May 10, 2010

This spring, CIF partner JJ's List celebrated it's first birthday! JJsList.com is a consumer review website focused on discussing the disability awareness of North Shore businesses. Additionally, JJ's List offers workshops covering self-advocacy and technology skills as well as trainings delivered to businesses to develop their disability-aware service.

One such workshop is the upcoming Social Networking Seminar offered by JJ's List at the Northbrook Public Library. The event will take place on June 22nd and 23rd from 6:30-8:30 each night. Topics to be covered include pro-active Internet safety, Internet coaching, hands-on experience with Facebook, and hands on self-advocacy with JJ’s List. Space is limited; for more information or to register contact JJ at info@jjslist.com or 847-702-4098.

In the last year, more than 10,000 visitors have checked out www.jjslist.com and learned about disability consumerism and community integration of people with disabilities. Nearly 600 reviews have been written by users and posted to the site. Hundreds of businesses have raised their interest in disability awareness and signed up as Bridge Builders in the Disability Awareness Directory.

Much of this growth is thanks to the tireless work done by JJ's List's corps of dedicated and diverse volunteers. Interested in knowing how you can help? Contact JJ@JJsList.com.

Happy First Birthday JJ's List!

April 1, 2010

Great News! Center for Independent Futures has entered into charity partnership with Make It Better, the premier online resource and magazine for Chicago and the North Shore! This new relationship is a natural one – both organizations use innovative approaches to engage the broader community in making lives better for people living in the Chicagoland area.

You can help CIF build on this relationship by doing the following:

Subscribe to the Better Letter and CIF will get a $5 donation!  This free weekly e-newsletter highlights the best of the Make It Better website features.  Simply visit the Make It Better website, click on the subscribe button at the top of the page, enter your information and choose Center for Independent Futures from the “Choose a Charity” drop down menu.

Rate CIF on the Better List! You can add your rating to Center for Independent Future’s listing on the Make It Better website and spread the word about our work.  Use this link to access the CIF listing, then scroll to the bottom of the page to add your rating.

Read about CIF! 

CIF Executive Director Jane Doyle shares CIF's story in an interview with Susan B. Noyes, the mastermind behind Make it Better.

Barry Siegel's workshops focus on the power of writing as self-expression for individuals with disabilities. The writing of Center for Independent Futures’ participants will be featured at our upcoming Spark fundraiser on Friday, April 30, 7 – 11 p.m. at the Chicago Cultural Center.

We’re so excited about this new partnership with Make It Better, and we know that you will find value in the wonderful information found in the Better Letter and on the Make It Better website.

April 9, 2010                             By Tara Kosieniak

Growing up with my brother Nick significantly impacted my life. My parents didn’t talk with me about my brother’s disability, and I had to figure out for myself that I would never be able to play with him in the same way my friends did with their siblings. As a result, my childhood had elements of mystery, loneliness and sadness. I loved my brother, and at times I felt guilty for having a life that he did not. I wished for opportunities to share my experiences with other brothers and sisters of individuals with disabilities.

My early childhood experiences, and later experiences as an adult sibling, drove my desire to start an organization for brothers and sisters of individuals with disabilities. SIBS (Supporting Illinois Brothers and Sisters) recognizes that growing up with a brother or sister with special needs can be both rewarding and challenging. It is a place where siblings across the life span can meet one another and share their experiences. Because siblings will typically be involved in the life of their brother or sister with disabilities long after their parents are gone, we educate parents and service providers on the importance of sibling support. SIBS also advocates to improve the opportunities and benefits available to our siblings with disabilities living in the state of Illinois.

March 23, 2010

Center for Independent Futures, an Associated Charity of the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, still has spots available for athletes dedicated to running for possibilities.  Although open registration for the race has closed, Team CIF is still welcoming runners who can commit to raising at least $500 for CIF by race day on Sunday, October 10th.  Learn more and register by calling Mary Bowmann at 847.328.2044.

Already registered and looking to make your Chicago Marathon experience more meaningful?  Team CIF invites you to join our efforts to create new solutions for individuals with disabilities and their families.   It’s simple for runners who have already registered for the marathon to become a part of Team CIF.  Just email Mary with your name and registration number and you’ll be off and running!

March 1, 2010

Do you like deals?  Do you like saving 50% or more on great products, services and restaurants? Then you'll LOVE "We Give To Get"!

Center for Independent Futures is now a participating cause on We Give To Get, an online marketing & branding portal that brings Chicagoland businesses and charities together to give a little and get a lot.
 
We Give To Get has partnered with Act of Good and a variety of Chicagoland businesses to give subscribers great offers while giving back to many of Chicago's deserving charitable organizations – including Center for Independent Futures!  They offer "Great Offer-Giving Opportunities” (called GO-GO’s), that feature a 50% or more discount off a product, service or membership at well-known Chicago establishments.

Sign up is FREE, and 10% of your purchase will be donated to CIF through We Give To Get when you click on this link:  http://wegivetoget.com/?cause_id=21. It’s that easy to enjoy all that Chicago has to offer and help support Center for Independent Futures at the same time.

Give a Little. Get a Lot. Visit We Give to Get today!

March 19, 2010

“For 58 years, The Woman’s Club of Evanston has been making people laugh for a good cause. This year, talented members of The Woman’s Club of Evanston wrote, directed, choreographed, and performed an uproariously funny variety show to benefit Center for Independent Futures,” says Julie Chernoff, President of The Woman’s Club. This year, Center for Independent Futures was the lucky beneficiary of The Woman’s Club Benefit Show “The Age of Hilarious.” Performed the first two weekends of March, the show certainly lived up to its name with laughs a minute and smiles spread wide.

Our deepest thanks to all who made The Woman’s Club Benefit Show such a festive and fun success: more than 100 cast and crew members who shared their talents; dozens of volunteers who donated their time; and more than 60 CIF supporters who joined in the hilarity as audience members and volunteers. Funds raised from the Benefit Show will support CIF’s Community Dream Team, a group of local leaders who volunteer to support students at Evanston Township High School as they prepare as they prepare to make a successful transition from high school into the adult world. Thanks to all!

October 6, 2009

By using GoodShop and GoodSearch, you can turn your online shopping and browsing into donations for CIF in a few easy steps and at no cost!  Follow these simple directions to benefit CIF.

Shop your favorite on-line sites through GoodShop and a percentage of your purchase (up to 30%) will be donated to CIF.

• Click on the GoodShop logo located in the right column of CIF’s website which will populate the “Who Do You Support” field with CIF’s name.
• Click on the “Verify” button.
• Search for your online retailer, such as EBay, iTunes, Office Depot, Best Buy, etc. by scrolling through the list of Most Popular Stores and clicking on the Store Name, or entering the Store Name in the Search for Store Name box and clicking the search button.  More than 600 top stores are participating!
• When the new GoodShop window for the store pops up, then click the link “GoodShop this Store.”
• You will be automatically connected to the store website.  Complete your transaction as usual.  Since you accessed the store through GoodShop, up to 30% of your purchase will automatically be donated to CIF!

Earn even more for CIF!  When you use the GoodSearch YAHOO powered search engine, each web search will generate approximately $.01 for CIF.   Simply do the following:

• Click on the GoodSearch logo located in the right column of CIF’s website which will populate the “Who do you GoodSearch for?” field with CIF’s name.
• Click on the “Verify” button.
• Enter what you are searching for in the search window and click on the search button. 

GoodShop and GoodSearch . . . easy ways to support CIF every day with no additional cost to you!

October 6, 2009

Center for Independent Futures now has our own Facebook page.  For those of you who are Facebook users and CIF supporters, this is great news!

CIF’s Facebook page provides all the usual Facebook features.  Post comments on our Wall, check out our CIF photo albums in the Photos Tab and post some of your own great CIF photos, look for event information under the Event Tab and current CIF news in the Notes Tab.   When you become a CIF Fan, you will receive all our Facebook updates on you Facebook page, so you can keep track of what’s happening.  Now you can also invite your friends to become CIF Fans, support our cause and attend CIF events!   
 
So, become a CIF Fan today!  Simply click on the Facebook icon in the right column of the CIF web site.  When you reach the CIF Facebook page, click on the “Become a Fan” button.  We look forward to seeing you on Facebook!

August 31, 2009

Life Tools Camp 2009 was a rousing success!  During the 3-week Life Tools experience, a total of 10 campers participated in daily activities centered on experiences inspired by the Full Life Model™ and corresponding curriculum.  Activities included grocery shopping and eating out on a budget, cooking healthy meals, house cleaning, public transportation planning and training, yoga, art therapy, and community safety.  Campers also stayed the night which, for some, was the first time sleeping away from home! 

Each camper exited camp with a Life Tools Portfolio which included recommendations from CIF staff to support the participant in moving further along their path towards independence.  We are already looking forward to next year and have begun planning new activities and experiences to support the exploration of individuals living more independently.

August 23, 2009                                                                          By Sherri Schneider

* At birth, if your infant remains in the hospital for some time, apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) for this child.  As long as the child remains in the hospital, parents’ income and assets will not count.  To apply, call 1-800-772-1213 and indicate that you are applying for SSI.  If your child has no or limited health insurance, think about applying for Illinois Medicaid.
 
* At any age, the sooner the better, you will need to do some special needs estate planning to include (but not limited to):  wills, special needs trust(s), powers of attorney, and change of beneficiary.  It is vital that you use an attorney whose practice is limited to these issues and who keeps up with the ever-changing rules.  To find an attorney in your area, you may reference the Special Needs Alliance website.  This planning will help to ensure that your child can obtain and maintain benefits for now and in the future.
 
* From birth to age 3, have your child evaluated for early intervention programs. There are several agencies that provide this program.  To locate the agency for your area, you can call 217-782-1981.
 
* Do not open any assets in your child’s name.  Let others know this as well.
 
* At age 3, seek as much help from the school district as possible.  You may need to hire a school advocate or attorney to get what your child needs.
 
* Continue to keep no assets in your child’s name.
 
* If your child has the diagnosis of developmental disability or on the Autism Spectrum, you must do a PUNS (Prioritization of Urgency of Need for Services).  Because there is not enough money to give everyone in Illinois the services they need, this is Illinois’ waiting list for services that Illinois maintains.  To do a PUNS, you will need to call your Independent Service Coordination Agency (ISC) which can be found by calling 1-800-588-7002 or 1-888-DDPLANS.  You can request funding for services such as:  respite, children’s waiver, Home Base Service waiver, job coaches, and group homes.
 
* If your child is under 18 years old, most benefit programs will count the parents’ income and/or assets against the child.  Some programs do not.  To find some programs that do not deem parents’ income and assets, you may call:  Case Management under Division of Specialized Care for Children at 773-444-0043.
 
* Attend as many conferences you can to obtain information for your child’s future.  The schools have presentations andThe ARC of Illinois lists many on their website.  If you would like support from fellow parents, you can reference IPADD Unite on the Internet (www.iacdd.org) and/or attend the work group in your area.

* When your child turns 14 ½, the school should be starting transition planning. Ensure your child’s IEP reflects realistic goals.
 
* In Illinois, special education can end the day before your child turns 22.  One year before this, do your due diligence to look at programs (day, residential) where your child may attend when the school district is finished.
 
* At 18 years old:
     - Apply for SSI
     - Apply for Medicaid
     - Consider the need for Guardianship vs. Powers of Attorney for your child
     - Get a school Power of Attorney executed and given to the school
     - Get an Illinois Identification Card
     - Look into RTA Reduced Fare Permit and/or ADA Paratransit Service
     - Males – Register for Selective Service
     - Register to vote – if applicable
 
* ONGOING – establish and update a Letter of Intent
 
Sherri Schneider, founder of Family Benefit Solutions, has been tirelessly dedicated to helping individuals with special needs and their families for more than 25 years. Individuals, families, professionals and family groups find her in-service expertise to be invaluable as they navigate the government benefit process.  Contact Sherri at (847) 279-8506 or visit www.familybenefitsolutions.com for more information.

This information was published in Chicago Special Parent Magazine, Summer 2009 and is posted here with the permission of the author.

May 1, 2009
During 2008, three new family groups from across the state of Illinois completed the New Futures Initiative training offered by Center for Independent Futures. The New Futures Initiative is a series of four workshops that teaches families how to recreate CIF’s housing models in their own settings.

Ray and Barb Klein attended the workshop as representatives of their family group, the Still Waters Community Foundation of Wheaton, Illinois. Still Waters learned about the New Futures Initiative training through CIF’s first Associate organization, CIF-Schaumburg. CIF-Schaumburg completed the workshop in 2007 and has since opened a Community Living Option residence.

For Ray, the most useful part of the New Futures Initiative was learning about the many components that go into creating a residence, including the legal, financial, real estate, and staffing considerations. Ray reflects, “Our group was a little bit naïve in thinking that we could just build a house for our adult children. There are a lot of elements that go into creating a home and a lot of people who need to be involved. The workshop gave us an idea of how to start.”

Joanne Pettitt, from the family group Lilipad in Joliet, Illinois, says she most enjoyed learning about the successes and challenges that CIF and CIF-Schaumburg experienced when they created their first residences. “We need to learn from others in order to eliminate mistakes,” Joanne says. “This helps our new organizations get results more quickly. 

With the lessons learned from New Futures Initiative, the three family groups are already seeing results and taking next steps. Joanne is sharing CIF’s model with the Lilipad Family Partnership and rebuilding her planning team. Jennifer Peters of Wilmette, Illinois, was inspired to take her group in a different direction and created Collective SOLE, a dance troupe for teens and adults with disabilities. And the Still Waters Community Foundation is using the knowledge they gained in New Futures Initiative to determine their next steps.

Ray knows from experience that it is easy for family groups to get overwhelmed when taking on the challenge of creating new living options for their loved ones with disabilities. “But the fact that others have done it makes me confident that we can too with enough perseverance,” Ray says.

For more information on the New Futures Initiative workshop, please call 847.328.2044 or send CIF a request.