HomeMy WebLinkAboutM2005_09_09Brookings Committee for People who have Disabilities
September 9, 2005
A meeting for the Brookings Committee for People who Have Disabilities was held at
2:OOp.m. on Friday, September 9, 2005 in the Brookings City Hall with the following
members present: Kurt Cogswell, Jessie Kuechenmeister, Dave Bertelsen, Emily
Bennett, Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks, Dona Kornbaum, Kristie Ching, Vickie Riggs and
Lisa Sonnenburg.
Members not present: Jennifer Mendoza and Lois Hatton.
Next meeting of the committee is scheduled for Friday, October 7, 2005 at 2p.m.
Wrap-up Reports:
A) ADA Anniversary; Kurt reported the event was successful with the City
Council members serving ice cream. Mayor Munsterman gave a great speech
to all who attended. Our committee attendance was down and Kurt addressed
this by saying we should be there because this is our committee's event. We
also had radio time this year for the event!
B) ABLE Awards; Fergens Menswear received their award and were very proud .
of their contribution to persons with disabilities. Fishback Soccerfields also
received an award for accessibility.
Meeting Attendance/Regrow The committee's attendance has been very low this
last year. Kurt addressed the issue and stated that we as a committee need to regroup
and think about activities we would like to do to keep the interest of everyone in
order to make the committee successful. Committee members suggested etiquette
training for the public, schools and businesses. The training could be held through the
ECMD for free. An employer or two could speak on behalf of the successes and
experiences they have had in hiring persons with disabilities. Another option would
be to have an employer speak on the radio station, doing PSA's, a 20 minute talk show
or commercial ad. A PR group was formed with Kristie and Lisa as volunteers.
Another educational opportunity for training is to go to the businesses and take a slot
time at their staff meetings, etc. The committee could also have a booth at the SDSU
Wellness Fair in the spring and also present to Leadership Brookings with the
opportunity for Q& A time. Nancy serves as a board member in the area of diversity
and feels this would be a great opportunity for LB. Shari suggested the committee get
involved with Special Olympics in May and also get involved with the trainings that
come our way so we are current. Kurt would like the committee to be thinking about
what we would like to do for projects in the next year.
SD Fall Conference -Oct. 11 -13th: The SD Fall Conference for People who have
Disabilities is approaching and this year we will have two speakers. The committee is
making a $500 contribution to the event to pay for the speakers. Mayor Munsterman
will speak at the luncheon on Oct. 121h. Awards will be given to the nominees of the
Governor's Awards. Nominations need to be submitted by the September 12th.
Potential nominees are Shari Froelich for Outstanding Employee with a Disability,
HyVee for Employer of 200 or more Employees, SDSU for Public Employer, Nyberg's
Ace and Aramark for Employer with 200 or less Employees and Kurt Cogswell for
Outstanding Public Employee.
Announcements/CorreWondence/Calendar: The committee is looking for a new
member as Jennifer Mendoza will no longer be a volunteer. Shari reported that over
the summer, the City installed a specialized swing for a child with CP in a local park.
Bonnie had her baby and will be out on maternity leave. Shari will be in and out and
can be reached via e-mail or her cell phone.
Meeting adjourned at 3:00 p.m.
Minutes submitted by Lisa Sonnenburg