The Moog Gallery Cason Photography Marie Selby The Technology Squad Costco Wholesale Mary Yoder Trader Joe’s (Atlanta) Diamond Lil Paula Rafferty Woody Hall Garden View Massage Stone Mountain Park Yoga Poses Daily Lashonda Person Target (N Druid Hills) Zak Topor Lipsey Mountain Spring Wate